Crosby

Chapter 31

"I can make you something." I heard Sidney say as I dug around for something in the cabinet.

"It's fine, I'm probably just going to have cereal." I murmured, pulling out a box of Fruit Loops.

"Ty," Sid said, letting out a deep sigh. "You know I have to go. I can't let this team down and we haven't been as strong lately. I can't let our season end this early and you fucking know that. I need you to quit it and understand." he said a bit too harshly.

I slammed down the cereal box and stormed away, not in the mood to deal with him anymore. He got pissy faster than ever and I had it with him snapping at me.

I quickly put on some mascara and slipped on a pair of jeans, a loose black sweatshirt, and my converse. I grabbed my bag and phone, ready to head out the door.

"Are you gonna eat anything or should I put the cereal away for you?" Sidney said, clearly annoyed.

"No princess, don't strain yourself." I snapped, grabbing the cereal and taking it with me.

"What if I want some of that?!" he yelled after me.

"It's my fucking cereal, go get your own!" I screamed back at him. We stood there for a minute, me in the doorway and him in the kitchen, both of us angry and glaring at each other.

Sidney cracked a smile and quickly tried to hide it. It broke through again and in no time both of us were laughing hysterically. "Give me the cereal, I'll put it away." he offered, wiping his eyes from the tears.

"No!" I screeched. "It's my cereal and I didn't get to eat any. I was too busy being mad at you and now I'm hungry." I said, grabbing a bowl and pouring the Fruit Loops into it.

"You're crazy." he said affectionately, kissing my head. "I'm sorry I have to go. I know it's stressful and annoying for you, but I have a commitment. I want this so bad." he said, rubbing my back.

"I know babe. I'm sorry I freaked out, I know you're trying your best. It's hard to balance, I get it." I said, taking a bite of my cereal.

"Gimme a bite for the road." he begged, opening his mouth. I fed him some Fruit Loops and hugged him tightly around his waist.

"Have a good practice Sidney! I might be out grocery shopping or something so I don't know if I'll be home when you get back." I called as he gathered his bag.

"Okay. Get some more Fruit Loops. And be careful. I'll text you later, love you Tyler." he said, pressing his lips to mine in a hurried kiss.

"Love you too!" I called, winking at him before the door closed and I was alone in the big apartment. I finished my cereal and texted Freddie.

'You free for a lunch date? I got no boy around and time to kill!'

He texted me back almost instantly. 'I'll be at your place in 3 hours, be prepared for the best lunch of your life.'

I smiled and neatened up the kitchen, putting dishes away and starting the dishwasher before grabbing my computer and opening Skype and calling Jamie.

"Jamie!" I squealed as his face popped up onto the screen. He looked equally as excited and was grinning ear to ear.

"Long time, no see! How is everything?!" he asked, adjusting his hat.

"Good! Notice anything different?" I said, motioning around me.

"New digs? Where'd you move to?"

"Sidney's apartment." I said, blushing faintly.

"Oh I see how it is." Jamie teased. "Your boyfriend concusses me and suddenly it's like your married!"

I laughed, shaking my head. "So it must be pretty serious then?" he asked.

I nodded. "I love him. We just get each other. I don't know. He's different from everyone else, in a good way. We have our share of fights, like this morning, but we just laughed it off and it was really reassuring, you know?"

He nodded. "Sid's a really good guy. He'll treat you right Ty - but on the off chance that he hurts you, I'll fuck him up." he said menacingly.

"You'll have to compete with about 4 other people for that." I said, rolling my eyes. "And I heard you guys are in the playoffs! Congrats, you really deserve it." I said clapping my hands together.

Jamie smiled softly and let out a chuckle. "I'm so nervous, to be completely honest with you. I don't want to let anyone down."

"You won't do that. I have faith in you Jamie Benn. Kick ass."

"Speaking of playoffs, how's Sid?" he asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" I asked confusedly.

"I heard that he gets pretty intense with his training and superstitions. I'd just be prepared for a lot of tension. Since this is your first season being a hockey girlfriend, I'd just beware of all of the drama bound to come with it."

"Uh thanks." I said, getting into my own head and overthinking it already.

"Hey, I gotta head out to practice but text me later or something?" Jamie said, getting up.

"Course Jame!" I said, waving goodbye. He winked and the alert that the call had been ended popped up onto my screen.

I had some more time to kill before Freddie picked me up for lunch so I cleaned the apartment some, vacuuming, dusting, and doing some laundry.

I grabbed my bag and headed down the street a bit to a small organic store, where I picked up most of our groceries. After that I headed to a normal grocery store and picked up the rest of the things that we needed.

It was a chilly, windy day and I was shivering as I made my way back to our apartment. Clouds blocked out the sun and I made it back just before the rain started to pour out of the sky.

I put away all of the groceries and was so busy that I didn't even hear the door open. "I'm home!" Sid yelled loudly in my ear, making me jump.

"Fuck!" I yelled, hitting his arm lightly. "Don't fucking scare me like that." I scolded.

"Sid, don't scare your girlfriend it's not nice." I heard Nealer say, sauntering into the apartment.

"Thank you James." I said with a smug look, looking at Sidney.

"You scare Ty?" I heard Geno say, walking in too. Next came Tanger and Pauly.

"Looks like it was a good thing I went grocery shopping." I said quietly, only James hearing me.

"Sorry about being so unexpected." he said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, I don't mind. I was going out to lunch with a friend soon anyway. I won't even be home to witness the mess." I joked half-heartedly.

"Don't worry babe, I promise we'll keep it clean." Sidney said, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing the side of my head.

"Okay. I'm going out to eat with Freddie, I shouldn't be gone too long- maybe an hour?" I murmured, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Sounds good. Bring me home good leftovers." he teased.

"In your dreams Crosby." I retorted. "How was practice?"

His face instantly dropped, his jaw clenching. "I don't want to talk about it." I immediately dropped it, Jamie's warning ringing in my head.

"I'm gonna go get ready." I said softly, heading into the bedroom to put on some eyeliner and fix my hair.

'Here!' Freddie texted me, just as I was finished fixing my hair. I smiled and told him I was on my way out, grabbing my bag as I passed through the living room where all the guys were spread out on the couch.

"I'll see you guys later!" I said, waving and heading out the door. Sidney jumped up and walked me out, closing the door and pressing me up against it, kissing me softly.

"Stay safe, okay? I love you Tyler." he murmured, pecking my lips again. I smiled and kissed him once more, savoring the way it felt before pulling away.

"I love you more. I'll be back soon!" I said, heading down the stairs and out to the parking lot where Freddie was waiting for me.

I hopped into the car and hugged him, grinning. "Let's go eat."