24 Hours with You
Chapter 10
When Cassie turned and walked away from me I felt like shit. I knew I was slightly overreacting and I didn't think she'd flirt with any of the guys but the signs were there and I couldn't ignore them. Just the way Sid looked at her set me off. I didn't want any of the guys getting any thoughts in their head about her, especially not him because if it did come down to the two of us who wouldn't pick Canada's Golden Boy?
I picked up my pace so I could catch up to my extremely pissed off best friend. We walked in silence all the way to my car, and I could tell she really didn't want to talk to me at that moment. I figured that I was going to have to do some damage control for my stupid accusation but I also knew that she wouldn't hold a grudge.
The drive home was a quiet one. We both just stared off at the road in front of us, I tried to think of anything I could do to make it up to her.
Every now and then I could feel Cassie's eyes trying to burn holes in the side of my face. I took a glance at her and she looked away, pretending she wasn't glaring at me.
"I'm sorry Cass, I just.." She interrupted me before I got to speak another word.
"You can't invite me out with the guys and expect me not to talk to them James. I'm sorry that you can't tell the difference between flirting and casual conversation but there is one." She said then turned her head to look out the window at the cars passing by.
"I know and I'm sorry. You were right, just because one girl hurt me that way doesn't mean every girl will. It wasn't my place to say any of the things that I did, even if you did like any of the guys it still wouldn't be any of my business so I really am sorry it was a shitty thing to do."
She looked at me with a thoughtful expression and replied, "Thank you."
"That's it? No yelling or silent treatment?" I asked with an eyebrow raised, thinking I was missing something.
"I just needed you to understand that it was wrong of you to jump the gun and get mad at me so easily over something so stupid. Just don't do it again or next time you'll get yelling first and then the silent treatment."
"I promise." I responded as we pulled into the parking garage.
The rest of that day we spent laying around and watching tv. It was a relaxing and peaceful way to end what started as a bad day. We didn't say much but neither of us really needed to. We'd talk every now and then but we were too engrossed in the tv to talk to much. I just enjoyed having someone to relax with.
We weren't cuddling or anything, she was laid down on one end and I was on the other with my legs in front of hers but just
having her there helped me let go of everything and really enjoy doing nothing.
When it was time for bed we both got up reluctantly and walked
to our rooms in a trancelike fashion. As soon as my head hit the pillow on my bed I was asleep.
The next day was game day. I had a game day routine that I liked to follow but I was more than willing to alter it slightly for Cassie. Instead of heading over to Pauly's for breakfast like I usually did, I stayed home with her and we made breakfast together.
She taught me how to make pancakes which I learned really isn't that hard, I don't know why I didn't try to make them before. The only part I had a lot of trouble with was flipping them. They ended up landing half up the side of the pan and some landed on the floor. I eventually got the hang of it though and we ended up with 8 edible pancakes out of what should have been 12.
When we were done cleaning up after our breakfast we headed out to the living room and watched hockey highlights from the night before. Neither of us were paying much attention to what was on the tv in front of us. It was just background noise for our conversation.
"What are you wearing to the game tonight?" I asked, hoping that she'd wear my number.
"Well I was thinking my Malkin shirsey since that's really all I have."
"Not happening, you can wear my away jersey because you aren't wearing Geno." I said hoping she'd agree.
"What's wrong with Geno? Girls love." She said jokingly and we both laughed a little.
"Fine I'll wear your jersey, for good luck." She said once we stopped laughing.
"Oh with you for good luck I'll definitely get a hatty." We continued on just talking, about everything and nothing. We'd just ramble on about whatever came to mind until I finally decided it was time for my game day nap. I thought about asking her to come with me but I decided it was a bad idea and just slept by myself like usual.
I woke up from my nap an hour later to the annoying sound of my alarm. I sat up on the edge of the bed and pulled on my sweatpants before going out into the kitchen to make pasta for supper, my typical game day meal.
Cassie came out of her room not long after I started boiling the water, with sweatpants on and wet hair hanging loose.
"Excited for the game?" I asked when she entered the kitchen with a big smile on her face.
"YES! You guys are going to kick some Blackhawk ass!" She said and danced around like the game was already won.
"Nothing's decided until the final buzzer sounds Cass." I said. They were a good team and I didn't want to go in with false confidence and have a bad night with her watching.
"Yeah but I just have a good feeling about tonight." She was right. We ended up winning the game 5-2 and I scored two of our goals, including the game winner. That night, I was convinced that she really was a lucky charm.
Both times that I scored I immediately looked up to the stands to see her cheering me on. Her and Josie looked so excited, screaming at the top of their lungs and jumping up and down like we won a playoff series or something. I had never seen two girls that excited before.
Once the media scrum was over with after the game, I walked out to the waiting area for the Pens family and friends but I didn't see either of the girls. I saw Pascal come out so I stopped to talk to him and his wife for a few minutes.
It wasn't long before I heard footsteps coming up behind me and when I turned around I was met with Cassie's smiling face. She came right to me and gave me a hug to congratulate me on the win.
"Only TWO? Where was the hatty Nealer?" She joked and Pascal laughed with her.
"I decided I'm saving that for a special occasion, it's all about the timing." I said acting like it was the truth.
"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say." She said with a smile.
"Cassie this is Pascal Dupuis and his wife Carol-Lyne. Pascal, Carol-Lyne, this is my good friend Cassie." Pascal smiled giving me a knowing look and shook Cassie's hand.
"It's nice to meet you Cassie!" He said politely.
"Nice to meet you too. Great game by the way, congrats on the win. Hopefully you guys can keep it up and get a win streak going." She commented, trying to start a conversation. We stayed and chatted for a little while until we all decided it was time to go home.
"Did you have fun?" I asked Cassie as we walked down the long hallway that would lead us to the players parking lot.
"I did! Since Josie works at the store that I got my dress from we had actually met before but I didn't know it at the time. Funny enough she's the the girl who helped me get it on and stuff."
"I know." I said with a smile. I was happy that her and Josie got along, she really is a great girl and now Cass could have a girl friend again in Pitt.
"We were screaming a lot for you guys. Could you hear us?" She asked hopeful.
"Surprisingly, I think I did. You have a pretty loud voice to go with your little body. I'd never expect it if I didn't know you." We both laughed at that as we exited the building. It was nice out, the sky was pitch black as night had fallen and you could see some stars. More than usual in the city. We both just stopped and looked up at the sky for a minute. There was a shooting star.
"Make a wish!" She said and closed her eyes with her head still tilted to the sky. I closed my eyes as well and thought. I came up with the perfect one and wished on that shooting star with all I had that it would come true.
I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at her. She was already looking at me curiously, I could tell she wanted to know what I wished for. I told her in time, but that night wasn't the right one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday Night
"James can you come here for a minute?" I was just putting the finishing touches on my hair for the Pens event when Cassie called out to me. I left the bathroom and lightly knocked on the door to her room before entering. She was back on to me with her hand holding up the front of her dress.
"I got it on but I can't zip it up. Will you please do it for me?" I walked over to her and took the zipper in my hands.
Her back was exposed from the top, down dangerously close to the curve of her butt. I swallowed hard making sure to restrain myself from the beautiful girl standing in front of me. How was I supposed to keep my eyes and mind off of her with temptations like that?
I slowly zipped up the dress, taking in every last bit of the view that I could.
I decided then that I needed to move on from her before it could ruin our friendship.
I picked up my pace so I could catch up to my extremely pissed off best friend. We walked in silence all the way to my car, and I could tell she really didn't want to talk to me at that moment. I figured that I was going to have to do some damage control for my stupid accusation but I also knew that she wouldn't hold a grudge.
The drive home was a quiet one. We both just stared off at the road in front of us, I tried to think of anything I could do to make it up to her.
Every now and then I could feel Cassie's eyes trying to burn holes in the side of my face. I took a glance at her and she looked away, pretending she wasn't glaring at me.
"I'm sorry Cass, I just.." She interrupted me before I got to speak another word.
"You can't invite me out with the guys and expect me not to talk to them James. I'm sorry that you can't tell the difference between flirting and casual conversation but there is one." She said then turned her head to look out the window at the cars passing by.
"I know and I'm sorry. You were right, just because one girl hurt me that way doesn't mean every girl will. It wasn't my place to say any of the things that I did, even if you did like any of the guys it still wouldn't be any of my business so I really am sorry it was a shitty thing to do."
She looked at me with a thoughtful expression and replied, "Thank you."
"That's it? No yelling or silent treatment?" I asked with an eyebrow raised, thinking I was missing something.
"I just needed you to understand that it was wrong of you to jump the gun and get mad at me so easily over something so stupid. Just don't do it again or next time you'll get yelling first and then the silent treatment."
"I promise." I responded as we pulled into the parking garage.
The rest of that day we spent laying around and watching tv. It was a relaxing and peaceful way to end what started as a bad day. We didn't say much but neither of us really needed to. We'd talk every now and then but we were too engrossed in the tv to talk to much. I just enjoyed having someone to relax with.
We weren't cuddling or anything, she was laid down on one end and I was on the other with my legs in front of hers but just
having her there helped me let go of everything and really enjoy doing nothing.
When it was time for bed we both got up reluctantly and walked
to our rooms in a trancelike fashion. As soon as my head hit the pillow on my bed I was asleep.
The next day was game day. I had a game day routine that I liked to follow but I was more than willing to alter it slightly for Cassie. Instead of heading over to Pauly's for breakfast like I usually did, I stayed home with her and we made breakfast together.
She taught me how to make pancakes which I learned really isn't that hard, I don't know why I didn't try to make them before. The only part I had a lot of trouble with was flipping them. They ended up landing half up the side of the pan and some landed on the floor. I eventually got the hang of it though and we ended up with 8 edible pancakes out of what should have been 12.
When we were done cleaning up after our breakfast we headed out to the living room and watched hockey highlights from the night before. Neither of us were paying much attention to what was on the tv in front of us. It was just background noise for our conversation.
"What are you wearing to the game tonight?" I asked, hoping that she'd wear my number.
"Well I was thinking my Malkin shirsey since that's really all I have."
"Not happening, you can wear my away jersey because you aren't wearing Geno." I said hoping she'd agree.
"What's wrong with Geno? Girls love." She said jokingly and we both laughed a little.
"Fine I'll wear your jersey, for good luck." She said once we stopped laughing.
"Oh with you for good luck I'll definitely get a hatty." We continued on just talking, about everything and nothing. We'd just ramble on about whatever came to mind until I finally decided it was time for my game day nap. I thought about asking her to come with me but I decided it was a bad idea and just slept by myself like usual.
I woke up from my nap an hour later to the annoying sound of my alarm. I sat up on the edge of the bed and pulled on my sweatpants before going out into the kitchen to make pasta for supper, my typical game day meal.
Cassie came out of her room not long after I started boiling the water, with sweatpants on and wet hair hanging loose.
"Excited for the game?" I asked when she entered the kitchen with a big smile on her face.
"YES! You guys are going to kick some Blackhawk ass!" She said and danced around like the game was already won.
"Nothing's decided until the final buzzer sounds Cass." I said. They were a good team and I didn't want to go in with false confidence and have a bad night with her watching.
"Yeah but I just have a good feeling about tonight." She was right. We ended up winning the game 5-2 and I scored two of our goals, including the game winner. That night, I was convinced that she really was a lucky charm.
Both times that I scored I immediately looked up to the stands to see her cheering me on. Her and Josie looked so excited, screaming at the top of their lungs and jumping up and down like we won a playoff series or something. I had never seen two girls that excited before.
Once the media scrum was over with after the game, I walked out to the waiting area for the Pens family and friends but I didn't see either of the girls. I saw Pascal come out so I stopped to talk to him and his wife for a few minutes.
It wasn't long before I heard footsteps coming up behind me and when I turned around I was met with Cassie's smiling face. She came right to me and gave me a hug to congratulate me on the win.
"Only TWO? Where was the hatty Nealer?" She joked and Pascal laughed with her.
"I decided I'm saving that for a special occasion, it's all about the timing." I said acting like it was the truth.
"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say." She said with a smile.
"Cassie this is Pascal Dupuis and his wife Carol-Lyne. Pascal, Carol-Lyne, this is my good friend Cassie." Pascal smiled giving me a knowing look and shook Cassie's hand.
"It's nice to meet you Cassie!" He said politely.
"Nice to meet you too. Great game by the way, congrats on the win. Hopefully you guys can keep it up and get a win streak going." She commented, trying to start a conversation. We stayed and chatted for a little while until we all decided it was time to go home.
"Did you have fun?" I asked Cassie as we walked down the long hallway that would lead us to the players parking lot.
"I did! Since Josie works at the store that I got my dress from we had actually met before but I didn't know it at the time. Funny enough she's the the girl who helped me get it on and stuff."
"I know." I said with a smile. I was happy that her and Josie got along, she really is a great girl and now Cass could have a girl friend again in Pitt.
"We were screaming a lot for you guys. Could you hear us?" She asked hopeful.
"Surprisingly, I think I did. You have a pretty loud voice to go with your little body. I'd never expect it if I didn't know you." We both laughed at that as we exited the building. It was nice out, the sky was pitch black as night had fallen and you could see some stars. More than usual in the city. We both just stopped and looked up at the sky for a minute. There was a shooting star.
"Make a wish!" She said and closed her eyes with her head still tilted to the sky. I closed my eyes as well and thought. I came up with the perfect one and wished on that shooting star with all I had that it would come true.
I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at her. She was already looking at me curiously, I could tell she wanted to know what I wished for. I told her in time, but that night wasn't the right one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday Night
"James can you come here for a minute?" I was just putting the finishing touches on my hair for the Pens event when Cassie called out to me. I left the bathroom and lightly knocked on the door to her room before entering. She was back on to me with her hand holding up the front of her dress.
"I got it on but I can't zip it up. Will you please do it for me?" I walked over to her and took the zipper in my hands.
Her back was exposed from the top, down dangerously close to the curve of her butt. I swallowed hard making sure to restrain myself from the beautiful girl standing in front of me. How was I supposed to keep my eyes and mind off of her with temptations like that?
I slowly zipped up the dress, taking in every last bit of the view that I could.
I decided then that I needed to move on from her before it could ruin our friendship.
Haha this is such a cute story [*even though i am a habs fan for life*]
:') Keep it up!
6/22/14