‘’Come on. It’s gonna be fun.’’

Amanda, sitting into the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s SUV, stopped tapping away no her cell phone to throw a deadly look to Jonathan. ‘’Oh yeah, so much fun, she said sarcastically. I can’t wait to meet that tramp.’’

-She is not a tramp. She is funny, you might even be friends.

Probably not. Amanda was wearing her team jersey with the C upfront and his name on the back. She was rarely wearing it, especially for teammates events where everybody knew her. He she wanted to send any vibes that she was with him, that was probably the best way to do it... not the most subtle, but the best nonetheless.

-I’ve got enough friends as it is. And you definitely don’t need another girl fan-girling around you, responded Amanda with frustration.
-She is not fan-girling, for god’s sake. We got her in a stupid situation and I just helped her around town a bit. That is all.
-Well for one thing, I don’t get why you are the one helping her in town and why it is not Patrick going all fucking Mother Teresa on her, said Amanda bitterly.
-She’s from Canada, we... we just have stuff in common, I guess, responded Jonathan carefully.
-Being with Sharpie and Keith almost seven days a week does not get you your fill of Canadian people to hang around?

Jonathan sighed as he parked in front of a red bricks building. Massaging his eyes, he wondered what the hell he had gotten into.

‘’Please Amanda, just behave. She is nice and we are just friends. I asked her to come today so I could present her to Bollig. Don’t ruin it all for the guy... Please?’’ begged Jonathan, mimicking a pouty mouth.

Amanda stared at her boyfriend before finally giving up. ‘’FINE. If that helps getting Bollig laid and taking her out of my way, why not.’’

The joking pouting face of Jonathan suddenly became serious, looking at his girlfriend who was still absorbed by her cell phone. For some reasons he wasn’t able to figure out, this outcome might not be one he particularly liked.

***

Come on, girl. It is going to be fun.

Chloé had been muttering this sentence to herself for the past. What could go wrong? Except the fact that she was meeting a guy under the looks of his entire hockey team, that Jonathan had laughed nervously when she said she was eager to meet Amanda and that she couldn’t find the pair of black ankle suede booties she wanted to wear, everything was just fine. Oh, and the fact that she had not put skates on for 5 years. Seriously, what could go wrong?

She sighed as she checked out her buzzing phone to read the text from Jonathan saying they were waiting for her downstairs. She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror; her curly brown hair was tied up in low bun on her neck, a few curls that had escaped framing her face. She was wearing a dark wash skinny jeans and wool socks rolled up on her ankles with a white T-shirt, her kaki and black leather jacket, sparkly purple stud earrings and a thick nude infinity wool scarf. Her eyes looked a lighter shade of blue-green with the black mascara she had put on and her cheeks were lightly brushed with blush. Pouting at herself in the mirror, she thought that this would have to do. Grasping her purse and her black plastic Ray Bans, closed the door behind her and headed downstairs.

Putting on her best smile, Chloé jumped on the backseat of her friend’s car. ‘’Hey! Thank you for picking me up.’’

-No problem, said Jonathan, turning around to smile at her. Ready so skate?
-You bet. Ready to skate, ready to fall... I should have brought a little cushion for my butt, laughed Chloé.
-We’ll get you a little kid stabilizer, joked Jonathan. Chloé, this is Amanda. Amanda, Chloé.
-Nice to meet you, Amanda, said Chloé, leaning forward and handing out her hand between the two front seats.
-Yeah, nice to meet you too, responded Amanda, her eyes never leaving the sight of her phone.

Chloé bitted her lips has she slowly pulled back her hand and rested it on her laps. Jonathan quickly looked at Chloé, his lips pressed into a thin line. Chloé weekly smiled at him and indistinctly raised her shoulders.

Putting his right hand onto Amanda’s thigh in hope to get her in a better mood, he released the brake pedal and the SUV sprang forward. ‘’Let’s go skate and have fun then!’’ Chloé faked a smile from the backseat.

Oh yeah, thought Jonathan. It is gonna be so much fun.

***

Sitting on a bench near the locker rooms, Chloé was carefully lacing her hockey skates. Jonathan, already in his, was lacing Amanda’s, one of her feet locked between his thighs. ‘’You okay over there, Chloé?’’

-Jonathan, tighter please, interrupted Amanda.
-... I am alright, thanks, said Chloé while standing up, brushing off her jeans.

She looked around, breathing deeply. She couldn’t help but feeling nervous at the thought of meeting this guy. Every date would get her with knots in her stomach; the idea of adding skating to this one was for sure adding another challenge. She’d have to remember to thank Jonathan for that.

‘’What do we have here!’’ scream across the hallway made the three of them turn around to face a smiling Patrick Kane coming toward them.

-Hi, said Chloé, smiling widly. Wait, is it safe, or you will be throwing me to the ground once more, backed away Chloé jokingly as Patrick was walking toward her, arms wide open for a hug.
-I’ll do my best, but you know, Kaner’s hugs are something not everyone can handle...!
Laughing, Chloé clutched her arms around Patrick’s waist as he pulled her closer for a warm embrace. ‘’It is nice to see you again girl. We heard you are giving Tazer here a run for his money... litteraly’’, said Patrick, releasing her.
-Yeah, but he doesn’t have the focus of a long distance runner. He’s supposed to be better sprinting. You know, like Gimli in the Lord of the Rings, just a bit taller, said Chloé, smirking at Jonathan who was done with Amanda’s skates and standing up.
-I hope he has different taste in women though, or Amanda will have to grow some beards, joke Patrick, lightly elbowing Amanda’s ribs.
-Always so sweet, Kaner, sarcastically smiled Amanda.
-Should we get going? Asked Jonathan, eager to change the subject.

Amanda clanged at his arm and they made their way to the ice rink, followed by Chloé and Patrick chatting and joking in the back. A subtle move to turn his head around to hear what the duo were joking about was promptly stopped by Amanda, who planted a kiss on his cheek, a smile back on her face. ‘’You should get Brandon’’, she said, as Chloé was carefully getting on this ice.

-You skated before, Chloé, asked Patrick, watching her as she planted her skate on the ice, ready to catch her if she’d fall.
-I do. Or did. Last I skated was maybe 5 years ago... I don’t know if it is like biking and the fact that you never forget how to skate.
-Look at you! You’re a pro, smiled Patrick, as Chloé took a few steps.
-I think it is all coming back, but not falling face first while getting on the ice is already a major win, smiled the girl.
-Hey, Bolly! COME HERE! Screamed Jonathan across the ice.

A few guys playing around with pucks at the other end of the rink raised their heads and a tall guy with dark eyes, dark hair and dark beard skated toward them. Cute. Good job, Jon.

‘’Chloé, I’d like you to meet Brandon. You, loser, this is Chloé.’’

-Thanks, Tazer, killing it in the egg right away, said Brandon, punching Jonathan’s shoulder before handing his hand to the stranger in front of him.
-Good friend, eh? Nice to meet you, said Chloé, smiling.
-So, do you know how to handle a stick?
-Going right to the point there, Bolly, giggled Patrick, skating away backward.
-Don’t be all jealous, we all know you’re the only one handling yours these days, Chloé shouted to him.
-I like her, said Patrick laughing before heading off to some of his teammates playing around one of the net.
-I’m not really used to playing ice hockey, but I played shoes and ball hockey in a friendly league, in college, said Chloé, turning back to Brandon.
-Friendly league? Those things exist? Joked Brandon.
-Not really. I was the goon and got the highest penalty count, admitted Chloé.
-Now we’re talking, laughed Brandon, grabbing two hockey sticks from the player bench and handing his arm to her.

Amanda had a victory air on her face while she and Jonathan watched them skating away. ‘’She is all smile but she probably won’t smile much when she’ll get her poor little heart broken by Bollig as soon as he had his fun and is ready to move on to someone else.’’

-She is nice. It could do good to Bollig to have a girl like her.
-Come on, Jon. Bollig had been on the roll for the past months since he broke up with Evy. It is a girl after another. She’s the flavor of the week, said Amanda before skating toward a group of player’s girlfriends.

What had he done? Sent her right into a trap? The last thing he wanted was to get her hurt, he thought as he looked Chloé and his friend skating across the ice, chatting. They were laughing and seemed to have a good time. How long before Brandon got what he wanted and sent her out on the curb? And why was it bothering him so much?

The voice of Amanda calling up his name brought him back to reality. Shaking his head, as to get rid of those thoughts, he glanced a last time toward the couple on the other side of the ice and headed toward his girlfriend.

'

Notes