The Road to the Cup ~ Wattys 2015

Last Minute of Play in This Period

Tonight it was do or die. Tonight would decide if we continued into the offseason in a week, or went golfing. This was it, and I was nervous as hell.

I knew it was only my first year in the league, but I didn't want it to be my last. I was following every superstition down to my lucky socks. I was a wreck, but I didn't want the guys to see me falling apart and fall apart themselves. Sidney was the only one who saw, and I tried hiding it, even from him.

As it turned out, I wasn't very good at hiding things from Sidney; he could tell I was nervous, but he didn't say anything until we got back to his house. He followed me inside and rested his hands on my shoulders from behind. He rubbed his thumbs in circles and gently squeezed my shoulder blades, trying to get me to relax. My head lolled to one side as he rubbed the tension away. "Oh, God," I said.

"Feel better?"

"Yes, I do. That was lovely, Sid," I replied.

"Good. Now you just have to stay relaxed for a little while. Hot water will help, too," he said, walking farther into the house. "I know, I know, you aren't going to shower with me. I was just telling you that for when we get back to your place. I know you'll tell me when you're ready, and, anyways, we can't mess up the ritual on a day like today," he winked back at me over his shoulder.

"That wouldn't be good," I nodded. I waited in the living room, knowing he'd come find me with his tie after his shower. I checked my phone; I had several messages from my family and friends wishing me luck for the game tonight. I replied with thank you's and I love you's.

"What color tie?" Sidney asked, holding up three of them. They were black, blue, and red, respectively.

"Well, we're playing San Jose, so probably not blue."

"And not black, because that's one of their colors too," Sidney said.

"Red, then," I stepped up to him and wrapped it around his neck. I stared deep into his brown eyes as I tied the tie. His gaze flicked down to my lips. I finished tying the tie and used it to pull him closer to me. I pressed my lips against his, our desperation to win this game and our desire to touch one another coming across clearly to the other.

"I wish I could take you right now," he whispered when we were finished.

"We have a game and I still have to get ready," I replied, out of breath.

"That's not a no," Sidney pressed his lips against my neck.

"No," I said, and then pecked him on the cheek. "Let's go, Captain."

"Damn, I love it when you're bossy."

"So I've been informed," I smirked.

I got ready quickly and we were at Consol with time to spare. Time to spare meant more time for me to worry about tonight.

"Come play soccer with us," Sidney said.

"I never play soccer with you guys," I protested.

"But you're incredibly stressed and you need to calm down before you give yourself a stroke," Sidney replied.

"I'll be okay, go warm up."

He didn't look convinced, but he knew better than to mess with the ritual. I sat in my office for what felt like forever, waiting for ice time to begin. When it finally was time, Johnston led the way to the locker room, but let me take the reins in motivating them. He had been this way for a few weeks, even though we had won several of our games. But it was down to the wire and we needed to win tonight to clinch a spot in the playoffs.