nineteen (Jonathan Toews)

eleven

It was now mid-October. The season was just getting underway and Jonathan was already injured. I knew he was taking it hard but hopefully he wouldn't be out for too long. I hung out with him a lot more because he wasn't playing for the next week.

I woke up one morning in the guest room in Jonathan's apartment. The last thing I remembered was watching a movie with him on his couch. I guess I had fallen asleep and he had somehow managed to get me into the guest room. It was a Saturday morning and the Hawks had a rare off day. They were having an optional skate today but Rob said I could have the day off since not many guys were going to be showing up.

I got out of bed and went into the kitchen, tying my hair up along the way. I noticed Jon was still asleep which didn't surprise me since it was only 8 in the morning. I decided to make breakfast and then head home. I started making an omelet for both myself and him.

While I was standing at the stove, I felt two arms wrap around my waist. I jumped and let out a small yelp of surprise. I felt Jonathan's chest vibrate as he pulled away laughing. "Gotcha."

I hit his chest. "God Jon, you scared me!"

I turned back to the stove and turned it off, putting the eggs on two plates. "Sorry, I forgot how easily you get scared," he shrugged with a smirk.

"Are you mocking me?" I raised an eyebrow.

Jonathan grinned. "Just a little bit."

I rolled my eyes at him and handed him a plate. "Here, I made breakfast."

We sat down at the counter and began eating. "So what are you doing today?" He asked as he shoveled another forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"I was planning on doing something with Ryan, we haven't done something together in forever. What about you?"

Jon nodded and said, "Nothing. Probably hanging out with Pat again."

We finished eating while making small talk and cleaned up. "I should get going," I said, checking the time on my phone. I grabbed my bag and gave Jon a quick hug. "Make sure you take your medicine!" I added before I left.

"Yeah Mom, I know," he joked. "See you later."

I went home and showered real quick before seeing what Ryan was up to. "Hey, are you doing anything today? I figured we could go out or something," I suggested as I sat next to him on the couch.

He shut his laptop. "Yeah sounds good. Let's do lunch in about an hour and then I have some plans later tonight with the guys."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Uh, okay."

"Why do you seem confused?" Ryan asked.

"It seems like you're just fitting me into your schedule lately, like it's not us spending time together but you're just doing this because you have to." I picked at my nails. I didn't want to start any drama but I didn't want to let this go either.

Ryan scooted closer and took my hand in his. "I'm sorry Alex, that's not how I feel. I'm going to try to make more time for just the two of us I swear." He leaned over and gave me a passionate kiss.

I pulled away with a smile. "Thank you. Now where do you want to go to lunch?"

---

Ryan and I went out but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He was nervous around his phone, jumping every time it buzzed in his pocket. He got a phone call in the middle of our meal and took it outside. It took a while but finally he came back inside.

So that night when Ryan was out, I called Chaunette over. She would help me figure this situation out, she was one of my closest friends after all.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Chaunette standing there with a pack of beers. "Hey girl!" She came inside. "It's been a while since the two of us hung out, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it's weird isn't it? We have to start having a weekly girls night or something," I suggested.

"Ooo good idea! Let's plan that out later. So what did you want to talk about?" She made herself comfortable on the couch and popped open a beer.

I followed suit and took a sip before answering. "So Ryan has been acting a little strange lately. I don't know if I'm just imagining it or if there's actually something going on."

"What do you mean he's acting weird?" She wondered.

I shrugged. "He's always busy. Like I came home today and was like 'oh let's do something today!' and he already had plans. I don't know what to think," I admitted.

Chaunette gave me a quick side hug. "Don't worry Alli," she said, using her nickname for me. "I'm sure nothing's wrong. Don't overthink it, okay?"

"You're right," I shook my head. "But I can't help it, I have this gut feeling that something might not be right. But I don't want to confront him and have it all blow up in my face."

She nodded in understanding. "I think you just have to give it a little time. Maybe he's going through a tough time with work or something. You never know and you don't want to accuse him of something if you're wrong. But if there is something else going on, don't hesitate to call me okay? You know I'll be here right away if you need me," Chaunette assured me.

"Thanks Chaun," I gave her another hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know right, I'm pretty great," she replied with a flip of her hair.

I rolled my eyes a little. "Love you."

"Love you too girlie." We spent the rest of the night just talking and catching up. We made plans to go to the Blackhawks game next week since I would have another day off. Rob said he won't need me as much for some of the regular season home games, but road trips and playoffs are when I'll be the busiest.

The next couple of days were pretty boring. I went to Jon's apartment one day to check up on him and bring him lunch during my break. "Are you nervous for the game tonight?" He asked as we ate salads from Panera.

I shook my head as I took another bite. "Should I be?"

He shrugged. "I mean, we're playing St. Louis so it shouldn't exactly be a walk in the park," Jonny explained. "Plus Ryan is coming. Doesn't that make you nervous? I know when I have people watching me specifically it makes me a little anxious."

"Eh, not really. I don't even know if Ryan is coming anymore," my voice lowered at the end. I tried to hide it but Jonny caught on.

"Why wouldn't he come? I thought you guys had this planned for like a week now?"

"He might be busy with a work dinner."

"Sure seems like he goes to an awful lot of work dinners," Jonny mumbled in between bites.

I put my fork down. "Look, I don't know what your problem with him is. He's my boyfriend. Right now we're going through a little bit of a rough patch. The least you could do is be supportive."

"Alex, I'm-"

"No, I've heard enough from you. You act like you're my dad or something. You don't need to protect me Jon, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself and telling which people I should and shouldn't date."

I let out a frustrated sigh after my little outburst. I immediately felt guilty, and looking into Jon's dark brown eyes didn't help. "Oh God Jon, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that-"

He cut me off and wrapped me into a comforting hug. "Don't worry Alex, I understand. You're probably stressing yourself out over nothing. Ryan's a great guy and I'm sure he's just working hard, okay?"

He rubbed my back and I sniffled, trying to wipe away the stray tear that had fallen down my cheek. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. I pulled away and wiped my eyes. "I'm a mess," I laughed.

Jonny gave me a weak smile. "Don't worry about it okay? Everything is going to be fine."