It was the first time in the Consol Energy Center for Brittany, but it was at least the 50th for Ali. Despite having some of the closest seats in the house, Ali brought Brittany up to the third level just for the views.

“Over here!” She waved for Brittany to follow. They crossed through the mass of people accumulating in the hallway, reaching the railing that allowed them the first glimpse of the ice. It might have been one of Ali’s favorite views, playing second fiddle only to a very naked James. The smell of food, the view of the ice, the chatter of excited voices, the feeling of cold air from the ice…it was an atmosphere she loved.

The pair stood for a moment together, taking it in. Their look was juxtaposed; Ali in a white Away jersey, Brittany in a black Home jersey, the number 18 blazoned across the back of both. Below, a transparent Pittsburgh Penguins logo swirled around the ice; a faint Foo Fighters song played on the sound system.

“Is it beautiful or what?” Ali asked.

“It’s amazing!” Brittany stared down at the ice and the thousands of seats surrounding it. She nudged Ali in the side. “Remember going to the Igloo back in the day?”

She nodded. “Those games were so much fun.”

Brittany looked out thoughtfully, then started to giggle. “Oh my god, do remember that time your dad bought us those Lemieux and Jagr shirts, and you cried because your dad gave you the Jagr one?”

Ali let out a laugh. “Even THEN I knew, Britt! Even then!”

They continued to laugh together, and Ali shook her head, remembering back to all the times they’d stood together at a Pens game. It’d been over five years since their last one, and it had been at Mellon Arena.

They decided to make their way down to the seats James had reserved for them. Ali knew section 104 was good, but when they walked down the concrete steps…and they kept walking…and walking…and then finally stopped walking when they ended at the glass, both Brittany and Ali’s eye widened at where they’d be sitting.

“I love him.” Brittany stated point-blank. “That’s it. I love him.”

“He is a good one” Ali said with a smile.

Brittany went up and touched the glass. She looked back at Ali, who had already made herself comfy in her seat. “This turns me on.”

Ali laughed. She loved how excited Brittany was; it was like they were still kids, wide-eyed and awestruck. When Brittany finally came and sat next to her, she sighed happily.

“I could get used to this” she said, looking around.

Ali already felt antsy. This was the worst part of the whole deal, in her opinion. She glanced across the adjacent sections, watching as members of the Flyers crew began placing green bottles of water and towels all along their seating area.

Within ten minutes, the announcer’s voice was heard. He introduced Philadelphia first, and a resounding echo of ‘boos’ were heard.

Ali rolled her eyes as they spilled out onto the ice. “I hate this fucking team.”

Brittany nodded. “I hate Philadelphia. That place is like a pit of despair.”

Now the announcer took on a different tone, revving up the crowd for their home team. It was only warm-ups, but those in the assembled crowd went wild. One by one, the Pens appeared on the ice, assuming their usual practice formation.

Now it was very evident how close Brittany and Ali's seats were. Every one of the Pens that zoomed by gave Ali a smile. When James flew by, he tapped the glass where they sat with his gloved hand.

“He doesn’t wear a helmet?” Brittany asked, watching as he skated off.

“[i]It ruins the hair[/i]” Ali said, using her voice to imitate James. They looked at one another and both started to laugh.

“Is it bad if I don’t know all these guys?” Britt eyed each of the players who skated past. “I know a lot of them, but I don’t recognize others.”

“Nah…don’t worry. Some of them are new. But you better learn their names fast if you plan on drinking with them later.”

“Why? I’ll just end up forgetting them when I’m wasted” Brittany joked. She watched as number 19 skated past them. He tapped the glass as well, using the butt of his stick.

“Who’s that?”

“Beau Bennett” Ali said, giving him a wave. “He’s newer, but he played a lot last year.”

“Where’s he from?”

“California.”

“[i]California[/i]?” Brittany sounded like she’d said he came from the moon.

“Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know…” Brittany’s gaze returned to the ice. “Just figured he was from Canada too.”

“We have a Russian, if that surprises you…” Ali mocked in fun. She pointed at Malkin.

“I know who Geno is.” Brittany said flatly.

“Well did you know he’s awesome? He’s also James’ best friend on the team...it's kind of a bromance, actually.”

“Aw, that's cute” Brittany said, watching as number 71 skated backwards, passing by their seat. He gave Ali a nod before he flipped around and skated back towards center ice.

Brittany nudged her again. “They love you.”

More of the same continued as the boys warmed up. A few pucks hit the glass near their seat, and once again, Ali found herself wincing. Finally, the buzzer sounded, and both teams disappeared back to their locker rooms. The final 15:00 minutes appeared on the jumbotron, ticking backwards at a snail’s pace.

Ali and Britt passed the time, reminiscing more and just laughing and enjoying themselves. When the jumbotron read 0:00 and the horn sounded, Brittany screamed. Her elation was infectious, and Ali was actually feeling more excited and more nervous that she normally did because of it. Their eyes shifted to the big screen as the lights went out and the intro video played. The crowd was ready. [i]Ali[/i] was ready.

[i]“Please welcome to the ice….YOUR…..Pitttsssbbuuuurrrgggghhh Penguiiinnnnss!!”[/i]

The refs skated out….and then the Flyers (to another chorus of boos)….and then the Pens shot onto the ice and the place went wild. Both Ali and Brittany jumped out of the seats, cheering for the guys.

The teams formed a line near center ice, and a graphic of the United States flag appeared on the ice, and on the screen above.

[i]Please rise, remove your hats, and direct your attention to the score board as we welcome Jeff Jimerson to lead us in the National Anthem.[/i]

Cheers rang out for Jeff, who began to belt out his flawless rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. The Pens stood, helmets and sticks in hand, heads bowed. Ali and Brittany’s seats were close enough to them that they could clearly see each of their faces. When Jeff finished the song and the cheering crowd became deafening, Ali watched as James turned and gave her a subtle smile. He put his helmet on and skated off to the bench, and the schoolgirly butterflies returned to Ali's stomach.

* * *

The mood went up, the mood went down, and the mood went back up again. This game against the Flyers was no different than any other time the Pens played them. They were, for all intents and purposes, difficult to play…but they were only difficult because they let them get to them emotionally.

Ali was witnessing this from her seat as the score became tied again at 2-2 in the second period. Crosby’s line was replaced by Malkin’s, and they set up for a face off at the zone near their seats. Ali could see the blue of James’ eyes, even behind his tinted visor. His gaze was fixed on the puck as Malkin won the face off and sent it his direction. He took the shot directly from the face-off, but was deflected by Bryzgalov. A disappointing sigh came from the fans.

“Dammit.” Ali plopped back down. Every time James shot, she came out of her seat. It was a hell of a workout, since James was a shooting machine.

Two bodies slammed into the glass in front of them, and Brittany pounded the glass. The action was all on their end of the ice where the Penguins were shooting, but Bryzgalov resisted their every attempt at scoring. A turnover led to a return down to the Flyer’s end, and Fleury returned the favor, blocking the shot on goal.

In a quick turn of events, Letang secured the puck off the rebound and passed it off to Neal, who immediately took off down the ice.

There was no stopping him. Ali found herself out of her seat again, watching as he sprinted at full speed towards the Flyer’s net. Two of the Flyers defensemen were on him, but he had Malkin close behind. He glanced back once, but Geno was too far out of range.

James took the shot – and he made it.

Ali screamed. She immediately hugged Brittany, the pair of them jumping up and down in place. The goal horn blasted and the crowd was off their feet.

[i]Ding, Ding! Ding, Ding!

Ladies and gentlemen……

THE REAL DEAL……JAMES NEEAAALLL![/i]

Every single fan in the CEC shouted his name. Ali yelled it at the top of her lungs, throwing a fist up in the air as she cheered.

On the bench, James was out of breath but smiling up at the screen. He looked over at Malkin and they bumped knuckles.

“He’s so fucking hot, I can’t stand it” Ali said as she sat back down. She noticed her hands were shaking ever-so-slightly from the intensity of the moment. It occurred to her that she would [i]never[/i] stop feeling nervous for James. As long as he played hockey and she could watch him, she’d always feel this way every time he scored.

By the time second intermission was over and they were five minutes into the third period, the Flyers caused a foul. It was during the power play that the game was secured: Crosby served a gorgeous pass to Malkin, who buried the puck top-shelf. The score was 4-2, and it remained that way for the rest of the game.

Ali and Brittany found themselves thoroughly exhausted, and they hadn’t even played the game. Ali couldn’t remember a time where she cheered that much or that loudly, and she was happy she had Brittany there to make that happen.

James had told them to wait for him in the wing adjacent to the Pens locker room. The pair waited, and after twenty minutes or so, James stepped out, wearing one of his post-game suits.

“Does it ever end?” Brittany asked Ali.

“What?” She waved at James, whose grin beamed in triumph.

“Him looking amazing. Does he [i]ever[/i] look bad?”

Ali laughed, ignoring the question as she jogged the rest of the distance of the hall to jump into James’ arms.

“AMAZING” she said, her arms tight around him. “That shot was amazing! So good, James. Congrats.”

“Thaaaanks.” They separated, and James spotted Brittany in his Home jersey. “Wow…Looking good, Britt. Where’d you get those sweet threads?”

Brittany laughed. “Thank you, thank you, THANK you” she replied, giving him a congratulatory hug. “Those seats were phenomenal. Thank you.”

James shrugged it off with a smile. “It was nothing. Did you two have fun?”

“Did we have [i]fun[/i]?” they both said at the same time. They looked at each other and fell into a fit of laughter.

“Sorry – it’s been like this all night” Ali said.

James was smitten by the friendship before him. It was unique to have a friend for as long as they’d been friends…and not only that, they were both hot chicks with his number all over them.

“So you two ready for some real fun?” He posed the question, his eyes moving from girl to girl.

Brittany clasped her hands over her mouth. “Are we going out with you guys?”

“Damn right you are.” He looked at Ali and tugged on her ponytail.

“I need to get ready” Britt said. “She told me we might go out, so I packed accordingly.”

“That’s fine, you two head home and do whatever you need to do, then just come to the club and I’ll meet you outside.”

“Perfect plan.” Ali replied. “Call you then?”

James leaned down and kissed her, his stubble tickling her chin. “Wear the blue dress.”

Looking up, Ali smirked at him. “Why that one?”

“It’s my favorite…and since I scored a goal, I get to request it.”

She laughed. “Careful, babe. That might be the only time you score tonight if you get too cocky.” With a wink, she turned and drug Brittany with her and they headed to the car.

* * *

“Are you ready?!?”

“Yeah! You?”

“Yes!”

Ali and Brittany walked out of their respective bedrooms at the same time. They both shrieked.

“Ali….that dress is fabulous” Brittany said, feeling the fabric.

“Thank you!” She looked down and ran her hands over the dress. It was the one James requested: strapless, short, and tight in all the right places. After one of their very first date nights, James had told her that the color was what he loved, not just the tightness and shortness. It was an ombre blue, beginning first as navy near her breasts before it faded gradually into a lighter shade of blue at her thighs. She decided to leave her hair down, straightening it to the point that it cascaded over her upper body in a sheet of shiny brown.

When Ali studied Brittany’s ensemble for the night, she had to laugh. “You [i]always[/i] look amazing, Britt. Where did get your dress from? I love it.” Her friend had chosen a black dress that was also form-fitting, but had long, tight sleeves and a draped neckline that showed off her shoulders and collar bone. Because Brittany was tall, this accented her already-slim figure, elevating her to model status. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail.

“Aw, thanks” she said. “I got it on a whim in some little boutique in downtown Boston.”

“You’ll turn some heads, that’s for sure!”

“I hope” Brittany said playfully. “Hang on one sec while I grab my clutch.” She turned to go back into the guest bedroom and Ali gasped.

“WHOA. That BACK, Brittany!” What she saw surprised her, because the back of the dress was completely open down to the small of Brittany’s slender back. “Damn, girl.”

Brittany reappeared. “Good! Your reaction is exactly what I’m hoping for tonight. Now let’s go, I can hardly stand it!”

* * *

James waited outside the club for Ali and Brittany while they parked. He heard the clip-clip of heels before he saw them, and did he ever get an eye-full.

[i]Fuck. Me.[/i] he mumbled under his breath. He watched the two friends as they came closer.

“Nice job, ladies…looking good!” He took Ali into his arms for a hug, smelling the musk of her perfume mixed with shampoo. If the beer didn’t make him drunk, that would.

“Ready?” Ali asked. “Brittany’s going to have a conniption if we don’t get in there.”

“Well then let’s get you in there and get us some drinks, eh? Follow me.”

As he headed for the entrance, Brittany looked over at Ali. “He said ‘eh’…”

Ali pursed her lips in an ‘oh, come on’ way, rolling her eyes.

The club was packed, and was getting warmer as more people continued filling it up. Even back in the Pens reserved area, the swirling lights and heavy bass of the music were a heavy presence. Ali took time to say hi to everyone, introducing Brittany to the players that were there. By the time an hour rolled by, Brittany was fitting right in. In fact, in that same hour, it seemed she hadn’t had a chance to drink or even go to the bathroom if she needed. The players swarmed her, and she was loving it.

James and Ali hung back by the bar together. Her spot was on one of the tall stools while James stood next to her, leaning on one arm over the bar. He remained dressed in his post-game clothes, minus the coat and tie. The sleeves of his button-down shirt were rolled up to his elbow, half of his tattoo showing.

He took a drink of his beer and pointed with his glass. “She’s a huge hit.”

“I figured she would be” Ali said, looking on.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” He watched a smirk appear on her face that told him she did.

“Beau?”

“Yep. Apparently, he has a thing for green eyes.”

“Who knew?” Ali teased. She took a sip of her mixed drink, and James followed her lips with his eyes. Even if there had been a thousand women in the club, his eyes were focused on her, as was his full attention. Not that it was a hard task, but he made it a point to be with Ali, to hang with her and the limit time he spent with the guys.

Her eyes looked up at him under dark lashes. Busted.

“What?” she asked innocently.

“I really do love that dress.”

“I know.” She smirked at him. “It’s [i]so[/i] much prettier than all of yours.”

James nudged her in the shoulder with his elbow. He watched her smile grow and her eyes danced, even in the dim lighting. Brittany was a good-looking chick, and everyone in that room knew it, but she didn’t have what Ali had, and that was the entire package.

The couple watched as Brittany stood from the plush seating area where she’d been in close conversation with some of the players. She made her way over to the bar, flipping the length of her ponytail behind her.

“Ugh…I [i]love[/i] your teammates, James.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “It seems the feeling is mutual.”

Brittany grabbed Ali’s hand, the look on her face a mix of thrill with the beginnings of a buzz. “You didn’t tell me the California guy was so hot.”

“I thought you had a thing for Canadian accents” Ali laughed.

“Oh lord, exceptions can be made!”

James had to laugh when he heard this.

“Bathroom?” Brittany asked.

Ali nodded, sliding off the stool. She gave James’ bicep a squeeze as she went with Brittany back towards the VIP area’s private restroom. Once inside, Brittany started to gush. Ali listened, but was waiting until there was a break in her friend’s story.

“Ahem.”

Brittany stopped talking.

“Do you recall a man by the name of [i]Tyler[/i]?”

Brittany stared at her, her face not moving. “So?”

“SO!?!?”

“Ali, look…How often do I get to hang out with hockey players?” When she didn’t make a move to answer, Britt continued. “Exactly! And it’s not like I’m gonna hook up with any of them. I’m just harmlessly flirting.”

That irritated her. The words swirled around in her head, and all she thought of was James. Was this his mentality?

“So we’re good, right?” Brittany asked.

Ali blinked. “Sure…We’re here to have fun, so go have it.”

“Okay…whew….that look on your face scared me for a second.”

With this, Brittany and all of her tall gorgeousness headed back out to rejoin the crowd. Ali hung her head, crossing her arms over her chest. She glanced over at the mirrors, noticing the look that Brittany mentioned.

With a deep breath, Ali stood up, smiled into the mirror, and then went back out.

* * *