It had been nearing the one-week mark since Tyler had his encounter with Riley at the bar, and it was killing him that he hadn’t seen her since; not even wandering around the arena like their first run into. There was just something about her that he couldn’t stop thinking about. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t thrown herself at him like others have in the past, and he liked that? He wasn’t sure, but whatever it was it was driving him crazy.

Tyler was the last one out of the locker room that morning, taking just a bit longer than the rest to lace up his skates, so he had time to clear his head before stepping on the ice. As he was about to round the corner to pass through the tunnel, that’s when he saw her, slumped against the wall, like their first encounter.

Her short brown hair had cascaded over her face, and she had her head buried into her hands, so naturally Tyler took a seat beside her.

XXX

In just about a week, Riley had already managed to mess up twice. She had been given the assignment of trying to find any player that would comply to do a private interview after morning practice. Unfortunately after being on the phone all morning with agents and managers not one was willing to do so.

So she found herself wandering amongst the building, knowing that once again she had failed at her job. For Christ sakes she was an intern, she was suppose to be fetching coffee, and filing papers, not doing someone else’s dirty work, because they were “too busy” to do it themselves.

Finding herself where she did a week ago, her body crumbled to the floor, back leaning against the cold concrete walls, she dropped her head in her hands, and let the hair fall over her face.

“You know, we have to stop meeting like this.”

Riley lifted her head to find the voice that was speaking to her.

There he was sitting besides her, smiling that cheeky grin that she had noticed at the bar from the week before.

Riley laughed, “Well eventually we probably will, I’ll end up getting fired at the rate I’m going.”

“For what? Sneaking a peek during a closed practice, I’m sure no one will care.”

Riley ran her fingers through her hair, and let out a long sigh. “I’m suppose to have this meeting set up with one of you, but it looks like no one wants to jump at the opportunity.”

Tyler fiddled wit his thumbs, while he listened to her. He never noticed how deep blue her eyes were, until he realized that had been glossed over with fresh tears.

“I’ll do it,” he quipped.

Her head shot up, “Really?”

He shrugged sheepishly, “Yeah, it’s only an interview.”

Riley got off the ground, and smoothed out her skirt, extending a hand to him, she helped Tyler get off the ground as well.

“Thank you so much! I honestly owe you big time!”

Tyler loved the way her eyes lit up when she got excited, and he found himself smiling again.

“Dinner.”

Riley had been caught off guard; she was just so excited that she had actually done something right that she wasn’t sure that she had heard the hockey player correctly.

“Excuse me?”

There he went again, being all blunt and blurting things out, completely throwing off his game, and how he would normally ask a girl out.

“I’ll do the interview, if you get dinner with me, tonight.”

As she looked into his eyes, she said nothing for a moment watching as he sat out her answer. She pressed the button to the elevator and waited for it to ding.

“Okay,” she said simply, stepping into the small confined box.

XXX

All throughout practice Tyler was beside himself, and he was pretty sure he had had the best practice of his NHL career, now if he could play like this in the upcoming games, he was sure to score.

After practice he had stood alone in the locker room with just a cameraman, an interviewer, and Riley. The interviewer had asked questions that he had answered multiple times already, and it was beginning to bore him, but all he could focus on was her, throughout the interview, he would steal glances at her, just to see her staring back.

The camera crew shut down, and left after talking with him for almost ten minutes leaving the two of them alone in the empty room.

“What time are you off?” He had asked, stuffing a few of his belongings into his bag.

Riley had been too preoccupied looking at the blackberry in her hands, to answer right away. “Five-thirty.”

Tyler sighed running his fingers through his hair, as she had looked up, flashing him a smirk.

“I’ll see you out front then.”
It was his turn to have the last word; he picked up his bag and left the locker room.

XXX

At exactly five-thirty, Riley has clocked out of the office, she grabbed her belongings and headed down the stairs.

Tyler hadn’t told her exactly where to meet, all he had said was out front, and she was in no state to find where out front actually meant, seeing as she probably would’ve ended up on the other side of Boston with her luck. But as she rounded down the stairs, and out the door she was use to entering every morning, there he leaned against his black Maserati in a long pea coat and jeans.

His attention was elsewhere though; he hadn’t noticed her leaving the building, which gave her plenty of time to study him, something she hadn’t had the opportunity to live yet. She wasn’t exactly sure why he had taken an interest in her, the times that they’ve met she was a hopeless mess and last time she check that wasn’t attractive, but she liked him. She wasn’t sure if she had actually taken a liking to him, or if it was just his kind heart and her weak moment that had managed for her to actually say yes. Sure, she had dated before, and had boyfriends before but it was dating she didn’t like. The getting to know someone, and actually growing to be apart of them just to have them taken away, or change, it made her shudder at the thought of it all.

By this time Tyler had noticed her, he waved her over and as she approach grabbed her things and opened the passenger door for her.

“Thanks,” She managed to mumble as he slammed her door shut.

He slid in on his side of the car and slipped his sunglasses over his eyes.

“I hope you like Italian.”