The Hockey Life
Satisfaction
PART TWENTY-TWO: SATISFACTION
“So are we going to the game tonight?” Tess wondered a little later. She was finally done harassing me about Patrick.
“I don’t know. I don’t have tickets,” I said.
“Yeah, but you’re an ex intern. Can’t you go to anything whenever you want?” Tess wondered.
“I don’t know, I guess,” I said, not completely sure if any given game would count. I decided I would ask Patrick. He would know better than I did.
He answered my text right away and assured me that he could get Tess and I in. We changed into our jerseys and headed to the UC early. We met up with Patrick, who let us in. There were no problems because Brad saw me and assured me that it was fine that Tess and I were there. That was one of the perks of being an ex intern and a player’s girlfriend, I guess.
“I’m going to go find our seats,” Tess said when Patrick had to go to the locker room. “We’re basically the only ones here, so you should be able to find me.”
“Good luck tonight,” I said to Patrick. We were outside of the locker room, alone since Tess had run off.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
“I’m liking the jersey, by the way,” he told me, smirking as he noticed the 88 on both of my sleeves.
“I thought you might,” I answered.
“Well, I should probably go get changed,” he finally said. For a second, I had forgotten that he had a game to play.
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you after the game, right?” I didn’t necessarily want to have to wait for him to get done with post game interviews, but I knew I would have to if I wanted to see him one last time.
“Sure. I’ll see you then,” I said. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and began to walk away when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.
“Wait a second,” he told me, smiling. He pulled me as close to him as he could and he kissed me, but this time he didn’t let me get away. As soon as his lips met mine, I was perfectly fine with it, because I realized that I didn’t want to get away. There was really nothing romantic about the moment at all, and yet it seemed perfect. Until it got interrupted, at least.
“Get a room!” someone yelled. I opened my eyes and realized that it was Nick Leddy, who had apparently just arrived.
“Shut up, Leddy,” Patrick yelled. This time he let me go and while he headed into the locker room to get changed, I left to find my seat. Brad had told us what seats hadn’t been sold yet, and we were able to choose from any of them. I found Tess in the 100 level. Of course she wanted to sit there.
“There are two seats right here that we can take. Is this spot okay with you?” she asked. I nodded. As people started to filter in, Tess and I went out to grab some food and drinks from concessions before lines formed. I recognized a worker who I talked to for a moment until a line formed behind me. Tess and I got free fries, which was awesome. When we got back to our seats, there were a few people already in the seats around us. Before too long, the UC was filled and it was buzzing with conversation. It felt good to be a part of the sea of red and black again.
The game was an exciting one. It was action packed. Even when it slowed down a little in the second period, it was still a really interesting game to watch. In the end, the Hawks beat the Florida Panthers 4-2.
“Do you want to stay and talk to Jonathan?” I asked Tess as the fans started to file out.
“Duh!” she answered.
“Well, it’ll be a while. They have to talk to the media,” I reminded her.
“That’s fine. I can wait,” she said, so we did. We waited around until Brad found us about thirty minutes later.
“You guys can come into the locker room now. It’s just the guys in there,” he told us.
“We get to go into the locker room?!” Tess asked, suddenly excited. I had forgotten that she hadn’t been there before. I was so used to being there that it didn’t phase me anymore.
“Keep it classy, guys, Lena and Tess are here,” Bryan Bickell shouted when we entered the room. Basically all the guys were showered and in regular clothes by then, stuffing things into their bags so they could leave.
“Where’s Kaner at?” Lean needs her boy toy,” Tess announced, trying her best to embarrass me.
“Yeah, where is he?” I asked, discretely kicking Tess for the comment she had made.
“Right here!” Patrick yelled as he picked me up from behind and threw me over his shoulder. He scared the crap out of me, so his hiding behind me was a good tactic.
“Put me down!” I shouted. He was reluctant to listen, but he did anyways. Tess and I talked to the team for a few minutes until everyone was ready to go. Tess insisted on snapping a picture of Patrick and I before I said goodbye to him again, and I did the same for her and Jonathan. That night I texted the picture to Brian and my parents and told them that we were a couple now, officially. I got immediate replies from my parents and Brian called me on Skype, which didn’t surprise me. Skype was our preferred method of communication when it was possible to do it.
“Hi Bri Bri!” Tess said when she saw him appear on my laptop screen as she walked through the living room.
“Hey T!” he answered. “Congrats sis,” he added, his attention back on me.
“Thanks bro. I’m guessing you already knew, right?”
“No, I didn’t, actually. He did that on his own. I expected it, though,” Brian said.
“I didn’t, but I‘m perfectly fine with it,” I laughed.
“Of course you are!”
Brian and I talked for about an hour with Tess popping back into the conversation towards the end. I was exhausted by the time we finally ended the Skype call. I fell into a deep sleep in no time when I went to bed. Nothing disturbed me during the night; not even dreams. By the time I got into bed, the Dylan drama wasn’t at all on my mind; only the good parts of the day were. I fell asleep satisfied, so I didn’t need any dreams that night.
“So are we going to the game tonight?” Tess wondered a little later. She was finally done harassing me about Patrick.
“I don’t know. I don’t have tickets,” I said.
“Yeah, but you’re an ex intern. Can’t you go to anything whenever you want?” Tess wondered.
“I don’t know, I guess,” I said, not completely sure if any given game would count. I decided I would ask Patrick. He would know better than I did.
He answered my text right away and assured me that he could get Tess and I in. We changed into our jerseys and headed to the UC early. We met up with Patrick, who let us in. There were no problems because Brad saw me and assured me that it was fine that Tess and I were there. That was one of the perks of being an ex intern and a player’s girlfriend, I guess.
“I’m going to go find our seats,” Tess said when Patrick had to go to the locker room. “We’re basically the only ones here, so you should be able to find me.”
“Good luck tonight,” I said to Patrick. We were outside of the locker room, alone since Tess had run off.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
“I’m liking the jersey, by the way,” he told me, smirking as he noticed the 88 on both of my sleeves.
“I thought you might,” I answered.
“Well, I should probably go get changed,” he finally said. For a second, I had forgotten that he had a game to play.
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you after the game, right?” I didn’t necessarily want to have to wait for him to get done with post game interviews, but I knew I would have to if I wanted to see him one last time.
“Sure. I’ll see you then,” I said. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and began to walk away when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.
“Wait a second,” he told me, smiling. He pulled me as close to him as he could and he kissed me, but this time he didn’t let me get away. As soon as his lips met mine, I was perfectly fine with it, because I realized that I didn’t want to get away. There was really nothing romantic about the moment at all, and yet it seemed perfect. Until it got interrupted, at least.
“Get a room!” someone yelled. I opened my eyes and realized that it was Nick Leddy, who had apparently just arrived.
“Shut up, Leddy,” Patrick yelled. This time he let me go and while he headed into the locker room to get changed, I left to find my seat. Brad had told us what seats hadn’t been sold yet, and we were able to choose from any of them. I found Tess in the 100 level. Of course she wanted to sit there.
“There are two seats right here that we can take. Is this spot okay with you?” she asked. I nodded. As people started to filter in, Tess and I went out to grab some food and drinks from concessions before lines formed. I recognized a worker who I talked to for a moment until a line formed behind me. Tess and I got free fries, which was awesome. When we got back to our seats, there were a few people already in the seats around us. Before too long, the UC was filled and it was buzzing with conversation. It felt good to be a part of the sea of red and black again.
The game was an exciting one. It was action packed. Even when it slowed down a little in the second period, it was still a really interesting game to watch. In the end, the Hawks beat the Florida Panthers 4-2.
“Do you want to stay and talk to Jonathan?” I asked Tess as the fans started to file out.
“Duh!” she answered.
“Well, it’ll be a while. They have to talk to the media,” I reminded her.
“That’s fine. I can wait,” she said, so we did. We waited around until Brad found us about thirty minutes later.
“You guys can come into the locker room now. It’s just the guys in there,” he told us.
“We get to go into the locker room?!” Tess asked, suddenly excited. I had forgotten that she hadn’t been there before. I was so used to being there that it didn’t phase me anymore.
“Keep it classy, guys, Lena and Tess are here,” Bryan Bickell shouted when we entered the room. Basically all the guys were showered and in regular clothes by then, stuffing things into their bags so they could leave.
“Where’s Kaner at?” Lean needs her boy toy,” Tess announced, trying her best to embarrass me.
“Yeah, where is he?” I asked, discretely kicking Tess for the comment she had made.
“Right here!” Patrick yelled as he picked me up from behind and threw me over his shoulder. He scared the crap out of me, so his hiding behind me was a good tactic.
“Put me down!” I shouted. He was reluctant to listen, but he did anyways. Tess and I talked to the team for a few minutes until everyone was ready to go. Tess insisted on snapping a picture of Patrick and I before I said goodbye to him again, and I did the same for her and Jonathan. That night I texted the picture to Brian and my parents and told them that we were a couple now, officially. I got immediate replies from my parents and Brian called me on Skype, which didn’t surprise me. Skype was our preferred method of communication when it was possible to do it.
“Hi Bri Bri!” Tess said when she saw him appear on my laptop screen as she walked through the living room.
“Hey T!” he answered. “Congrats sis,” he added, his attention back on me.
“Thanks bro. I’m guessing you already knew, right?”
“No, I didn’t, actually. He did that on his own. I expected it, though,” Brian said.
“I didn’t, but I‘m perfectly fine with it,” I laughed.
“Of course you are!”
Brian and I talked for about an hour with Tess popping back into the conversation towards the end. I was exhausted by the time we finally ended the Skype call. I fell into a deep sleep in no time when I went to bed. Nothing disturbed me during the night; not even dreams. By the time I got into bed, the Dylan drama wasn’t at all on my mind; only the good parts of the day were. I fell asleep satisfied, so I didn’t need any dreams that night.
@hockeygirl07
Thank you so much! :)
11/1/14