Islands
Islands
December 2, 2010 Capitals 1 @ Stars 2
December 4, 2010 Thrashers 3 @ Capitals 1
December 6, 2010 Leafs 5 @ Capitals 4 (SO)
December 9, 2010 Panthers 3 @ Capitals 0
December 11, 2010 Avalanche 3 @ Capitals 2
December 12, 2010 Capitals 0 @ Rangers 7
December 15, 2010 Ducks 2 @ Capitals 1(OT)
December 18, 2010 Capitals 2 @ Bruins 3
December 19, 2010 Capitals 3 @ Senators 2
December 21, 2010 Devils 1@ Capitals 5
December 23, 2010 Penguins 3 @ Capitals 2 (SO)
December 26, 2010 Capitals 3 @ Hurricanes 2
December 28, 2010 Canadiens 0 @ Capitals 3
January 1, 2011 Capitals 3 @ Penguins 1
Though the curtains were closed, it was bright in the hotel room. The sun was up in the Pittsburgh sky over the North Shore. It was the morning after the Winter Classic. Nicky was spooning me in bed, curled around me perfectly from behind. His arm was draped around me, his hand rested on my ribcage. Five of my toes were pressed against one of his shins.
The day before was so long with the preparation for the game, the game itself, the press, and the after party. It was a lot of adrenaline and a lot of excitement surrounding three periods of hockey. Nicky and I were both so exhausted by the end of it all that we’d barely brushed our teeth and kissed each other good night before promptly passing out.
I could feel Nicky’s heavy but silent breathing against my shoulder. He was still asleep. The room was in a neat kind of disarray. None of my stuff was packed back into my tiny suitcase or carry-on bag. There were already-worn clothes folded and set on top of the chair tucked into the little table. Both pairs of shoes I’d brought were dumped on top of the TV stand. I knew all my toiletries were strewn on top of the counter in the bathroom, too. But I wasn’t so concerned about getting a move on with the day when I was so comfortable under Nicky’s grasp. It was the only place I had to be that morning.
When he finally shifted against me, I knew he was awake because the weight of his shoulder pinned against mine was lighter. He stretched his legs straight and I heard joints cracking in his toes. I stopped his hand when I felt it retreating back towards my side, covering it with my own.
Nicky cleared his throat and whispered a single word to the back of my neck. “Awake?”
I didn’t speak until I rolled onto my other side, facing him. It took some effort to do it gracefully: we were situated in such close quarters with each other that we probably covered less than half of the bed. He slept in only his underwear, so I grazed my fingers against his bare shoulder when we were pressed up against each other again. “Good morning,” I responded as he adjusted his arms around me.
“Mmm.” Nicky nuzzled my neck. “Good morning, Erin.”
My hand moved up to the back of his neck when he leaned his cheek against the pillow to look at me. I played with some of the hair at his nape, a strand between my thumb and index finger. His eyes looked olive in the morning light. I considered kissing him but then decided against it, imaging that we both had caustic breath after more than a couple of hours of sleep.
“It’s early,” I said.
He sniffed. “Why’re you up? Your flight’s not ‘til 2.”
As I had arrived in Pittsburgh before the Caps, I’d be leaving the Steel City after them, too. Even though the actual game played in the Winter Classic was only worth two points in the league standings, it wasn’t a regular road trip. There were so many families and friends along on the trip, and with the game moved to primetime, the after party had gone so late. The team charter wouldn’t leave for DC until noon. I still had plenty of time to get my own stuff ready after breakfast and after Nicky left.
“I was just…thinking,” I responded.
“About what?”
“You,” I answered simply.
Nicky grinned and his cheeks were all the way up to the bags under his eyes. “Something you wanna share?”
I shrugged awkwardly under his arm. “Nothing major. Just, when we’re back in Washington and the new semester starts,” I spoke, “I want you to meet my friends.”
Nicky didn’t know any of my friends. Because I met him in early December, because he wasn’t a student, and because he only became my boyfriend a few days earlier, he hadn’t gotten the chance to meet any of them. So much happened between us in a month. I definitely felt integrated into Nicky’s life: I knew his teammates, his brother, and his best friend. Hell, I even knew his best friend’s friends.
“I can’t wait to meet your friends, too,” Nicky replied.
Our timing was either awful or perfect. With everyone away for the holidays, I got to spend time with him without having to share him with anyone. My calls and texts to my friends were vague: I liked him, he was quiet, the dates he took me on weren’t stale. They couldn’t be fair judges on whether or not they liked him for me if they’d never met him.
Being close with my sister was the silver lining. She’d met Nicky on the same day as me and knew all along how everything happened between us. I took all of her advice for face value. And now I was in a relationship. I had no regrets about where I was or all the decisions I made without consulting the other important people in my life. I would just have to make adjustments to everything new.
I could be a graduating college student and the girlfriend of a hockey player at the same time. He’d know my friends. The two of us would figure out how to spend time together between practices and classes and team road trips and Res Life activities. Just like the way we realized we should be together, it would be a process. We would grow into it.
After a long pause of us just looking at each other, comfortable in the silence, I spoke again. “I have something else to tell you.”
His thumb stroked against the small of my back under the fabric of my shirt that had ridden up. “What’s that?”
I looked him straight in the eye confidently. “I’m not scared anymore.”
It took a moment to register with him what I meant. It was our topic of conversation on New Year’s Eve when he fell asleep before midnight.
“Really?” Nicky asked. “Is just two nights ago when you said you’re scared.”
“I know. But I feel differently now,” I returned. “Everything that’s happened here has made me realize that I don’t have to be scared.”
He didn’t say a word, fingers stroking my back, waiting for me to continue.
“All the time I spent with your brother and your friends and the Caps families—I was comfortable being there.” I went on, “I guess when it hit me how comfortable it was, it really assured me of what you said, that we’re supposed be with each other. I like the way I fit into your life. What we have in common or what we’re going to talk about…that’s not a problem at all.”
I did mean what I said. Overanalyzing why and how our relationship was going to keep moving forward was useless. It certainly wasn’t going to help. We’d already established how we were going to be fine because we’d work for that. We weren’t perfect, but we were right.
Nicky placed a kiss to my temple. “I’m glad you been here this weekend.”
“I’ve had so much fun. Our first trip together is memorable…” I stopped for a second and let out a small giggle. “I think it’s kind of made me like Pittsburgh though.”
“What?” he dropped his head to my shoulder. “You barely even saw the city.”
My giggling turned into full-on laughing.
His statement was true. The most I saw of Pennsylvania’s very own Steel City was in the cabs between the hotel and the restaurant we went to on New Year’s Eve. I didn’t go shopping. I didn’t do anything touristy.
It wasn’t the city or the Penguins that I liked. I had good feelings towards the city because of the experience I got over the weekend. I liked it because it let me be a part of Nicky’s world and engage with people who were significant to him. Pittsburgh was really just a backdrop.
“Don’t worry,” I said to Nicky, “I only like Pittsburgh with you. Is that better?”
Nicky lifted his head, nodding and repeating the last word, “Better.”
His head hit the pillow again and he pulled me tightly against his chest. I moved my arm that had been at his neck, resting my elbow on top of his and tracing a finger over his collar bone before letting my hand fall back to his shoulder.
The only sound in the room for a while was the rush of air coming in through the heat vents. We were both warm, lying there together with our legs tangled beneath the sheets. It was still too early for us to be up, but the sleep was gone from our eyes and we were wide awake.
“So,” Nicky broke the silence, his voice low and a tiny smile on his lips, “what islands and cities should we explore next?”
I considered listing off all the places I’d ever dreamed of going to and joking that we had to go to every single one of them. I was a little girl all grown up so it was definitely a long list. But I changed my mind. I smiled back, knowing where I wanted to be with him the most.
“Let’s go home, Nicky.”
Fin.
December 4, 2010 Thrashers 3 @ Capitals 1
December 6, 2010 Leafs 5 @ Capitals 4 (SO)
December 9, 2010 Panthers 3 @ Capitals 0
December 11, 2010 Avalanche 3 @ Capitals 2
December 12, 2010 Capitals 0 @ Rangers 7
December 15, 2010 Ducks 2 @ Capitals 1(OT)
December 18, 2010 Capitals 2 @ Bruins 3
December 19, 2010 Capitals 3 @ Senators 2
December 21, 2010 Devils 1@ Capitals 5
December 23, 2010 Penguins 3 @ Capitals 2 (SO)
December 26, 2010 Capitals 3 @ Hurricanes 2
December 28, 2010 Canadiens 0 @ Capitals 3
January 1, 2011 Capitals 3 @ Penguins 1
Though the curtains were closed, it was bright in the hotel room. The sun was up in the Pittsburgh sky over the North Shore. It was the morning after the Winter Classic. Nicky was spooning me in bed, curled around me perfectly from behind. His arm was draped around me, his hand rested on my ribcage. Five of my toes were pressed against one of his shins.
The day before was so long with the preparation for the game, the game itself, the press, and the after party. It was a lot of adrenaline and a lot of excitement surrounding three periods of hockey. Nicky and I were both so exhausted by the end of it all that we’d barely brushed our teeth and kissed each other good night before promptly passing out.
I could feel Nicky’s heavy but silent breathing against my shoulder. He was still asleep. The room was in a neat kind of disarray. None of my stuff was packed back into my tiny suitcase or carry-on bag. There were already-worn clothes folded and set on top of the chair tucked into the little table. Both pairs of shoes I’d brought were dumped on top of the TV stand. I knew all my toiletries were strewn on top of the counter in the bathroom, too. But I wasn’t so concerned about getting a move on with the day when I was so comfortable under Nicky’s grasp. It was the only place I had to be that morning.
When he finally shifted against me, I knew he was awake because the weight of his shoulder pinned against mine was lighter. He stretched his legs straight and I heard joints cracking in his toes. I stopped his hand when I felt it retreating back towards my side, covering it with my own.
Nicky cleared his throat and whispered a single word to the back of my neck. “Awake?”
I didn’t speak until I rolled onto my other side, facing him. It took some effort to do it gracefully: we were situated in such close quarters with each other that we probably covered less than half of the bed. He slept in only his underwear, so I grazed my fingers against his bare shoulder when we were pressed up against each other again. “Good morning,” I responded as he adjusted his arms around me.
“Mmm.” Nicky nuzzled my neck. “Good morning, Erin.”
My hand moved up to the back of his neck when he leaned his cheek against the pillow to look at me. I played with some of the hair at his nape, a strand between my thumb and index finger. His eyes looked olive in the morning light. I considered kissing him but then decided against it, imaging that we both had caustic breath after more than a couple of hours of sleep.
“It’s early,” I said.
He sniffed. “Why’re you up? Your flight’s not ‘til 2.”
As I had arrived in Pittsburgh before the Caps, I’d be leaving the Steel City after them, too. Even though the actual game played in the Winter Classic was only worth two points in the league standings, it wasn’t a regular road trip. There were so many families and friends along on the trip, and with the game moved to primetime, the after party had gone so late. The team charter wouldn’t leave for DC until noon. I still had plenty of time to get my own stuff ready after breakfast and after Nicky left.
“I was just…thinking,” I responded.
“About what?”
“You,” I answered simply.
Nicky grinned and his cheeks were all the way up to the bags under his eyes. “Something you wanna share?”
I shrugged awkwardly under his arm. “Nothing major. Just, when we’re back in Washington and the new semester starts,” I spoke, “I want you to meet my friends.”
Nicky didn’t know any of my friends. Because I met him in early December, because he wasn’t a student, and because he only became my boyfriend a few days earlier, he hadn’t gotten the chance to meet any of them. So much happened between us in a month. I definitely felt integrated into Nicky’s life: I knew his teammates, his brother, and his best friend. Hell, I even knew his best friend’s friends.
“I can’t wait to meet your friends, too,” Nicky replied.
Our timing was either awful or perfect. With everyone away for the holidays, I got to spend time with him without having to share him with anyone. My calls and texts to my friends were vague: I liked him, he was quiet, the dates he took me on weren’t stale. They couldn’t be fair judges on whether or not they liked him for me if they’d never met him.
Being close with my sister was the silver lining. She’d met Nicky on the same day as me and knew all along how everything happened between us. I took all of her advice for face value. And now I was in a relationship. I had no regrets about where I was or all the decisions I made without consulting the other important people in my life. I would just have to make adjustments to everything new.
I could be a graduating college student and the girlfriend of a hockey player at the same time. He’d know my friends. The two of us would figure out how to spend time together between practices and classes and team road trips and Res Life activities. Just like the way we realized we should be together, it would be a process. We would grow into it.
After a long pause of us just looking at each other, comfortable in the silence, I spoke again. “I have something else to tell you.”
His thumb stroked against the small of my back under the fabric of my shirt that had ridden up. “What’s that?”
I looked him straight in the eye confidently. “I’m not scared anymore.”
It took a moment to register with him what I meant. It was our topic of conversation on New Year’s Eve when he fell asleep before midnight.
“Really?” Nicky asked. “Is just two nights ago when you said you’re scared.”
“I know. But I feel differently now,” I returned. “Everything that’s happened here has made me realize that I don’t have to be scared.”
He didn’t say a word, fingers stroking my back, waiting for me to continue.
“All the time I spent with your brother and your friends and the Caps families—I was comfortable being there.” I went on, “I guess when it hit me how comfortable it was, it really assured me of what you said, that we’re supposed be with each other. I like the way I fit into your life. What we have in common or what we’re going to talk about…that’s not a problem at all.”
I did mean what I said. Overanalyzing why and how our relationship was going to keep moving forward was useless. It certainly wasn’t going to help. We’d already established how we were going to be fine because we’d work for that. We weren’t perfect, but we were right.
Nicky placed a kiss to my temple. “I’m glad you been here this weekend.”
“I’ve had so much fun. Our first trip together is memorable…” I stopped for a second and let out a small giggle. “I think it’s kind of made me like Pittsburgh though.”
“What?” he dropped his head to my shoulder. “You barely even saw the city.”
My giggling turned into full-on laughing.
His statement was true. The most I saw of Pennsylvania’s very own Steel City was in the cabs between the hotel and the restaurant we went to on New Year’s Eve. I didn’t go shopping. I didn’t do anything touristy.
It wasn’t the city or the Penguins that I liked. I had good feelings towards the city because of the experience I got over the weekend. I liked it because it let me be a part of Nicky’s world and engage with people who were significant to him. Pittsburgh was really just a backdrop.
“Don’t worry,” I said to Nicky, “I only like Pittsburgh with you. Is that better?”
Nicky lifted his head, nodding and repeating the last word, “Better.”
His head hit the pillow again and he pulled me tightly against his chest. I moved my arm that had been at his neck, resting my elbow on top of his and tracing a finger over his collar bone before letting my hand fall back to his shoulder.
The only sound in the room for a while was the rush of air coming in through the heat vents. We were both warm, lying there together with our legs tangled beneath the sheets. It was still too early for us to be up, but the sleep was gone from our eyes and we were wide awake.
“So,” Nicky broke the silence, his voice low and a tiny smile on his lips, “what islands and cities should we explore next?”
I considered listing off all the places I’d ever dreamed of going to and joking that we had to go to every single one of them. I was a little girl all grown up so it was definitely a long list. But I changed my mind. I smiled back, knowing where I wanted to be with him the most.
“Let’s go home, Nicky.”
Fin.
Notes
So that’s the story! The last thing that Nicky says is based on a line in the song by The xx with the same name as this chapter and story, which you can listen to here if you'd like.Extended Chapter Notes
As promised, the prologue for my next story, Shell Games, is up. I think the character(s) it involves are written about even less than Nicky is. It's a lot different than this one. But I am still the author and it's not like my style of writing magically changes from one project to the other. If you liked this, you might just like Shell Games. Please do give it a chance.
I'd like say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who read, subscribed, commented, and rated this! I'm happy with the ending and I hope you guys like it, too. And hey, if you're reading at a later time, all in one shot, don't be afraid to leave some feedback just because the story's done. :)
Great story!
11/16/18