This Love is Ours

Chapter 3: Quick Clicks

Recently, I've been doing a ton of work for the Blackhawks so that I can stay closer to the team as well as Patrick.

That has been really good, but I've missed doing the city photo shoots, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to do this today.

"Do you want to stop to get a drink before we head to your studio?" Chaun asks.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." I say, smiling.

I let my camera hang around my neck by the thick lanyard it is attached to.

Chaunette and I head into the small Starbucks on the corner of the street.

It's pretty crowded in here, but not too bad.

The two of us order our drinks, and take a table outside in the outdoor seating area.

"Wait." I say, as we sit down.

"What?" Chaun asks, smiling.

"This is a perfect picture." I say, my eyes wide with excitement.

Chaunette and I set our drinks down on the table, and I grab my camera from around my neck for a picture of the drinks.

Both drinks sit in the large, plastic cups.

We both got passionfruit tea lemonades.

The hot pink colored drink is filled with ice, and condensation runs down the sides of the cups.

I quickly take a picture of both of them, making sure to position them so you can see the drinks in the foreground, and the busy Chicago streets in the background.

Perfect.

"That will be my last shot of the day." I announce, smiling.

"Good." Chaunette giggles.

The two of us sip our drinks, people-watching, and chatting here and there.

"So how have you and Patrick been?" Chaunette asks.

"We've been really good. For some reason, over the past few years, Patrick and I have constantly been saying "this love is ours" to each other. We honestly say it all the time." I say, shaking my head.

Chaunette furrows her eyebrows.

"What does it mean?" She asks.

"I suppose it means that our love is like our most valuable possession, and no matter what happens, they can't take what's ours. I don't know how it came about or why, but it's really helped in our relationship." I shrug.

"I like that. That's clever." Chaunette beams.

"Thanks Chaun. So how have you been?" I ask, bluntly.

It sounds awful, but I don't think anyone really asked Chaunette how she dealt with Ally's death.

She was always the one offering support for Patrick or Jonathan (Jonathan, especially), and I honestly don't think she got enough support herself.

I've asked her a few times, but she never wants to talk about it.

I don't blame her, but she needs to vent her feelings at one point.

"Well the Stanley Cup victory was great. That was amazing." Chaunette smiles, placing her sunglasses on the top of her head.

"Yeah. That was great." I say, reminiscing through watching that game.

God, that was so emotional.

The crowd was nuts.

Chaunette looks down at her hands, and then back up at me.