Eleven.

Rae's POV

It's been four days since Sidney left my apartment. In that time, I've tried desperately to stay busy, which really isn't hard for me. I've picked up extra shifts at the café while on Christmas Break, knowing that as soon as the next semester starts, I'll be required to attend Penguins home games and even travel for away games. This will also be my last semester of college, so I know that if I can get through the next couple of months unscathed, everything will work out.

I mean unscathed in a number of ways; firstly, I'll obviously have to get through my final classes and then pass my boards and more importantly, find a job. Secondly, I mean Sidney.

He's dangerous for a number of reason he's oblivious to. I thought that if we could just be friends, he'd eventually get bored and leave me alone, like I desperately needed. Although, after the last time I saw him, I'm not so sure I did a good job at keeping the previous boundaries intact.

Sure, that night was mind blowing, a fact that I don't think Derek will ever let me forget, but it also changed a lot. Obviously, just friends between Sidney and I will be even harder for me to obtain now, because when I look at his strong hands, I'll always remember the way his fingers played me like a harp. I also do not have the "drunk" card to play this time, because believe me, I remember every moment.

Yes, Sidney is dangerous.

We're at the slower part of the morning shift when I see him walk into the café. My eyes go wide as I scuffle around the corner, hoping he didn't see me quite yet, as I busy myself refilling the drinks I had just picked up from one of my tables. I watch from around the corner as Derek walks up to Sidney and they start talking. I'm mortified when I hear both of them laughing; who knows what Derek said to him. When I finally decide that I can't stall any longer and that my table is waiting for their drinks, I take a deep breath and round the corner.

I see Derek sitting him at a table for two in my section and feel my heart drop; he's unavoidable now. Sidney's eyes lock on mine and I smile before scurrying over and giving them their refilled drinks and then going into the back again, where I meet Derek.

"You've got a little prezzie sitting in your section," Derek says, winking at me and feeling proud of himself, before throwing the dirty dishes he just collected off an empty table into the sink.

"I can't go out there," I whisper yell at him, throwing my hands up in then air.

"Oh, honey, you have to," Derek responds, obviously annoyed. "He asked for you."

"Who asked for her?" Kelly, the owner of the café, asks while stepping around the corner. Derek gets a devilish look on his face before pointing around the corner with enough sass to make all the local cheerleaders jealous.

"No, don't look!" I yell, but it's already too late. Kelly peeks her head around the corner, smiles and then waves. "Did he see you?" I ask, completely mortified as she nods her head.

"Nice," Kelly responds while nodding her head in reference to Sidney. "Why exactly don't you want to see him?" I open my mouth to respond, but Derek beats me to it.

"Because he rocked her world a couple of nights ago," Derek interjects, making some very provocative hip gestures.. I glare at him, feeling about two feet tall as Derek and Kelly laugh before giving each other a high five. I'm about to argue when he speaks up again. "Don't even try to deny it, I heard you, baby girl. Those walls are paper thin."

I put my hands up, covering my face as the two of them laugh again at my expense.

"Oh my gosh, she's not denying it!" Kelly yells, making them both laugh harder. "Why are we hiding from him exactly?"

"Because he's 'off limits'" Derek responds for me.

"He plays for the team my internship is through," I add, trying to plead my case. Kelly nods her head once. "So you understand?" I ask, hoping at least somebody gets the problem, because Derek definitely doesn't.

"Why you're hiding from him? No," she laughs. "He's just built like an athlete, that's what I understand."

Kelly walks back to her office, leaving Derek and I alone. I lean back against the wall, letting my head just rest there as I continue to have a mental break down.

"What do I even say to him?" I ask aloud, more to myself than to Derek.

"Why don't you start with the truth, babe?" he replies, reaching up and pulling my face down so our eyes meet. "Tell him that you missed him."

Sidney's POV

She walks around the corner a couple of minutes later, straightening her apron in a nervous fashion as she approaches me.

"Hi," she greets simply, smiling and waving to an elderly couple as they leave. "Do you know what you want yet?" she continues, referring to the menu in my hands.

I think about telling her exactly what I want, but know that isn't an option, so I decide to play nice instead. "Yeah, I'll take the number two and a coffee."  A big smile crosses her face while she writes down my order. "Is there something wrong with the number 2?" I ask.

"No," she responds, shaking her head. "The stuffed French toast is great, I just figured you for more of a 'bacon and eggs' type of guy, that's all. Do you want your coffee black?" I nod my head yes as her eyes nervously glance up at me. "Okay, I'll be right back."

She stops by her other tables, checking in on them before going and putting my order in. As she's doing that, Derek almost appears out of no where.

"I think you're probably a good enough guy for her," he says casually with a shrug of his shoulders, looking over at Rae, who is now walking back toward us with coffee and food in hand. As I'm trying to figure out if that's an actual compliment or not, he continues. "Don't give me a reason to think otherwise."

Rae comes over and sits my food down in front of me as the front door is opening and new customers walk in. Both Derek and her smile and greet them as to two young guys pick a table and sit down.

"Oooooo," Derek whispers with a waggle of his eyebrows. "I've got this one, babe," he says to Rae, who chuckles, but nods her head.

"I can't believe I didn't realize he was gay," I respond, taking a drink of my coffee. Rae finally turns toward me and just smiles. Just when I finally think we're alone, I see someone walking toward us with another plate of food.

"Hi, I'm Kelly," she greets, sitting the food down opposite of me. "Sit down Rae, you can take a break and eat." Rae looks like she's about to argue, but Kelly directs her attention to me first. "The stuffed French toast is her favorite," she says with a smile. "Sit down, Rae," she says again, moving her over toward the chair. "I can watch your tables for fifteen minutes."

Rae sits down as told, shaking her head while picking up her fork. "People are very subtle around here, if you didn't notice," she scoffs, smiling before taking a bite of food.

"I don't mind," I respond, shoveling some food in to my mouth as well; she's right, the stuffed French toast is amazing. She tenses a little, only nodding in response. Unfortunately, I feel that most of the time, I only see the real Rae when we're locked in her apartment.

"How was the road trip?"

"It was okay," I tell her, shrugging my shoulders. I look up to see her looking back at me intently. "I didn't really get to do much with the team. I had to take back exits a lot and pretty much stayed in my hotel."

"Crazy Canadians in full force, I guess?" she laughs.

"Something like that," I smile. "Vancouver was probably my favorite stop." She nods her head once, giving up zero information about her hometown, which I find odd as I realize that I don't know far enough about her.

Rae's POV

"When next semester starts you'll get hour wish," I tell him, quickly changing the subject from hometowns. "I'll be at all the home games and even travel with the team."

"That's not the same," he admonishes. "You'll be working. And I'm sure you'll have strict rules for me on the road trips anyways."

"Part of the time, yes," I reply, taking another bite of food and ignoring his last comment. "I don't think I'll get to see much of you otherwise, so at least it's something."

"Am I getting dismissed?" he asks. There is a smile on his face, but a part of me knows he's asking a real question. And to be honest, I don't know if I am trying to dismiss him or not.

"I'll be in my last semester of classes, I'm just saying I don't know how much free time I'll have."

"What a slut time is," he replies, catching me completely off guard. He smirks before continuing, "she screws everybody." He reaches into his coat pocket, pulls out my kindle and slides it across the table, pink case and all. "I stopped in today to return this. I didn't know when I'd get to see you again, and I figured you must have missed it."

"You really read one?" I ask after being completely quiet for what must have felt like forever to him. He nods his head, looking me directly in the eyes.

"I promised you I would," he says quietly, gently shrugging his shoulders as if it isn't a big deal; but it is, and his nerdy Fault in our Stars reference means more to me than he'd ever know. "And besides, it sounds like I've had a little bit of more free time than you have," he smiles. "This isn't stressing you out, is it?"

I gjve my head one shake, not know what part of 'this' he's referring to; school, work, internship, or him.

"I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend," I respond with a smile.

Ten.

Sid's POV

I remember that it hurt.

Thinking of her having dinner with him hurt.  I couldn't focus on the bench, something I promised myself I would never let my outside life do to my game, but all game long, all I could picture in my head was her smiling at him.

I had went over to her house in a red haze, and up until two seconds ago before she started pushing me away, I was in what I would call one of the best places in the world; perched between her creamy white thighs.

As she stands up and walks away from me, I run my hands through my hair and sigh heavily. I rub my eyes, trying my hardest to calm down, when I feel something land on my shoulder. I grab at the fabric, holding it out in front of me and realize it's her t-shirt.

I turn around and my greedy gaze automatically falls on the generous swell of her breasts as she's backing toward her bedroom in nothing but her underwear. She smiles my favorite confidant smirk before crooking her finger at me and then disappearing behind the divider dissecting her bed from the living area.

If there is one thing I don't need, it's to be told twice.

I stand up, taking my suit jacket off and tossing it neatly on the couch before starting in on my tie.

As I round the corner, I notice she's kicked the comforter to the side, but she's got the sheets tucked up under her arms, looking at me expectantly as I toss my tie on a close by chair. I stand there for a minute just looking at her before she eventually nervously gestures for me to continue with the removal of my clothing.

"Oh, now I hardly think that's fair," I laugh, pointing out the fact that she's not exposed even a little bit.

"I do," she quietly responds, "I took my clothes off for you first."

"Yeah, and then ran away from me," I answer, taking a couple of steps toward her while slowly working on the buttons of my shirt.

"So come catch me then."

I nod my head once, reaching down and unbuckling my belt so I can untuck my shirt and pull it off. As I step out of my shoes, I look up at her and see her biting her lip in anticipation. I smirk before placing my pants on the chair as well and then finally joining her on the bed.

I place my hand on the side of her head, not wanting to rush anything. Luckily, she seems just as nervous as I am, as her grip on the blanket only loosens a little bit as I reach down to kiss her. She's timid at first, but eventually she reaches up with both arms and locks them behind my head. I take my opportunity and gently start to pull the sheets down, and to my surprise she lets me.

I pull them all the way down, taking in every inch of her skin as it's exposed to me. As my eyes rake over her, I can tell she's embarrassed, but all I can think about is how beautiful she is.

I run my hand down her side, loving the way her curves feel under my touch. When I finally get down to her thighs, he legs part and I smile. It's not until she raises off of the bed, allowing me to pull her panties down, that my hands start to shake the slightest bit.

Rae's POV

He tosses my panties to the side somewhere, his hand automatically filling their absence. I close my eyes, feeling my back bow at his touch.

For a young guy, he only needs a little bit of coaching, but there is definitely something to be said for his enthusiasm. I reach down, taking his hand in mine, and slow down his movements and add just a little bit of pressure and I automatically moan.

I look up at him and see his eyes intently locked in on mine, as if that was the best sound he's ever heard. He applies more pressure, and I snap my eyes closed and  can't help but let another moan escape my traitorous lips. I feel slightly frustrated as he pulls his hand away moments later and open my eyes to find him moving toward the end of the bed and pushing my thighs apart before taking his first tentative lick.

He's such a quick learner that he's using the same exact amount of pressure with his tongue as he did his hand, and in no time I'm grabbing ahold of the sheets, balling them up in my fists just for something to hold on to as I start to feel my legs starting to quiver.

When he adds his hands to the mix, inserting two fingers and making a 'come here' gesture, I cry out, not caring if my neighbors can hear me or not.

I look down and him as he's smiling at me, wiping his mouth before crawling up my limp body and kissing me on the lips.

I reach down, fumbling with his boxer briefs before he finally reaches down and helps me. He positions himself in between my thighs again before looking up at me as if asking for permission one last time. I nod my head slightly as he reaches down and kisses me before slowly sliding his dick inside me, making me cry out for the second time of many this evening.

I wake up before my alarm the next morning, only to find myself comfortably embodied by Sid. I feel slightly embarrassed as I notice that neither of us have clothes on. When I reach back to stretch, I realize that not every part of Sid is still sleeping and smile to myself.

I gently push him onto his back, looking down at the content look on his face before I climb on top of him. I look down at his defined midsection and even though I'm sore from last night, I can feel myself already getting wet for him. I run my hand through his hair, surprised he's not awake yet before reaching down, grab him in my hands and very gently slide down over him. When he's fully sheathed inside of me he finally starts to wake up, his eyes going wide as I bend down and kiss him on the lips.

"Good morning," I whisper, trying not to let my thoughts get the best of me, because I know I'm in way over my head.

"I'll say," he replies, reaching down and grabbing my hips and grinding against me, making it very clear that that is all the talking we will be doing this morning.

Nine.

Rae's POV

Tonight is the annual charity event that Brooks Orpik's wife puts on at the bowling alley. I'm in a nasty bowling tshrt, naming me as Sidney's, but otherwise the night isn't half bad. This is one of the rare event during the season that Sidney actually has a good time with, and it shows. He's beaming at the kids that are bowling on the same lane as him, and it makes me realize what a good dad he will be when I finally get pregnant.

 

I stick to the shadows, talking when called upon, because tonight is about the kids, not me. If I'm being honest, I don't mind that in the least.

 

I head over to get a drink, where I find Olli Maatta doing the same. We talk briefly, and I have to admit; the kid's funny. He has me laughing in no time. It's also at that moment that I can feel someone starring at me. I look around the room and find Sidney's eyes locked in on mine. He excuses himself, as it's not his turn to bowl, and heads over to us. Olli nods hello before heading back to his own game.

 

"Hey," I say, offering him my water. He takes a big drink before sighing.

 

"I'm sorry," he replies. "That made me more jealous than it should have." I can still see the jealousy in his eyes, and not that I'd ever try to make him jealous on purpose, but everyone likes feeling important.

 

"He's just a kid, Sidney."

 

"I was just a 'kid' once too." I find his statement a little bit offensive, but I know what he means.

 

"I don't think I treated you like a kid though," I reply. Because he's standing facing away from the crowd of the room, I pull at his belt and give him one of my most innocent smiles. He growls, staring me directing in the eyes, making it clear to me what will happen when we get home, before taking another drink and heading back to his game,

 

Yes, a little bit of jealousy isn't bad at all.

 

Sid's POV

I sit on the couch dumbfounded, allowing her to steal the bowl of popcorn back from me. "I cannot  believe that just happened," I admonish while the credits start to play. "He was the only honorable one out of all of them, and they just chop his head off? I hate the Lannisters."  She giggles, and even though it's a sound I love, I can't get the frown off of my face as I turn to face her

"When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win, or you die," she shrugs, shoveling another scoop of popcorn into her mouth.

"How can you be eating right now," I half shout, taking her legs that are draped over mine and pinning them down with my outside arm, tickling her midsection while she squirms. When I finally stop, she's still halfway underneath me. I don't move; I like her in this position. "That little bitch of a King killed Ned."

"I know," she laughs again, making her breasts rise and fall, and I can't help but notice. "If you would have read the books first, this wouldn't be such a shock to you."

"Why would I want to read a book like that?" I ask, moving back to my normal upright position, needing to put some space between us. Trying to behave and gain her trust as a friend is hard. "The Lannisters have zero redeeming qualities and they are in control of everything."

"Sometimes, it's about watching people on their journey to developing redeeming qualities."

"Excellent," I scoff, "I can't wait to start season two."

Rae's POV

"You'll watch season two," I smile, getting up off the couch and tossing the remaining popcorn in the trash before rinsing out the bowl and putting it in the dishwasher. "You'll have to see if the Stark's get revenge."

"Do the Stark's get revenge?"

"I'm not going to tell you," I laugh, walking around the room divider and changing into work clothes, which happen to consist of penguins gear; it's game day after all. As I walk back toward the living room he's tossing the blanket we were using, that is now folded, over the back of the couch before picking up our cups and dumping them out in the sink. I smile before continuing into the room.

"When are you going to let me get you tickets to a Penguins game?" he asks. I think about telling him that I can't afford to go, but know that that isn't a an option I will ever choose. He'd want to help, of course. But the reality of it is that I work every game day that doesn't interfere with school because with the café being so close to the arena, the tips are amazing.

"When you read a book of mine," I counter, going over toward the coat rack and grabbing my hat and putting it on before turning back to him.

"Deal."

"Yeah?" I ask while he walks toward the door, nodding his head. I pull my boots on, put my gloves on, and then he helps me into my coat. After I'm all set, I reach into my purse and pull out my kindle, handing it over to him. "Any book on here." He takes it into his hands, just starring at it.

"Can I at least take the pink cover off of it?"

I nod my head yes, laughing to myself  before heading out the door, Sidney following closely. We're half way down the stairs before he speaks up.

"I wish you'd let me drive you for once, it is snowing after all."

Sidney's POV

"Yeah, baby girl, let him drive you," the guy lumbering up the steps interjects. I look over at Rae, and she's smiling. He continues up the stairs and then gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Sidney, this is Derek. I'd introduce you to him, but he already knows exactly who you are," she smiles. We shake hands and exchange pleasantries, but I'm seething. I can only pray the whole thing is almost over as we continue down the stairs.

"If you want to stop by after work Rae, I'll have supper done at 7," Derek calls down to us.

"Alright, I'll bring pie from the café for desert," she replies.

We continue down the stairs to the front door and she reaches up and hugs me goodbye before stepping out into the snow and heading to work. As I'm walking to my car all I can help but think is 'What do I do now?'

Rae's POV

After getting off of work, I head over to Derek's apartment, which is exactly beside mine. As planned, he has supper ready, so all I have to do is take a seat and watch what is left of the second period of the Penguins game. It doesn't take long for me to pick up on the vibes that Sid is putting off. He's normally scrappy, but tonight it seems like he's just asking for trouble.

"Girlfriend, he's sexy when he's all broody," Derek states, staring at me and waiting for my response. He's waiting for me to argue otherwise, but I can't.

"I know," is all I can muster while nodding my head.

"Are you not going to tell me about that big booty of his then?" he continues.

"Derek!" I laugh, reaching over to slap his arm.

"What!" he chuckles. "I saw it straining against those jeans he had on today. All muscle?" I put my hands up to my face, covering my eyes. My best friend can embarrass me in two seconds flat. "Don't tell me you don't know, or I will kick you out of this apartment right now. How many times have I seen him coming from your apartment, and you haven't gotten any yet?"

"I mean I did, but it was only once, and it was a couple of months ago," I confess. I look over and see him shaking his head. "What?" I ask. "He couldn't be more 'off-limits'. He lives with my boss."

"That didn't stop you the first time," he smirks before thankfully letting the subject rest.

The third period isn't going well and the Penguins are loosing 5-1, so after I finish eating I head back to my apartment, shower, and then immediately get into bed.

I'm woken up to the sound of fists pounding on my door. I reach for my glasses, glance at the clock at see that it's almost midnight before I hear the second set of pounding.

I get out of bed, making my way over to the door and looking to see who it is before opening it.

"Sidney?" I ask while swinging the door open, immediately blinding by the lights flooding in from the hallway. He pushes in past me before heading over to the couch, where he starts pacing instead of sitting down.

I close the door and turn around, finding his eyes locked on me. It's after he looks me up and down that I realize I'm in just an over sized t-shirt. My hands immediately go toward it's edge and pull at the length a little, which makes him apologize.

"I'm sorry, I should have called first," he says while running his fingers through his still damp hair. "I'm just so jealous I can't think straight."

"Jealous of what?" I ask, closing the gap between us by about half.

"How'd your dinner date go?" he scoffs, starting to pace again. "I've wanted to take you out for months."

"Sidney," I laugh, walking over toward him and straightening his tie, because it's terribly crooked. "Derek is gay."

"Gay?"

"Ohhh yeahhhh," I answer with a smile, sitting down on the couch. Sidney follows my move and sits down next to me, and I have to admit that I like the way his hand feels on my bare knee. He stares down at his shoes for a good ten seconds before finally looking at me. I reach up and push his hair out of his face, and I let my hand linger there; it's the first mistake of many on my part, because when he leans down to kiss me, I don't push him away. In fact, I find my self reaching for the tie of his I had just straightened and pull him down toward me, opening my legs so he fits perfectly on top of me.

I hook my legs around his back, pulling him closer to me, and he deepens the kiss just like I hoped he might. His hands move from my hair, to my chest, and then down further, where his fingers rub me over my panties.

I groan , closing my eyes as my hips betray me and push against his hand. He then stops kissing me and instead stares down at me. His hand stops and my eyes pop open, only to find him pushing my panties aside, and I think yes, I like this much better, until he stops just as soon as he started. He kisses my neck, making me push up against him again.

"If you intend on making me stop tonight, this is where I draw the line," he groans, pushing his erection against my tender folds. "Or I won't be able to stop."

I think about what he's telling me before kissing him lightly and then pushing him into a sitting position again. I sit there for a moment myself, both of us seemingly gasping for breath before getting up and walking toward my bed. I get halfway there before taking my shirt off and tossing it over the couch for him to see. It doesn't take long for him to get the point and chase me toward my bed.

Eight.

Rae's POV

I look up from the book I'm reading as I hear him bounding down the stairs with his suitcases. He heads to the door, places his bags on the ground, and then makes his way toward me.

"Hawks, Predators, Sharks, Ducks, Capitals, right?" I call over my shoulder, trying to recall the schedule for the 10 day road trip he's about to leave for.

"Yep," he responds while flopping down on the couch next to me. He picks up my hand that was previously resting on my knee, gently rubbing his fingers over mine. "I wish you were making the trip with us. I miss having you there," he adds while squeezing my hand and making me look him in the eyes.

"I know," I whisper while scooting over closer to him. He raises his arm, giving me the perfect nook to fall in to. "Ten days is a long time. I'm going to miss you," I pout. He laughs, causing my whole body to shake. He pulls my face up to his, catching my lips in a short kiss.

"I'll call you like I always do," he adds while running his fingers through my hair. "And we'll Skype." I nod my head, knowing it's true. We talk daily. "What do you have going on this week?"

"I have a few rounds to make at the Children's Hospital. I told them I'd bring them new books by this week. I'm also helping out a couple of days at the animal shelter." I look up at Sid and he's beaming.

"That's my girl," he says while kissing the top of my forehead. I automatically retract and scoot over until I'm leaning on the armrest of the couch instead of him. Of course this excites him. It makes me a proper dutiful WAG. And being the wife of the captain of the team, my amount of charity work does not go unnoticed. I love going and visiting the kids, talking about books. But why can't it be enough that it is merely something I like to do, not that I'm doing it to make him look good? "I think I'm going to enroll in some classes next semester," I add nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah?" he asks, perking up. 'This is why I love him,' I think to myself. He's not anything like me, but yet he always gets excited about trivial things that I love that mean nothing to him. Somehow, we made our two worlds mesh. Well, almost.

"Nothing in particular," I respond, trying to be vague. "Probably just some literature classes." Now, this is what concerns me; how casually I lie to my husband.

Sid's POV

"I think it's a great idea," I respond. And I do, honestly. I know she needs something to fill her time when I'm out of town, but I also find it alarming. All of our fighting stems back to pretty much one thing; her job. Or her old job at least, the one she quit for me a little over two years ago, which leaves me questioning why now? "I've got to head out, babe, or I'll be late."

"Play safe," she almost whispers, her eyes full of concern.

I nod my head. It's the same 'good luck' comment I get before every home game and before I fly out for an away game ever since I had that last concussion.

"Are you okay?" I ask. I don't need to reference anything, she knows I'm talking about how I found he earlier this morning. She simply nods her head in response. I leave her alone, because I know that she'll talk to me about it when she's ready. I didn't even know she had started applying for jobs again.

"Don't let Kane try any of his tricks. And watch Dillon, don't skate with your head down around him. No comment about the Capitals," she adds while scrunching up her nose.

"You got it," I respond, pulling her into another kiss, this one lasting longer as she finally melts into my touch. There might be a million thoughts running through her head that she's not telling me, but this is how I know we'll be okay. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she sighs.

Sid's POV

I've got a jump to my step that everyone can notice, and it's not the normal one that I get after every practice. I'm getting ready in a hurry, trying to avoid the media as much as possible so that I can get out of here, which everyone also notices.

"What's with you, kid?" Billy G asks while sitting down next to me. "Not going to skate 2,000 extra sprints after practice today?" he continues with a smirk.

"I'm ready to lace back up if you are," I respond, nodding my head down to my skates, which makes him chuckle

"Nah, these old legs don't have that in them anymore. Got plans or something?"

"I don't know yet," I smile. And it's true. I know that I could walk down to Larry's office and she might not be at her makeshift desk. She actually hasn't been around quite a bit here recently, which has me concerned. It has been 6 days since she's stormed out of my bedroom, not bothering to respond to my question. And I let her go; now more than ever I'm realizing how dumb of  decision that was. "I guess I need to go find out," I add before pulling my hoodie on over my tshirt and pulling a hat down low on my head.

I head off to the heart of the arena where the offices are located. I hear deep voices and the mention of her name and I know that I'm in luck. I knock slightly to announce my arrival only to find Mario and Larry close to the door, as if they were on their way out; they aren't really who I'm interested in looking at though as my eyes fall on her.

"Hey, Sid," Mario greets, both of the men turning and facing me, giving me a proper hello. I smile, stealing a glance at her again only to find her pointing vigorously toward the door and lipping the words 'get out'. The look on my face causes the two men to become curious, both turning around to look at Rae, who is smoothly tucking her hair behind her ears, not flapping her arms like a bird anymore.

"Hello, Sidney," she adds by way of good manners.

"Got a problem?" Larry asks, catching me off guard.

"Oh, no," I shrug nonchalantly. A couple of seconds follow my response and I know all three sets of eyes trained on me are wondering why I've meandered down to the offices. "I just thought I'd invite Rae to tonight's game," I add, because it seems like a good cover up. I've heard her slight accent, the way she pronounce the all-telling long 'O' sound in her words; She's Canadian.  What Canadian doesn't like hockey? "I've never seen her around at any of the home games and thought she might like to come.."

"How thoughtful of you, Sidney," Mario smiles. "Rae? What do you say, join us in the box tonight?"

"That's a steep offer to decline," she smiles, and I think she has agreed, which is a nice place to start with what I'm about to propose. "I'm more of a Canuck than a Penguin," she admits. "I'm sure the game would be excellent, but I'm scheduled to work tonight."

"A Canuck in the heart of the land of the Penguins, who would have guessed," Mario laughs, shaking his head in dismissal before he and Larry both head for the door. "Maybe next time, Rae," he calls over his shoulder before they both leave us alone.

We both sit there, starring at each other for a handful of seconds, waiting until both men have moved further out of distance.

"What time do you work?" I ask, breaking the silence. She continues to look at me before shaking her head and gathering her jacket and other belongings.

"You can't do this, Sidney," she responds in her "business" voice.

"I have some free time this afternoon, I wondered if you wanted to catch a movie or something," I counter. "And you can call me 'Sid' you know, everyone else does."

"I normally call general acquaintances by their given name," she jokes.

"After our last visit, I'd say we are more than acquaintances," I respond, watching the way her cheeks blush. Good.

"So you want me to come to the game, you want to watch a movie, or you want to talk about the other night, which is it?" There are the claws I had anticipated.

"We don't have to talk about the other night," I offer, partially because I know picking that objective will get me no where fast. She doesn't even want to be around me, why would she want to discuss something serious? "And you can pick your own venue, arena or movie theater?" I smile.

Rae's POV

His smile makes me falter, if only for a second. His presence reminds me of the other night, how could it not? I've had visions of him running through my thoughts for days now. I know that I should decline, it's what any smart woman would do in this situation. On the other hand, it's just a movie. As friends. That seems appropriate enough.

He continues to stare at me as I have my internal debate and I can't help but notice how cute he is; he's wearing jeans and a hoodie with a hat pulled down low over his curly brown hair, still wet from his post practice shower. It would be completely unruly, as it's obvious he didn't brush it, if not for the hat.

"I wasn't lying, you know," I state while shifting from one foot to the other under his watchful gaze. "My shift starts at seven."

"I need to be at the arena by 5, so that's not a problem," he responds casually, stepping closer to me and taking my jacket out of my hands before hold it up for me and helping me into it. It's a simple gesture, but it catches me off guard. Do men even do that anymore?

"I just need to stop by my apartment to change my clothes first," I reply while gesturing down to my work clothes. He nods his head, the look on his face beaming of success. I find myself smiling before shaking my head and walking past him toward the door.

"Did you drive here?" he calls behind me and I shake my head no in response. "How did you get here then?"

"I walked," I respond, not thinking anything of it until I see the look on his face. "What?"

"You walked?" he asks seeming mystified by the idea. I nod my head yes again. "In those shoes?" he asks incredulously while giving me the once over. I chuckle to myself.

"Yes, in these shoes."

"You can ride with me then," he states simply while locking his hand in mine and dragging me toward the players parking lot. I look down at where his hand connects while mine and smile while telling myself I'm not quite sure if I like being told what to do or not.

Sid's POV

She directs me toward her apartment, which is conveniently almost exactly in between the arena and the college campus. I pull my SUV up to the curb, throw it in park, and cut the engine.

"You can come up if you'd like," she offers before opening her door. I nod my head yes, because I'd like that very much.

She pushes through the front door, ignores the elevator and leads me to the stairs where she proceeds to climb 4 levels to the top, then makes her way all the way down the hallway to the last door before getting her key out and opening the door.

She ushers me inside a small studio apartment before closing the door and shimmying, as that's the only way it can be described, out of her coat and puts it on the coat hanger to her left. As she makes her way over to her bedroom area I look around the room, instantly drawn to the huge window that takes up the entire wall opposite of where her bed is. I'm mesmerized; it's a beautiful view of downtown Pittsburgh.

"I know it's small, but it's so close to campus and the view is amazing."

I turn around, responding to her voice, only to find her in various parts of undress; she's still got her tank top on from the outfit she wore to work, but her high heels are gone and the pair of jeans she has on are still unbuttoned. She laughs, I'm sure at the look on my face,  before raising her hand and gesturing for me to turn around. I laugh to myself as well before turning around and making my way toward the couch and sitting down.

"Do you know what movie you want to see?" she asks while plopping down on the couch next to me, dressed in jeans, a shirt, a zip up hoodie, and a pair of toms. She's also put her hair up into a pony tail so that it's out of her face; all but a few loose strands. And of course she's wearing the pair of glasses that are always present on the bridge of her nose.

"I honestly don't even know what's showing," I admit while shrugging my shoulders. It wasn't about the movie anyways, it was about spending time with her. She chuckles before responding.

"I guess that means it's my pick," she grins while standing up, which really doesn't increase her height all that much. I look her up and down before laughing a little. She can't be taller than 5'1".  

"What?" She questions.

"Nothing," I add before shaking my head. "I didn't realize how small you were without high heels."

She scrunches her nose before bating at my hand and heading toward the door.

Seven.

Sid's POV

I wake up and stretch; you know, the kind of stretch that feels like heaven after a really hard work out, or in this case a nice romp in the sheets, which brings a smile to my face. I stretch my arm across the bed, hoping to tangle my hand through her hair, but instead I find the sheets cold. I open my eyes to confirm that the bed is empty before letting out a sigh and staggering up to find a pair of pants. This woman sure knows how to deflate a man's ego.

I paddle down the hallway towards the kitchen in hopes that I'll find her perched on a bar stool reading, but of course I don't. That only means she could be two other places; downstairs in the "workout" room or in the library. I cock my head to the side, but when I hear silence from the stairs I know she isn't running off some excess steam so I turn left and head down the hallway.

I walk around the corner slowly, and find exactly what I thought I might. She's sitting in the big over sized chair at the desk, but instead of facing toward the desk she's turned around looking at the bookshelf. This might seem ordinary, except the fact that it's not the bookcase that holds a slew of classic novels. It's the bookcase that holds her old school books.

I continue to stand there and watch her, and eventually she bends forward and picks up a book. I hear her chuckle to herself before she hurls it into the table at the end of the room, a lamp shattering to the floor. And then she takes another book, and does the same. And another. And another.

She slowly starts to sit back down before sobbing to herself.

"Rae?" I ask softly so she knows I'm there. She jumps a little and I know I've startled her, but she looks at me and an easy smile forms on her face. She continues to cry and can only shrug her shoulders while I make my way to her. "What's wrong?"

She points to the computer screen and starts sobbing even more. When I glance at the screen I see another denied work application.

I wake up to a body stirring beside me. I briefly note that it's dark outside before glancing over and seeing Rae. Her eyes are wide and questioning. She glances at me, the sheets, and then down at herself to confirm she has no clothes on.

"Fuck," she murmurs before sliding out of bed and reaching for the closest article of clothing she can find, which happens to be one of my button up shirts. "Ohhhhh fuck," she continues whiling starring at me. She looks like a deer in headlights, and I know that she doesn't remember all of the details from earlier, but she's quickly piecing them together.

"Rae," I begin.

"No... no, no no. Don't speak," she interrupts me. I start to open my mouth, but she cuts me off. "No, don't start," before adding "fuck" again quietly. She takes a deep breath to compose herself and then looks at me. "I need to go," she says before quickly searching the room for her dress, panties, and high heels. She's got them all bundled up in her arms before I can even slide out of the bed. As I do, panic crosses onto her face again as she realizes that I'm naked.

"No," she states firmly. "Stay there," she adds, as if I'll stay like an obedient dog would.

"Rae," I start again, walking towards her very slowly, trying my best not to startle her. "What is wrong?"

"What is wrong?!" she yell whispers. She thinks about answering her own question before just shaking her head. "Fuck," she mumbles again while shaking her head. "I need to go."

"No," I interject. "Not like this," I add. She looks at me, contemplating what I've just said, and I see a moment of hesitation, which is exactly what I need. "Just calm down for a second, okay?" She cocks her head to the side and moves her hand from the door knob. "Can I have my shirt back?

She smirks at me and I smile in return. She pulls my shirt over her head and throws it at my face, which would have successfully covered her naked body from my greedy eyes, except I have excellent reflexes and I catch it before it hits my face. My smile broadens as she shimmies back into her dress.

"Stop looking at me," she murmurs through a small smile while sliding her underwear on underneath her dress.

"You weren't so shy about thirty minutes ago."

She avoids my gaze and walks back over to my bed and sits down. "I'm going to loose my internship," she says while finally looking up at me and then gives a small shrug of her shoulders.

Rae's POV

"No, you aren't," he tells me confidently. I almost want to believe him. "Because we don't have to tell anyone," he adds while pulling on a pair of sweats.

"You make it sound so simple."

"It is," he counters. His crazy statement grabs my attention. "I have had to share a lot while growing up. Everyone always wants an "insider's view" into my life. But they don't need to know everything about me, and nobody needs to know about this," be adds while moving his finger back and forth, indicating the two of us.

"This?" I reply, copying his motions. "Sid, this can never happen again."

"You're right," he replies. "It should have never have happened like this to begin with."

It's like a knife to the upper abdomen.

I understand everything he's saying, because I know it's one hundred percent true, but I can't help but feel deflated at his comment. I look up at his gold-flecked eyes only to find him smiling back at me.

"Which is why you are going to let me take you out on a proper date."