Faceoff

Chapter 6- Showtime

Natalie's P.O.V

Everyone was there and suited up within 10 minutes.We picked teams, Jonathan and I were captains. On my team was Saader, Russia, Kaner, Elliot and I, and the other had Crawford, Oshie, Teuvo, Schwartz and Jonathan. They weren't full teams, but they would have to do. My team also wasn't the best since I had 2 right wings and no defense. But hey, this was just for fun.

We set up our lines, Saad on left wing, Vladimir on defense, Patrick on the right, Elliot in goal and I was in the center. Jonny's team on the other hand was just a disaster. Everyone one on his team was Centermen except Jaden so it was awkward to even watch them attempt to set it up. When they finally did, everyone was disappointed. Jonny and I met on top of the Indian head to start with a classic street hockey faceoff.

"Guys go easy on Nat, she's a rookie." Jonny chirped, shoving me sideways slightly.

"My team, watch out for Teuvo, he's way more of a rookie than me."

"That's cold, Plager." Saader shouted from across the ice. We dropped the puck, instantly shoving each other. No one was taking the game very seriously, it was mostly just a skills handling game. That made for Patrick dominating the game, which was good for me. It was 6-4, my team leading. I'd played a lot better than I'd expected too. Somehow I got one past Crawford.

We ended the game about 20 minutes later. The Blues had to catch a flight so it forced an early quit. I fought back the tears when hugging them, knowing it was going to be another couple months until I saw them. They were going to make the playoffs so it would be at least May until they were free and even then, they all usually went home until preseason started up again. Hopefully I would be back in St. Louis by that time so I could see them.

Jonny and I were in the locker room now. Patrick wanted to practice more so Brandon, Teuvo and Corey agreed to stay and help him. It was actually pretty awkward right now between us. I mean we kissed, but there was no way in hell I would even think about dating him. I was off the hockey player trend after a rough fling with Jordan Eberle. He was the sweetest guy, I'd even seen myself marrying him, but a few things led to another and before I knew it I was fleeing back to the US. 

"So uh, wanna come over? We can make dinner and watch a movie or something." Jon asked, avoiding eye contact as if to say it wasn't a big deal if I said no. His acting wasn't the best though, I could see his cheeks turn a shade darker every second I didn't answer. It wasn't that I didn't want to hang out with Jonny, I did. He was a sweet guy, I just didn't want to lead him on.

"Yeah, that would be fun. We should invite Shawsy over." Maybe if I mentioned Andrew, Jonny would get the hint that this wasn't going to be a date.

"I can text him. He's probably going out with Chaunette tonight though since we're leaving tomorrow." I nodded, untying my skate and setting it in my gym bag. I found Brandon's stall and set his jersey in it. Jonny took my pads and threw them in a bin with loads of extra equipment. We walked out of the UC with a silence lurking over us. We made it to the car and I instantly took over the radio. I was sick of the pop he always listened to. He claimed he was such a country fan, but only listened to KIIS FM when we were together. 

We got to Jonny's after what seemed like hours. The traffic at 5 was unbearable, which is why I tried to avoid driving at any times past 4. I mean I lived in Chicago, everything was close together so I could walk a little. Jonathan's house was actually huge when I stopped to look around. The living room was the size of the apartment I was looking at in Wrigleyville. I would kill to be able to afford something like this.

"Wanna make cookies? I could use some sweets on the road." Jonny asked, holding up a bag of chocolate chips. I would bet on it that they belonged to Amanda and that he hadn't ever made a dessert in his life. This seemed more like a job for me.

"Sure, but don't touch anything. I make some mean cookies." After all the ingredients were set out, I begun mixing things together. Jonny was being annoying as always, throwing flour all around and trying to eat the batter. "Jonathan sit down and find a movie to watch."

"Jeeze, I don't like when you call me Jonathan. It kinda scares me. But I wanna help." He whined, giving me his best puppy dog eyes. There was no way I would give in that easily.

"Nope, now quit whining. I'm trying to bake here." I cracked an egg into the bowl and attempted to find baking sheets. Nothing in this kitchen was in the right place. Just as I was about to turn back around I felt a slimy substance come in contact with my face. I whipped around only to find Jonny with a devilish grin on his face and my bowl of cookie dough in his hands.

"Come on, Nat. Let's just eat this raw. It takes too long to cook anyways." He was right and all I wanted was some cookie dough. It tasted way better than baked cookies anyway. Plus less dishes for me to clean up. Jonny grabbed two spoons and found his way to the couch.

"I wanna watch Goon. He reminds me of Shawsy." He laughed, scooping the dough into his mouth. I took a bite and settled in next to him. He wrapped his arm around me and I couldn't help resting on his chest. This was way too comfortable for me, it felt as if I'd been lying in his arms forever. We felt like a couple, laughing along to a cheesy movie and chit-chatting effortlessly. It almost didn't feel wrong to be here with him. And I almost didn't regret waking up sprawled across his chest.

Almost.

It's been a while, sorry about that! But here's the newest chapter for ya.

Q: Favorite hockey quote? (I'm already running out of questions wow)

A: "Hockey players wear numbers because you can't always identify the body with dental records." or "When hell freezes over, I'll play hockey there too." or lastly, "All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity."