It was noon when Ali woke up the next day. Shuffling into the bathroom, the reflection she saw in the mirror almost scared her half to death. Her hair was something resembling a rat’s nest and her nose was a bright shade of pink around the edges.

“Oh wow.” James actually saw her like this, and it embarrassed her. She knew he likely didn’t think a thing of it, but it still made Ali feel a slight amount of embarrassment. She wasted no time in grabbing a shower, which helped her feel almost 100% better. When she emerged in a fresh change of clothes with her hair combed but still damp, she was happy that she at least resembled a human now.

When Ali came into the kitchen, she found a note on the island from James:

If you’re reading this – congrats, you made it downstairs! Progress, babe! After practice, I’m going to grab some food for us somewhere. If you’re in the mood for something, text me and I’ll get it. Hope you’re feeling better. – J

She laughed at his little joke. Jerk, she thought, smiling at his humor. She tried to think of something she might be hungry for later, but her stomach was arguing against it. Even so, she’d keep it in mind incase something came up that she really wanted.

In the living room, Ali slumped onto the couch and flipped on the tv. Even sitting there, she wanted to sleep again. Her body felt exhausted despite her having slept for over twelve hours. Knowing she should try and stay awake for a while, she continued to flip through the channels, finding anything that might occupy her mind, even just for a little.

Surfing the channels, she caught some NHL highlights from the Pens game last night. She immediately halted, watching as they replayed the scuffle that Sid was involved in. Anytime Sid showed any kind of non-neutral emotion on the ice, the media ate it up. Ali smiled, because she knew this happened very rarely, and the media hardly got their way with him in this respect.

Ali played with the wet ends of her hair, wondering if she should text him. She’d been distant since their last phone call, and it kind of bothered her that she was afraid to talk to him. What kind of friend was she if she was second-guessing talking to him? He didn’t deserve that.

Seeing it was almost 1 pm, she sent Sid a text on the off chance he’d read it now, but wasn’t sure when their practice ended today. It didn’t help that it felt so much later than it actually was, given she’d slept so long.

To her surprise, a response came back rather quickly:

S: Good to hear from you, Ali. How are things?

She wrote back, feeling relief in the fact that he didn’t sound all that angry or upset. Then again, it was only two sentences, so she proceeded with some caution.

A: Well…things could be better, I guess. I caught a cold on the trip, so now I’m home when I should be at work. Are you guys done w/practice?

S:Yeah, finished up 10 min ago. Sorry to hear you’re sick. :-(

Ali giggled. Seeing Sidney Crosby using a smiley face struck her as kind of amusing.

A: Thanks, I think I’ll live…hopefully! Btw, good game last night. Saw you almost got into it with a Leaf!

S: Don’t remind me. I haven’t been myself lately and it’s wearing on me.

That struck Ali a little oddly. Was there meaning hidden between the lines, or was she thinking too much again? It took her a second to find the words for her response.

A: I’m sorry if I’ve contributed to that. And I know you know what I mean.

It took Sid just as long to write back to her, and Ali knew he was mulling over his words just as she had.

S: It’s my fault, no one else’s. I need to stay focused on my game and the team. I get too distracted.

A defaulted answer from number 87, for sure. Ali sighed, not sure how to proceed.

A: That’s what the hockey player thinks. Now give me what Sidney thinks.

S: I think I’m dangerously close to falling for you, but I need to know my place and back off you and Nealer. I’m smarter than this.

Fuck.

Ali read it again, and her heart sunk.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“What the hell do I say to this?” she asked aloud. She reread his text again. It wasn’t like she wasn’t aware of it already, but she really never expected to hear it. Not from Sidney. Not ever. He had too much control.

Her phone vibrating brought her attention back to her messages:

S: So now you’re sitting wherever you are, wondering what to say. Don’t worry, this is all me, Ali. You’ve done nothing wrong. I want to be a friend to you, and I will. Promise.

Oh, Sid.

Ali sat staring at the electronic words on her screen. The worst part about all of this was the way she felt towards him. The man behind the superstar had made her feel special, and the way he paid close attention to her in a time of need made her feel warm inside. Not to mention Sid was ridiculously attractive, but that went without saying. From the curls to the intense gaze to the muscles that made themselves known in ways that should be illegal – Sid was a hell of a package, that’s for sure.

The sound of the garage door opening scared Ali enough that she jumped. Quickly, she sent back a final text to Sid:

A: I have to run, but we need to talk about this later. I’m not upset or anything with you, Sid. I never could be. Ttyl.

The door leading from the garage into the kitchen opened and closed with a soft thud. Ali knew James was trying to be quiet incase she was still upstairs, so she got up and went into the kitchen. James’ back was to her, a hat backwards on his head, his coat still on over a hoodie and warm-up pants. When he heard Ali approach, his massive grin appeared.

“Hey! You’re awake!” Happily surprised to see her up, James took her in for a hug. “How are you feeling?”

Ali wrapped her arms around his waist, the scent of his cologne doing its very best to sneak into her stuffy nose. If there was ever a place she felt 101% better, it was wrapped in James embrace. “Not bad, but not great. I’ve only been awake for an hour or so. I saw your message, too…very cute.”

“Ya like that?” He yanked on a strand of her damp hair. “I like this! Showers are good.”

“Waaahhh, don’t” Ali replied, frowning. She took a seat at the table. “I was a hot mess when I woke up. Sorry about that.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear you say that.” He carried over the two bags he brought home with him, setting out a few containers. “Are you any hungrier? I didn’t know what you might be up for, so I just bought everything Whole Foods had.”

“Whole Foods! Yes!” Ali laughed. She lifted a lid to one of the containers, steam spilling out from underneath. “Whoa, is this—“

“Spinach lasagna.” James popped the lid to another container. “Here’s some sort of weird rice thing…I thought it looked good.” He smiled at her and lifted an eyebrow. “What?!?!”

“Some weird rice thing?”

“I didn’t really read the name, I just went with it.”

Ali shook her head. James, James, James. “So what’s in these two?”

“Dessert.” He grinned. “Cobbler, baby. Nothing better.”

Ali peeked under the lid of one of the smaller containers. “Blueberry! Score.”

“Major score.” James retrieved some silverware from one of the drawers and took a seat next to her. “Dig in. Take whatever you want.”

Ali didn’t know where to begin. She couldn’t smell a thing that was in front of her, but just looking at the spread of food made her stomach growl. That was a very good sign. They didn’t bother with dishes, and James didn’t bother caring if he ate something Ali touched. He was beyond the point of worrying he might catch whatever she had. He just wanted to make sure she was taken care of so she got back to feeling better. If he could help that process along, then he was doing his job.

He felt pretty happy when he saw Ali take a huge bite of the lasagna. She looked at him, mouth full and smiling.

“Easy, babe” he teased, watching her try to chew.

“Butitssogood” she mumbled. After a few seconds, she swallowed and inhaled heavily. “Except I can’t breathe.”

James laughed. “Exactly. I promise not to eat it all before you get some, so you can slow down.” He swallowed a bite of food from a different container.

“How’s the weird rice thing?” she asked.

“Weird rice thing is bangin’.” He held up a fork full for her to try.

“No, no, no, you’ll catch something!” she protested.

“Fuck that. Just eat it.”

Ali stared at him as she took the fork full of the food in her mouth. She chewed it and gave James a huge thumbs-up.

“Seeeeeee? I know my weird rice.”

When they put a dent in the savory items, they brought the dessert with them into the living room to finish on the couch. James popped a movie in, and he and Ali sat close to one another with their feet on the coffee table, food between their laps. They took turns eating spoonful after spoonful until there wasn’t a drop of cobbler left. Ali tossed the closed container on the coffee table and let out a content sigh.

“That was really damn good.”

“I’m just happy to see you eating” James replied. “You sound a little better, too. All good signs, I’d say.”

“I’m still really beat, though.” She frowned as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “Could fall asleep at any moment. What a waste of space I am.”

James patted her knee. “You’re sick, Ali. It happens.” He looked down at her, seeing her eyelids struggling to stay awake. “Why don’t you go upstairs and nap? I won’t mind, ya know. We can finish the movie another time.”

She exhaled heavily. “I feel like it’s all I’ve done since I left Toronto. I want to go back to doing fun things and going for runs, and—“

“Allison.” James waited until she looked at him. “Quit beating yourself up!”

She laughed and coughed a tiny bit. “Okay, okay.” When she stood up, James gave her a little tap on her ass.

“Take as long of a nap as you want, I’ll just be hanging out down here. And don’t feel like you’re ‘ruining my day’ or anything by not being down here with me, alright?”

Ali nodded. “I’d kiss you, but I can’t.”

“Oh yes you can.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him on the couch. His hand cupped her face as her mouth moved with his.

“Mmm” she said, smiling as they parted. “That might be the best medicine there is.”


* * *


James ended up drifting into a nap as he lay stretched out on the couch, taking up entire length. The sound of a phone going off slowly pulled him from the weird dream he was having. It took him a few seconds to realize it wasn’t his phone, but Ali’s, which was vibrating on the coffee table. He lifted his head off the pillow to catch a glance of who was calling, and when he saw it was Wendy, he answered.

“Hey Wendy, it’s James.”

“Oh James, hiiiiii! How are you? Great shot last night!”

“Thanks for that. I’m doing pretty well, but I hate to let the secret out for her, but your daughter’s not feeling so great. That’s why I answered. It’s not like I normally take control over her phone.” He heard Wendy laughing on the other line.

“Well that’s okay if you did, hunny. Is Allison okay? What’s wrong?”

James sat up and readjusted his hat. “It seems like it’s just a cold, but compared to last night, she’s doing a lot better.”

“She probably got it from you guys’ trip, that’d be my guess.”

“Mine, too.”

“She would be so upset if she heard me say this, but I’m glad she at least has you taking care of her. Ali’s just like her father: if they’re not busy doing something all the time, something’s wrong, and they don’t let something like being sick stop them.”

James chuckled. “I think I just witnessed that just a couple hours ago, in fact.”

“Ohhhhh, well let me apologize to you for her” Wendy said with a laugh. “You’re good to her, James. Thanks for taking care of my baby.”

“What’s precious to you is precious to me, Mrs. D. You want me to have her call you when she wakes up?”

“You know…it’s nothing important, I was just calling to catch up. If she has the time, she’s welcome to, but there’s no hurry.”

“Sounds good.” James settled back onto the couch. “Good talking to you again.”

“Take care, James.”

He ended the call, but before he locked the screen, he noticed a text from Sid that was yet unanswered. Staring at it, he willed himself not to open it. Very slowly, he locked the phone and set it back on the table. A few minutes went by, and it wasn’t good enough for him, so James took the phone and put it in the kitchen. He resumed his position on the couch, trying not to let it bother him. When this didn’t work, he resigned to moving upstairs to be with Ali.

After tossing his hat on the floor, James very quietly climbed into bed next to her. Her breathing was much more peaceful now, so at least he didn’t have to feel guilty making fun of her in his head this go-around. He peeled his shirt off and left it on the floor, staying in his warm-up pants as he cuddled in next to her. Even though he tried to stay quiet, Ali’s eyes opened.

“Sorry….” He looked at her guiltily.

Ali reached up and caressed his face, feeling the short hair of his beard. “What took you so long?” Her smile was warm and drowsy.

James took her hand and kissed her fingers. He pulled her into him closer so she rested on his chest, his arm cradling her against him.

“I talked to your mom, by the way.”

“Hmm?”

“Your phone was on the table, so I just answered for you when I saw it was her.”

Ali let out a sleepy sigh against him. “Thank you.”

“I let the cat out of the bag and told her you were sick…hope that was okay.”

“It’s fine.”

James peeked down and saw he was essentially talking to a sleeping woman, so he stayed quiet. He realized he was being a little selfish trying to talk to her, hoping it would ease his mind in a way. Instead, he combed his fingers through her hair, which was now dry and slightly wavy. The smell of her floral shampoo was like an elixir, which compelled him to kiss her on the top of her head.

The past few days and this simple little moment made James recognize how protective he was becoming of Ali. He didn’t enjoy seeing her sick in any kind of way, and he already knew how horrible it was to watch her cry for any reason, especially over his own behavior. But this was all new to him; and even more to his surprise, it was a newness he was happy to embrace.

Eventually, he fell asleep, his head resting on the top of Ali’s.


* * *


“Holy shit, five missed calls from Geno.” James stared at his phone in disbelief. “The one time I take a nap that’s longer than ten minutes, and this is what happens.”

Ali was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes when she sat down on the couch. She had a tissue with her, and blew her nose. “Wonder why? Did he leave a text?”

James stood, still scrolling through his missed messages. The pair had slept for a couple hours upstairs together, and when Ali woke up, she made James get up too. You’ll never sleep tonight, then you’ll never wake up tomorrow for practice she joked, but there was some truth in her statement.

He tossed Ali her phone, since both had remained in the kitchen while they were upstairs sleeping. “Any missed calls from Geno on your side?” He was only messing with her, but secretly, he wanted to hear if Ali would admit she had a missed text from Crosby.

Ali shook her head as she checked out her phone. “Nope. Nothing. Guess I’m not as popular as you.” She smiled at him and set her phone down. “Want to go do something? I’m starting to get cabin fever.”

“You mean you have no messages at all? Come on, not even from Brittany?” He hoped his prying wasn’t obvious.

“Nope!”

James nodded. Why would she tell him, anyway? After the stink he made over it already, Ali really had no reason to tell him.

“Let me call G up real quick." He dialed his linemate.

“Nealsy!”

“Hey Geno.”

“You come out tonight with us?”

“Tonight?” He glanced at Ali, who was watching tv. “Uh…where to? Just us?”

“Me, you, Sutter. We go 8?”

Ali looked over at James, watching him.

“Just for beers or what?” he asked, his eyes on Ali.

“Yeah.”

Ali nodded at him. She already felt bad James was hanging around with her as it was. If she hated lying around with nothing to do, he probably felt twice as antsy.

James shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I’m not really in the mood—“

“—Nealsy pussy-whipped.”

“Ugh.” He rubbed his beard. “I’ll come out for one hour.” Beside him, Ali smiled.

“Meet at Vin’s by 8. Suttsy ride with me.”

“Sounds good. Later.” He set his phone down and sighed.

“Don’t sigh, I know you want to get out of here” Ali replied. “I don’t mind, believe me…I’d feel better if you actually got out and breathed some fresh air for me.”

James smiled. “Thanks babe, but I reeeaaally don’t want to go and deal with all that.”

“Deal with what? They’re your friends. Obviously Geno wants you to meet up with him if he called you that many times. Go and stay an hour and have fun. Bring me back some mozzarella sticks.” She nudged him in the side. “See? Perfect reason to go.”

“With or without marinara is the question.”

“With, of course!” Ali laughed.

James leaned over and kissed her. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Ask it again and I’ll slap you.”

“Are you sure you don’t—“

She reached over and slapped him in the arm, and it made James realize even more he’d trade all the beer and bullshitting in the world with the guys for another moment like that.


* * *


Ali felt bad she fibbed when James asked if she had any missed messages. It wasn’t like her to keep things from him, but nowadays, she was unsure what his reaction would be if he found out she was texting Sidney. After James left for the bar, she read Sid’s message from earlier in the day.

Instead of writing back, she called him.

“Hello?”

“Hi Sid. Are you busy?”

“Not really. Are you alone?”

“Yes.” She rubbed her forehead. “Can we talk about things?”

“Can I come over?”

Ali’s eyes widened. “Um…”

“Just to talk. I’m better in person when it comes to this kind of stuff.”

“Well…sure, I guess.”

“Where’s Nealer?”

“He went out for a bit.”

“He left you when you’re sick?” His voice sounded incredulous.

“I let him, Sid. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Okay. I’ll be over in ten minutes.”

It was more like five when Ali heard the knock on the front door. Before she greeted him, she threw on an old Pitt sweatshirt overtop of her braless self, trying to fluff her hair a little to make it look less slept-in.

“Hi” she said, opening the door.

“Hey.” Sidney’s voice was cool, and his hug was gentle. “You don’t look bad at all. I feared a lot worse.”

“Thanks, but I think your opinion might be a little different if you saw me yesterday.”

Sid took his shoes off before they moved into the living room. She noticed he kept his coat on, his usual black hat pulled over his eyes. He sat with his hands in his pockets on the couch, avoiding her gaze; Ali sat cross-legged across the couch, facing him.

“So…” she began.

“So.” He looked at her, then shook his head and laughed. “I probably shouldn’t even be here.”

“I know, what if you catch my cold?”

“You know what I mean…”

“Not really.” Their eyes met and Ali shrugged. “All I know is I’m glad you’re here. It’s probably better to discuss stuff like this face-to-face…even if I am sick.”

They were quiet again, but strangely enough, it was a comfortable sort of quiet. Ali looked down at her fingers; Sid looked down at his socks. When Ali looked over, she noticed he sat with his toes curled under his feet, which she found endearing.

“You know what I was thinking the whole way over here?” Sid asked.

Ali glanced up. “What’s that?”

“How nervous I was.”

“Why, though?”

“I don’t know. I forgot what it’s like to feel nervous…so it wasn’t a bad thing.”

“You’re weird, Sid.”

This made him chuckle, and Ali was happy to see him smile.

“Listen” she said, putting a hand out to touch his elbow. “When I needed you the other week, when James…you know….You made me feel so good. You didn’t even know you were doing it, either.”

Sid looked down humbly.

“So if I did something…I don’t know, to give you an impression that—“

“No.” He turned and his eyes narrowed on her. Ali wondered if he was feeling his second round of nervousness, because there was plenty of it in his caramel eyes. “You did absolutely nothing wrong. I just…I think it’s that I don’t…” He sighed.

“You don’t get to take care of someone often?” Ali finished.

Sid nodded. “And I like you. Shit, I’ve always liked you. You’re a cool girl, Ali. I feel like you’re worth protecting, more so than other girls. At least – more than the other girls James ever messed around with.”

“Well I didn’t lie that one night when I said you were good at that sort of thing.” She smiled at him. “And I’m sorry for anything James may have said to you, too. I can’t control how he handles anything.”

“Don’t fight his battles, Ali.”

“It’s just that he always seems to take everything the wrong way and gets super defensive.”

“Don’t I know it” Sid said with a laugh. “I don’t blame him; he’s doing exactly what I would do.”

When Sid looked at Ali now, she felt a little better. He had been holding himself somewhat tensely until now, and it helped her to relax as well.

“Can I ask you something?”

He nodded. “Anything.”

“Will you tell me if I’ve made things worse between you and James?”

“I will, and you haven’t.” Sid looked at her seriously. Ali wished he’d take his hat off so she could see more of whatever he was feeling at that moment.

“Promise?” she asked.

“I can’t lie, remember?” The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. “For all the trouble it’s been lately.”

“Can you take your hat off?”

Sid looked her, seeing she was serious. “Really?”

“Yeah.” She smiled when he took it off. “Much better.”

“And you think I’m weird.”

Now his grin spanned the width of his perfectly chiseled face. Ali reached over and took the Reebok hat from his hands and put it on. Sid nodded at her.

“Not bad.”

“Now you can guess what I’m thinking” she said, pulling the brim down over her eyes.

“Okay, okay, point taken.” He tapped the brim and Ali laughed.

“So are we cool, Sid? Because I want our friendship to last….and last, and last, and last. It’s nice to know I have someone who gets me, and James, who I can go to.”

“I want that too” he replied. “But I have to admit, Ali – if I ever see you crying over James again, it’ll break my heart in two.”

Ali felt like hers already was. “Sid.” She felt terrible. Responsible. Guilty. “You’re too good of a guy. Way, way too good of a guy.”

“I should just stick to hockey, huh?” He meant it as a joke, but Ali’s face seemed to fall a little when he said it. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Another fib. “You?”

“Yes.” Also a fib, if she had known it. He stood up from the couch and opened his arms. “Hug?”

Ali wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her face grazed the gold chain around his neck, and somehow, his cologne made it past her congestion.

“Thanks for letting me come over” he said. “Next time we see each other, we’ll be all smiles again.”

“Promise?” Ali joked.

Sid broke the hug and placed a tender kiss to her cheek. They remained closer than they should have, for longer than they should have, but Ali backed away first. She saw him to the door, holding it open.

“Don’t be a stranger” she said as Sid walked out.

“You either.” He smiled one last smile, then got into his Range Rover and left her alone again.

When Ali closed the door, she felt tears come to her eyes. She didn’t know why, but she looked up at the ceiling of the foyer, hoping they’d go away. Even just the little bit that formed in her eyes made her nose clog up again.

She went into the living room and picked up her phone. Typing quickly, she sent a text to James:

It was better when you were here after all. Come home, please.

* * *