Can't Be Changed
Nonchalant
"What in heaven's name are these?" Alisa exclaimed the morning after she had returned from her business trip.
"What are what?" Patrick groggily asked, his eyes still laden with sleep as he lazily lay on the bed.
"These hideous atrocities, that are in your closet," Alisa said pulling out a pair of crocs, showing them to Patrick.
"Uh, shoes?" He offered with a raise of the eyebrows.
"No, dearest boyfriend, these are not shoes, these are rubber pieces of hell that now populate the earth." She replied tossing them back, going back to searching his closet.
"Aha!" She exclaimed finding the article of clothing she was looking for. "Can I wear this?" She asked showing him a white button up dress shirt he owned.
"You? Are going to wear that?" He pondered with disbelief.
"Yes." Alisa simply stated.
"Go right ahead."
Alisa disappeared into Patrick's bathroom and emerged fifteen minuets later. She wore a grey tank underneath the dress shirt that she cinched with a belt and paired with black Jennings.
She slipped into her heels, and pulled her hair into a side ponytail.
"Damn, you clean up nice." Patrick joked, smirking at her unamused expression.
"Keep that up and your crocs will meet my oven." She airily replied before quickly applying some lip gloss. "Ready to go?" She asked him.
"Give me five." He yawned finally getting out of bed. Sure enough, in five minuets Patrick was showered and dressed in a Tee, cargo shorts, and a blackhawks cap covering his head, ready to leave.
"You look like
you're going to a board meeting and I'm getting beers down at the pub." He laughed as they strolled hand-in-hand through the Chicago streets.
"Come on, the waffle house is right down there." She said pointing her manicured finger straight ahead. Patrick stopped walking causing Alisa to stumble as she was yanked backwards.
"What the hell?" She exclaimed giving him a incredulous look.
"Come here." He smiled pulling her to him by her waist. He placed a hand on her cheek rubbing his thumb under her
eye. He tilted his head closer to hers, brushing their lips against each other. She pushed herself up a little
higher on her heels giving her the height she needed to connect their lips.
They stood in the middle of the street wrapped up in each others arms completely ignoring the people passing. No one recognized Patrick
as a Stanley Cup Champion from a week prior, he was just another guy kissing his girlfriend.
"Let's go before we get arrested or something," Alisa whispered pulling away. Patrick nodded in agreement and fixed his hat so it was backwards. "What did you do that for? You look
like a loser." She stated looking at his hat with a smile.
"Easier to kiss you this way," He answered pointing at his head. Alisa tilted her head back and let out a girlish guffaw that made Patrick crack a thousand watt smile.
"You're so dopey," She sighed looping her arm through his. She leaned up to kiss his soft cheek, loving the fresh shaven feel of it. "I love the off season," She mused, "You're so
well groomed. Now we just need to get rid of this." She added tugging on the curls of his mullet slipping out from underneath his hat.
*
"Hungry?" Alisa sarcastically asked as Patrick scarfed down his second waffle while she was already full on her first.
"Off-season." He mumbled through a mouthful, "Eat. Everything."
She giggled watching as a drip of maple syrup slipped down his chin. She reached over with her napkin and wiped it off, making him smile.
"You free on Sunday?" Patrick asked a few moments later as they sat in silence, their fingers touching across the table.
"Yeah, my weekend is clear." She confirmed.
"Good, you comin' with me to Tazer's?" He asked rubbing his thumb over her knuckle.
"What's at Tazer's?"
"He's throwing a get together, you know, the players and their girls, some management and family." Patrick shrugged taking a gulp of his water.
"Um..." Alisa pondered for a moment staring down at her plate.
"Don't worry," Patrick urged squeezing her hand, "Nothing crazy, I promise."
"Okay," She nodded smiling up at him, a gesture he also returned.
"So, you working tomorrow?" He asked curiously averting his gaze from hers.
"Yeah, but I'm staying in Chicago, just doing some paper work at the office. Planning my trip to Italy." She explained.
"Which is when, again?"
"Two weeks from tomorrow." She informed tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Right." Patrick nodded "Let's go home."
*
"Please come sit down," Patrick whined later that evening as Alisa picked up around her apartment. "You've been cleaning for ages."
"Its been forty-five minuets," She reasoned getting her vacuum out. Rolling his eyes, Patrick ventured to her fridge and pulled out a Vitamin Water, popping the top off.
He spotted a bag of Chex Mix on the counter and snatched it up before heading back to the couch.
"You're such a bum," Alisa sighed trying to wrap the cord back around the vacuum.
"A damn good-looking bum," Patrick said wiggling his rear at her. She chuckled before putting the vacuum away and starting to dust. "So, uh...you remember the ESPYs?"
"What about them?" Alisa asked swiping the Swiffer duster over her TV screen.
"I'm sorta, uh...taking Erika's friend Lauren as my date..." Patrick explained grimacing at his own words and expecting the wrath he believed was imminent.
"What?" Alisa exclaimed spinning around facing her. "I'm sorry what did you just say?"
"I'm taking Lauren as my date to the ESPYs..." He repeated quietly.
"And why may I ask?" Alisa asked crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well you are gonna be away in Italy for it, and Lauren really wanted to go, and I already RSVP'd that I'm bringing a date since I thought I could bring you, but you aren't going
to be here, so I'll just take her," He rambled pausing for breath, noticing Alisa's stoic expression, "Its not like it means anything, she's just a friend."
"And you think that's okay?" Alisa asked calmly. "Bringing a date while you have a girlfriend?"
"You're gonna be in Italy!" He reasoned his shoulders dropping.
"Okay." Alisa shrugged and moved on to dust her room.
Patrick wasn't sure why, but the fact that she acted so coolly made him more uneasy than if she had gotten mad.
"What are what?" Patrick groggily asked, his eyes still laden with sleep as he lazily lay on the bed.
"These hideous atrocities, that are in your closet," Alisa said pulling out a pair of crocs, showing them to Patrick.
"Uh, shoes?" He offered with a raise of the eyebrows.
"No, dearest boyfriend, these are not shoes, these are rubber pieces of hell that now populate the earth." She replied tossing them back, going back to searching his closet.
"Aha!" She exclaimed finding the article of clothing she was looking for. "Can I wear this?" She asked showing him a white button up dress shirt he owned.
"You? Are going to wear that?" He pondered with disbelief.
"Yes." Alisa simply stated.
"Go right ahead."
Alisa disappeared into Patrick's bathroom and emerged fifteen minuets later. She wore a grey tank underneath the dress shirt that she cinched with a belt and paired with black Jennings.
She slipped into her heels, and pulled her hair into a side ponytail.
"Damn, you clean up nice." Patrick joked, smirking at her unamused expression.
"Keep that up and your crocs will meet my oven." She airily replied before quickly applying some lip gloss. "Ready to go?" She asked him.
"Give me five." He yawned finally getting out of bed. Sure enough, in five minuets Patrick was showered and dressed in a Tee, cargo shorts, and a blackhawks cap covering his head, ready to leave.
"You look like
you're going to a board meeting and I'm getting beers down at the pub." He laughed as they strolled hand-in-hand through the Chicago streets.
"Come on, the waffle house is right down there." She said pointing her manicured finger straight ahead. Patrick stopped walking causing Alisa to stumble as she was yanked backwards.
"What the hell?" She exclaimed giving him a incredulous look.
"Come here." He smiled pulling her to him by her waist. He placed a hand on her cheek rubbing his thumb under her
eye. He tilted his head closer to hers, brushing their lips against each other. She pushed herself up a little
higher on her heels giving her the height she needed to connect their lips.
They stood in the middle of the street wrapped up in each others arms completely ignoring the people passing. No one recognized Patrick
as a Stanley Cup Champion from a week prior, he was just another guy kissing his girlfriend.
"Let's go before we get arrested or something," Alisa whispered pulling away. Patrick nodded in agreement and fixed his hat so it was backwards. "What did you do that for? You look
like a loser." She stated looking at his hat with a smile.
"Easier to kiss you this way," He answered pointing at his head. Alisa tilted her head back and let out a girlish guffaw that made Patrick crack a thousand watt smile.
"You're so dopey," She sighed looping her arm through his. She leaned up to kiss his soft cheek, loving the fresh shaven feel of it. "I love the off season," She mused, "You're so
well groomed. Now we just need to get rid of this." She added tugging on the curls of his mullet slipping out from underneath his hat.
*
"Hungry?" Alisa sarcastically asked as Patrick scarfed down his second waffle while she was already full on her first.
"Off-season." He mumbled through a mouthful, "Eat. Everything."
She giggled watching as a drip of maple syrup slipped down his chin. She reached over with her napkin and wiped it off, making him smile.
"You free on Sunday?" Patrick asked a few moments later as they sat in silence, their fingers touching across the table.
"Yeah, my weekend is clear." She confirmed.
"Good, you comin' with me to Tazer's?" He asked rubbing his thumb over her knuckle.
"What's at Tazer's?"
"He's throwing a get together, you know, the players and their girls, some management and family." Patrick shrugged taking a gulp of his water.
"Um..." Alisa pondered for a moment staring down at her plate.
"Don't worry," Patrick urged squeezing her hand, "Nothing crazy, I promise."
"Okay," She nodded smiling up at him, a gesture he also returned.
"So, you working tomorrow?" He asked curiously averting his gaze from hers.
"Yeah, but I'm staying in Chicago, just doing some paper work at the office. Planning my trip to Italy." She explained.
"Which is when, again?"
"Two weeks from tomorrow." She informed tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Right." Patrick nodded "Let's go home."
*
"Please come sit down," Patrick whined later that evening as Alisa picked up around her apartment. "You've been cleaning for ages."
"Its been forty-five minuets," She reasoned getting her vacuum out. Rolling his eyes, Patrick ventured to her fridge and pulled out a Vitamin Water, popping the top off.
He spotted a bag of Chex Mix on the counter and snatched it up before heading back to the couch.
"You're such a bum," Alisa sighed trying to wrap the cord back around the vacuum.
"A damn good-looking bum," Patrick said wiggling his rear at her. She chuckled before putting the vacuum away and starting to dust. "So, uh...you remember the ESPYs?"
"What about them?" Alisa asked swiping the Swiffer duster over her TV screen.
"I'm sorta, uh...taking Erika's friend Lauren as my date..." Patrick explained grimacing at his own words and expecting the wrath he believed was imminent.
"What?" Alisa exclaimed spinning around facing her. "I'm sorry what did you just say?"
"I'm taking Lauren as my date to the ESPYs..." He repeated quietly.
"And why may I ask?" Alisa asked crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well you are gonna be away in Italy for it, and Lauren really wanted to go, and I already RSVP'd that I'm bringing a date since I thought I could bring you, but you aren't going
to be here, so I'll just take her," He rambled pausing for breath, noticing Alisa's stoic expression, "Its not like it means anything, she's just a friend."
"And you think that's okay?" Alisa asked calmly. "Bringing a date while you have a girlfriend?"
"You're gonna be in Italy!" He reasoned his shoulders dropping.
"Okay." Alisa shrugged and moved on to dust her room.
Patrick wasn't sure why, but the fact that she acted so coolly made him more uneasy than if she had gotten mad.
Awww wonder what's gonna happen. Are they gonna try and stay away from what seems to be coming? Can't wait for more.
1/23/14