So Be It // o. maatta

Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Olli's POV

As we walked out of the building Alex lived in, I couldn't help but notice how fast my heart was racing. I was also conscious of how sweaty my palm was, and I worried my hair looked unkempt. Alex seemed nervous too, though, which calmed me down, slightly.

The wind danced through her hair, as she looked up at me. She didn't say a single word. She just gazed at me, and smiled a genuine smile. A smile that could make me go insane. A smile that was making me go insane. That was when I first started to fall in love with her.

"When do your classes start?" I asked her, breaking the comfortable silence.

She inhaled, almost like it was hard to think about. "Monday. And I'm ridiculously nervous. But what about you? Are you nervous about training camp."

Was I nervous? I had never been more nervous about anything.

"I'm terrified," I told her. "But I have two weeks 'til camp starts. You have two days. Wouldn't want to be in your shoes." I suddenly worried that would I had offended her.

But, if it did, she showed no signs of it. "I don't mind being in these shoes," She gently squeezed my hand. "Because if I wasn't in these shoes, I wouldn't be here with you."

I swear to you, my cheeks had never burned so badly. I literally had nothing to say. A small smile crept upon my lips.

We walked a bit more, hand-in-hand, when we came upon the Allegheny. With Alex, you could be silent, without feeling any sense of awkwardness. She was so warm, that there wasn't anything uncomfortable about quietness.

"It's beautiful at night." I whispered. The sky was still a yellowish, pinkish color, and the water was a crisp blue.

"That it is." She agreed.

As we walked, I looked down at her, and asked, "What made you want to play hockey? Was it your brother?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I know it probably sounds terrible, but I only started because of my brother. I eventually I wound up falling in love with it, though. What about you? Why'd you start hockey?"

We reached the end of the rivers, and made it to The Point, where all three of them met. There was a magnificent fountain there. Both Alex, and I sat down on the wide, cement ledge.

"Growing up in Finland, everyone plays hockey. I only started playing hockey since everyone else did, but much like you, I fell in love with the game."

She smiled, the mist from the fountain covering her face. Unexpectedly, Alex leaned her head up against my shoulder, sending chills of excitement down my spine. I had to physical clench my muscles to prevent myself from shaking. I liked her so much, and was so afraid I'd mess something up. I nervously wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and she wrapped her's across my back, and down to my hip.

"Alex," I whispered.

"Yeah?" She whispered back.

"I barely know you, but I really like you."

She nuzzled her head into my shoulder. "Olli, I barely know you, but I really like you, too." She pulled away, and just sat there, next to me, silently.

I couldn't contain myself anymore. I grabbed her right cheek with my hand, and pressed her lips to mine. It was the best kiss I had ever been a part of. Her lips were so soft, and tasted like strawberry Chapstick.

She pulled away from the kiss quickly, though.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, afraid I had screwed something up.

"You're my brother's teammate. He'll be so angry with you, and with me."

I kissed her lips lightly, broke away, stared into her gorgeous brown eyes, and whispered, "Then so be it."