On The Rocks

11. Men

      The next morning my hands were stiff but not in pain, nothing ice and stretching won't fix. Throwing on sports bra and shorts, but deciding on a baggy shirt remembering that Mitch is here and not knowing who could appear knowing how these guys operate now, find one another one or ten isn't far.

    No one is up when I get to my kitchen prepping ice for my sore hand, pouring cold water into a couple bowl big enough to fit my hand and dumping in the ice and letting it sit as I set an alarm for ten minutes on my phone before submerging my whole hand wrist deep in the fridge's water making a chill run through my entire body.

"Fuck," I swear to clench my fist and unclenching start to stretch my hands as they sit in the water, it was painful at the beginning but numb halfway through.

"You're insane," Stephanie's morning voice shocks me, whipping my head to catch the blonde flopping on the couch with her eyes closed.

"My hands are sore and I wanna go to the gym after I make some food," I defended as the arm for the ice goes out as I gladly take my hands out and instantly dig them into a tea towel for warmth.

"Now, are you making food or are you making food for you?" Steph said now sitting up and eyebrows wag as she talked.

"Well, if you're hungry- which I'm not even gonna ask if you are because you are, but why are you up? You're aware is- 6:30 am," I noticed the time just now, making me question myself I planned on sleeping to 8. "I heard you get up and I thought it was later but I guess too late now," Steph shrugged knowing I'm not the early morning type but i guess today I am. Moving around the kitchen I turn on the coffee machine and get to work on omelets.

"Go see if Mitch wants food because he can have it hot now or cold later or not at all," I directed Steph sparing a brief glance her way to see her sluggishly getting up and make her way up the stairs before stopping and coming back down, a soft smile on her face, I eye her weirdly but i go back to cooking as she looks for something in the cabinets before making a yell of victory well holding up a food tray that has foldable legs.

"I am gonna be a cute girlfriend and bring him breakfast in bed, he's always mopey the morning after a loss," Stephanie frowned at the reminder of the loss last night,  smile fondly at the cuteness level of their relationship.

"That's so cute," Steph smile and giggle getting a protein shake ready as i did the omelets low-fat cheddar and spinach and all the little things Mitch needs and making Steph a simple cheese and ham.

"I am going down to the gym, so when you're done in there you'll know where I am," I told Steph as she balancing the try on the way up the stairs with a soft smile on her face and her eyes full of love and compassion for the boy she's about to spoil with breakfast in bed. She nods and disappears up the stairs, where I can hear the door open and her hushed voice before closing the door again, leaving me silently eating my omelet at the table as I scroll through my phone, answering emails from Todd and texts from my brother.

 Setting my phone down and the silence really makes me reflect, having now been witness to possibly the cutest relationship in Toronto makes you really realize how much of a loner I am/was now being surrounded by hockey almost 24/7. My anti-social was have stopped me from experiencing something like what Mitch and Stephanie have and that thought makes my heartache.

"My period must come," I mumble cleaning my dishes and drying them. My period would explain the extra amount of loneliness. Shaking my head I get my stuff ready to go workout before going upstairs and when I pass Steph's room I could hear the giggles and laughs of the lovebirds making my heartache briefly, definitely period hormones.