Trip to Your Heart - A Hockey Fanfiction

Guys' Night

"Yes, actually," I snapped, "now do you need a ride or are you sitting in my car for no reason?"

"Yeah, I'd love a ride actually. And I think I know someone who needs a place to stay tonight so I was going to offer her the extra bed in my hotel room," he offered me a soft smile.

"You aren't sharing with Bennett?"

"Not this time. We have an odd number of guys so we rotate off having our own rooms," he explained.

"Okay. You're staying at the Marriott, right?" I switched gears and backed out of the parking spot.

"Yep," he popped the 'p' and  I started driving. The ride was quiet; neither of us spoke and he didn't turn on the radio. Of all the guys on the team, Robert and I had been the most distant from each other. We obviously knew each other since we both worked in the lower part of Consol energy and he was often one of the people coming in to get patched up, but we weren't close. I knew him, and he knew me, but I had spent more time with guys like Letang, Bennett, Dupuis, Fleury, and Crosby. Even Geno, who was one of the quietest guys I'd met talked to me more than Robert had.

When we finally got to the hotel, I was seriously considering dropping Robert off and moving to a different hotel, but he got out and looked to me to follow. I grabbed my bag and he led me inside. "Why didn't the other guys come?"

"Well, like you figured out, it is guys' night. We had been planning on going out just us guys after dinner with you, and as you know, that got cut short, so we went to the club," Robert said.

"Why didn't Sidney tell me when I called?"

"He said you kinda just asked where we were, said you were coming, and hung up," Robert shrugged.

"Jesus, someone should have told me, I wouldn't have come," I smacked my forehead with my hand.

"Should've had a V8," Bortuzzo muttered.

I rolled my eyes, "So, why'd you come back?"

"You needed somewhere to stay," he shrugged as if it was no big deal and he opened the door to the room. "Mine is the one by the door, feel free to take the other one," he motioned to the bed that was neatly made and I nodded my thanks. I set my bag down on the foot of the bed and sat next to it. I realized that if I'd thought the car ride was weird, these next few hours would reach a level of awkwardness I was not familiar with.

I cleared my throat, "Uh, do you mind if I shower?"

Robert scratched the back of his neck and shook his head, a small smile on his face, "Be my guest."

"What?" I asked.

"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows, the smile was gone, but there was amusement in his eyes.

"You were making a face at me," I stated.

"Stella, it's not like I own the place, you don't have to ask. And there's no need to be so nervous and on edge; I won't hurt you. Uh, I mean, well it's not like I would hurt you but that's not what I meant. We're friends-" he stuttered.

"Yeah... Thanks..." I said, grabbing  my bag and heading into the bathroom. I shut and locked the door behind me and stood there, unmoving, until I heard Robert settle in and flip on the television. Then I undressed and hopped in the shower. I let the warm water run over me and release the tension of travel and my fight with Claude. Claude. I hoped he was okay. I loved Claude. He had been the first to befriend me when I came to the city despite where I'd come from and he made me feel wanted. When we kissed, I never wanted to stop and when we had sex, well, it was the best feeling in the world. He made me feel like I could do anything and I knew he'd be there by my side. It hurt when he had come in to the restaurant and started throwing insults in the guys' faces, especially since it had been outside of a game setting. He usually wasn't that bad; I didn't know what had gotten into him. In a few days, if we won that was, then we'd kiss and make up. Maybe even tomorrow if he had cooled down and wasn't too hungover. I smiled at the thought of him and turned to wash my hair.