Little Voices in the Rain
Come Round Soon
Then next day, Stella stood in her kitchen mixing up muffin batter. It was nearing noon, meaning Max would be getting to her apartment in a few minutes. Knowing him, he'd be just a little bit late. She still wore her flip-flops and her sunglasses still sat on her head after her quick venture back to the grocery store to pick up the blueberries she had forgotten the day before.
The intercom sounded, letting her know that someone was at the apartment's font door. She buzzed whoever it was in, not bothering to check.
There was a feverish knocking on her door and when Stella opened it, she came face-to-face with a nervous looking Max Talbot.
"You okay, Max?" she asked as he stepped in.
"Yeah," he assured her as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just remember that I'm your favorite person in the world and that what's about to happen won't change that."
She peered out the door. "I don't know about favorite person. And what's about to happ-," Stella stopped mid-sentence as two familiar looking men raced down the hall.
"I tried to keep them out, I swear," Max said.
Stella glared up at him as the two intruders stopped at her open door. The muggs on Claude Girioux and Danny Briere stared back.
"Favorite person my ass," she muttered.
"Aw, Max," Claude said. "You didn't tell us she was from Pittsburgh." He said the city's name like it was a dirty word.
She glanced down at her Penguins shirt. Yeah, she had worn it around Philadelphia.
"You gonna let us in, Princess?" Danny asked.
Stella huffed and went back into the kitchen, leaving the three hockey players at the door.
"Nice place, Stell," Max nodded as he and his teammates entered the living room. "Didn't think you could afford something like this." Stella threw an empty egg carton at his head. "Hey!"
"You're most definitely not my favorite person right now, Superstar," she glared.
"Right, um," Max gestured to his teammates. "i'm sure you know who they are. Claude, Danny, this is Stella."
Putting aside her hate for all things orange, Stella extended her hand over the counter. "Hi. Sorry for the rude behavior."
"Dont' worry about it," Danny said taking her hand. "Max shouldn't have sprung it on you."
"You two shouldn't have followed me from the rink!" he groaned.
"Then you shouldn't have told us you were going to meet a chick!" Claude took Stella's hand and winked at her. She inwardly rolled her eyes.
She wouldn't lie; it was a little odd seeing Max goofing off with guys other the Pens.
As he and his teammates settled onto the couch and chairs in the living room, Max broached the subject again.
"So how can you afford this?"
Stella slid the tray of muffins into the oven and set the timer before grabbing drinks out of the fridge. Handing them out, she explained.
"The lady I bought it from was selling it cheap and furnished because she found out her husband was cheating on her and that this was the place he had bought for his mistress. She wanted to get rid of it."
"Nice," Claude laughed. "The bed and all?"
"Har, har," Stella rolled her eyes. "I got a new mattresses, thanks. I wasn't that desperate."
"Just sayin'," he joked. "So are you a die-hard Pens fan?"
Stella cocked her head at him and gave him a look. "Duh. I bleed all things black and gold."
"Sounds like Talbo has his work cut out for him in converting you," Danny said. "Think he can do it?"
"No way in hell," she shook her head. "Maybe when hell freezes over."
While the conversation had been going on, Max had been observing what he could see of the apartment. The walls were brick, making it a little rustic. The couch was comfy and white against the wooden floors. There was a wooden chest as the coffee table and the decor was very, very Stella-ish. He saw some boxes lined up under the dining table. Moving boxes. Surely Stella was all unpacked, she had been there for over a year.
"Going somewhere?" he asked nodding to the boxes.
Stella followed his gaze. "Oh, no. Actually, someone's coming here. Hilary's going to live with me for a while."
"Hilary your niece?" Max clarified.
"Mhmm," Stella nodded. "CiCi's doing some big thing in Africa and Asia and doesn't think Hilary should be travelling during her first year of high school. Personally, I just think she's tired of home schooling her with a tutor."
"Wait, wait, wait," Claude leaned forward. "CiCi? What did Max say your last name was? Is your sister CiCi Nash? The model?"
Stella sighed. "Yeah, she is."
"Dude," the ginger hockey player smiled. "She's hot."
"Like I've never hear that before," she sighed again.
"Not that you're not!" Danny covered for his friend. "That's not what he meant."
'Sure.' Stella thought to herself. She had always been compared to her beautiful older sister. Sure, Stella was pretty, but she wasn't her sister. Cecilia was tall, skinny, a bombshell with red hair. Stella hadn't gotten the tall genes inherited by her sister from their father.
*_*_*_*
Nearly two hours later, Max, Claude, and Danny were getting ready to leave.
"How's your dad?" Max asked before he left.
She shrugged. "Still in treatment here in Philly. He was sad to hear you wouldn't be in black and gold anymore."
"Let me know when you're going out to visit him, I want to go," Max said pecking her cheek, like always.
Stella liked that Max was always so relaxed when talk leaned towards word of her cancer stricken father. Some people were uncomfortable on the subject, but not Max.
"Come back soon," she smiled to him as he walked down the hall to the elevator.
He waved back and began his ascent to ground level.
The intercom sounded, letting her know that someone was at the apartment's font door. She buzzed whoever it was in, not bothering to check.
There was a feverish knocking on her door and when Stella opened it, she came face-to-face with a nervous looking Max Talbot.
"You okay, Max?" she asked as he stepped in.
"Yeah," he assured her as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just remember that I'm your favorite person in the world and that what's about to happen won't change that."
She peered out the door. "I don't know about favorite person. And what's about to happ-," Stella stopped mid-sentence as two familiar looking men raced down the hall.
"I tried to keep them out, I swear," Max said.
Stella glared up at him as the two intruders stopped at her open door. The muggs on Claude Girioux and Danny Briere stared back.
"Favorite person my ass," she muttered.
"Aw, Max," Claude said. "You didn't tell us she was from Pittsburgh." He said the city's name like it was a dirty word.
She glanced down at her Penguins shirt. Yeah, she had worn it around Philadelphia.
"You gonna let us in, Princess?" Danny asked.
Stella huffed and went back into the kitchen, leaving the three hockey players at the door.
"Nice place, Stell," Max nodded as he and his teammates entered the living room. "Didn't think you could afford something like this." Stella threw an empty egg carton at his head. "Hey!"
"You're most definitely not my favorite person right now, Superstar," she glared.
"Right, um," Max gestured to his teammates. "i'm sure you know who they are. Claude, Danny, this is Stella."
Putting aside her hate for all things orange, Stella extended her hand over the counter. "Hi. Sorry for the rude behavior."
"Dont' worry about it," Danny said taking her hand. "Max shouldn't have sprung it on you."
"You two shouldn't have followed me from the rink!" he groaned.
"Then you shouldn't have told us you were going to meet a chick!" Claude took Stella's hand and winked at her. She inwardly rolled her eyes.
She wouldn't lie; it was a little odd seeing Max goofing off with guys other the Pens.
As he and his teammates settled onto the couch and chairs in the living room, Max broached the subject again.
"So how can you afford this?"
Stella slid the tray of muffins into the oven and set the timer before grabbing drinks out of the fridge. Handing them out, she explained.
"The lady I bought it from was selling it cheap and furnished because she found out her husband was cheating on her and that this was the place he had bought for his mistress. She wanted to get rid of it."
"Nice," Claude laughed. "The bed and all?"
"Har, har," Stella rolled her eyes. "I got a new mattresses, thanks. I wasn't that desperate."
"Just sayin'," he joked. "So are you a die-hard Pens fan?"
Stella cocked her head at him and gave him a look. "Duh. I bleed all things black and gold."
"Sounds like Talbo has his work cut out for him in converting you," Danny said. "Think he can do it?"
"No way in hell," she shook her head. "Maybe when hell freezes over."
While the conversation had been going on, Max had been observing what he could see of the apartment. The walls were brick, making it a little rustic. The couch was comfy and white against the wooden floors. There was a wooden chest as the coffee table and the decor was very, very Stella-ish. He saw some boxes lined up under the dining table. Moving boxes. Surely Stella was all unpacked, she had been there for over a year.
"Going somewhere?" he asked nodding to the boxes.
Stella followed his gaze. "Oh, no. Actually, someone's coming here. Hilary's going to live with me for a while."
"Hilary your niece?" Max clarified.
"Mhmm," Stella nodded. "CiCi's doing some big thing in Africa and Asia and doesn't think Hilary should be travelling during her first year of high school. Personally, I just think she's tired of home schooling her with a tutor."
"Wait, wait, wait," Claude leaned forward. "CiCi? What did Max say your last name was? Is your sister CiCi Nash? The model?"
Stella sighed. "Yeah, she is."
"Dude," the ginger hockey player smiled. "She's hot."
"Like I've never hear that before," she sighed again.
"Not that you're not!" Danny covered for his friend. "That's not what he meant."
'Sure.' Stella thought to herself. She had always been compared to her beautiful older sister. Sure, Stella was pretty, but she wasn't her sister. Cecilia was tall, skinny, a bombshell with red hair. Stella hadn't gotten the tall genes inherited by her sister from their father.
*_*_*_*
Nearly two hours later, Max, Claude, and Danny were getting ready to leave.
"How's your dad?" Max asked before he left.
She shrugged. "Still in treatment here in Philly. He was sad to hear you wouldn't be in black and gold anymore."
"Let me know when you're going out to visit him, I want to go," Max said pecking her cheek, like always.
Stella liked that Max was always so relaxed when talk leaned towards word of her cancer stricken father. Some people were uncomfortable on the subject, but not Max.
"Come back soon," she smiled to him as he walked down the hall to the elevator.
He waved back and began his ascent to ground level.
Please fini
1/14/20