Looking Up

-----Steve's POV

As I get off the plane in Philadelphia, I wipe my red, sleepy eyes and head towards baggage claim. Once I get outside the pick-up area, I catch a cab to my apartment before stopping at Elle's. After texting her goodnight, I decided to get the earliest plane to Philly- I felt bad about yelling at her like that and I was almost done with training anyways. However, catching the earliest plane to Philly meant getting up at 4am and heading to the airport.

When I get to Elle's apartment, I use my key and open the door to find everyone still asleep. Sean is sitting back in his chair lightly snoring, Jakub's feet are kicked up on a foot rest and is also snoring. The coffee table in front of the couch is adorned with bowls filled with remnants of popcorn, ice cream and chips. Suddenly I notice Elle and G sleeping on the couch: his hands on her blanket covered thighs, her face is buried in the back seat cushion and G's face is tilted towards her, resting on the back on the couch. I step into the apartment and close the door behind me which startles everyone; George comes up to me and begs for some attention.

"Well it looks like you had more than just one body guard, eh?" I laugh as Elle's eyes flutter open and she flashes me a tired smile, "that's quite the sleeping arrangement, G." Sean and Jake laugh as G looks down and sees where his hands are. He quickly stands up and moves towards me with his hands up, sending Elle's legs into the air and landing with a hard thunk on the wooden coffee table. "Ah! I'm sorry!" he apologizes to her as she rubs her throbbing ankles.
"Didn't mean to startle you like that G," I say trying to fight back a laugh, and he scoffs, "yeah sure Mase." As the guys get up from their chairs and stretch, I ask Elle to talk to me in private for just a quick minute. She smiles and she follows me into the bedroom, "Sean or someone can you make coffee? It's right next to the fridge!" she asks just before closing the door.

"Yeah sure, but no funny business while we're standing right here guys," I hear Jake yell and we both laugh.

I start to pace back and forth in front of the foot of the bed where Elle is calmly sitting, trying to figure out what to say. "Listen I'm so sorry for what happened and what I said," I say as she pulls me down to sit next to her, "I really didn't mean-"

"Stop," she smiles and then pulls me into a hug, "I'm so glad you're here, it was such a nice surprise, Steve."

I smile back at her once we pull away from the hug and look down at my hands, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, I really am."

"It's okay, I know you were just frustrated that I wouldn't leave- I'm sorry I wouldn't- I'm sorry I was cold towards you," she says, the smile quickly fading from her face.

"It's fine Elle, don't worry about it, it's the past. I love you," I stroke her face and place a kiss on her forehead.

"Even if I'm annoyingly stubborn?"

"Especially if you're annoyingly stubborn."

"Love you too Steve," she says trying to hold back a big grin, "now let me make you and the boys some of my famous pancakes!"

"Sounds amazing, I'm starving- airplane food isn't all that great," I add. Suddenly I notice some boxes in the corner of her room. "Hey, what's with the boxes?" I motion over to them with my hands.

She gives me a blank stare and then swallows down the lump in her throat, "well I'm actually moving out of here." I stare back at her, letting the news sink in. "I know, I know, it's really sudden. I just didn't know when to tell you- I was going to tell you last night but I just didn't know how to bring it up," she says looking down at the floor.

"Why are you moving?" I ask, wondering if she's moving due to the crime that's been happening in the building.

"Well, with my dad in the state he's in, I don't want them worrying about helping me pay for my rent- even though I never need their money. I just don't want him thinking about it constantly- he and my mom don't need any more stress than they already have."

"That's sweet of you Elle," I say, stepping closer to her and taking one of her hands in mine to comfort her, "where are you moving?"'

"I plan to move into my aunt's, I was looking at other places to live but I couldn't find anything available right now," she admits defeatedly.

"Well there is one place that I know that's available actually."

"Really? Is it close to yours?"

"Well you could say that," I fight back a huge smirk, "why don't you move in with me? The apartment feels empty without you there with me."

Elle's face gets red and her face displays a large smile, "are you sure about this?"

"Yes of course I am, so is it a yes?"

"Yes!" she shakes her head up and down quickly with a big grin and wraps her arms around my waist, "now let's go join the guys before they think something is going on!" she laughs.

As we walk out of her room and into the kitchen, Elle is practically glowing; the guys notice but they don't bust her chops about it since she starts taking out ingredients for her pancakes. She tells us to get out of the kitchen and watch some TV while she whips together a breakfast for the five of us. Within 15 minutes, the smell of smoky bacon and pancakes flows from the kitchen and through the apartment. When she calls us over to the table, we gasp at the mountain of fluffy, golden pancakes and brown, crisp bacon.

"Holy shit Elle," Sean says with an excited expression while he runs his fingers through his short hair.
"Just a thank you for coming over so late and staying the night," Elle says with a triumphant smile.

"No problem Ellie," Jakub says as he places five pancakes onto his plate.

"No, thank you Elle! These are so good!" G yells after he stuffs his mouth with pancakes. We were lucky she quadrupled the recipe since we all had several pancakes each; Elle was so pleased with how much we ate- I think she'll be inviting the guys over often during the season so she can cook a huge dinner for us all. After stuffing our faces, G and the guys decide to leave so they can go to the rink to get some practice on the ice on their day off.

Elle tells me how excited she is to move and we make plans to get her apartment packed up within the next few days. The rest of the day we put on some movies and watch them while we pack up some random small things and we start organizing piles of things to get rid of and to keep.

*****

-----Elle's POV

"So moving in? Getting serious here Elle," Melanie remarks as she places some t-shirts into a big suitcase and I give her a look, "what? I'm just saying. What'd your parents have to say?"

"Well, my parents actually took it really well," I chuckle.

"Wow, that's surprising," Jamie adds across the room, placing some of my shoes in a box, "they probably took the news better than Andy," she laughs.

"Most likely, he looks at me like his baby sister still," I say just before taking down some Flyers posters and place them into a box.

"So, what're ya gonna do with that stuff then?"Mel asks. I look at my old Giroux jersey pinned up to the wall and put a couple signed pucks into the box.

"I have no clue, probably keep it in a box and then put it in the back of my closet. I think it'd be strange having some of this stuff around his apartment since he is a Flyer," I laugh and shake my head, "I imagine it'd be awkward."

"That's true," Melanie grins, "I still can't believe this is actually happening- you're dating Steve- freaking- Mason."

"You rang?" Steve asks with a big smile, stepping into my doorway with Claude and gives me a wink; Melanie lets out an "oops!" and goes back to packing.

"Hey Steve!" I chime as I get up and give him a hug, "We'll be done with some of these boxes soon so I guess just watch some TV for a bit?"

"Sounds good," Steve smiles.

After we get most of my clothes and things around the apartment packed, we label the 12 different boxes and tell Steve, Claude, Wayne, and Zac they're good to be moved and taken to Steve's.

"You're so lucky they're here to help," Melanie swoons while nudging my arm, and Jamie and I snicker at her expression. We could tell she was eyeing Zac up and down while he was moving around boxes in a tight light blue v-neck. And to our surprise he was taking notice to her- she practically drooled every time he picked up a heavy box.

"You mean just Zac," Jamie furrows her brow, "you haven't looked at anything or anyone else since he got here," we both laugh.

"Well a girl can dream, can't she?" Melanie sighs and lets out a scoff.

"Alright ladies, are those all the boxes?" Zac asks us- well Melanie in particular. She stays quiet, trying to find her words so we both nudge her in the back- Zac still stares at her with a gorgeous white smile.

"Uh- yes that's it, thanks," she says smirking and Zac walks to the door, still keeping eye contact until he leaves. Jamie and I let out a sarcastic high pitched "oooooo!" and laugh at Melanie's blushing face. We immediately stop and "cough" as soon as Wayne and Claude look our way.

"Alright Elle I guess we're out of here," Claude says as we walks up to the three of us.

"Okay! thank you so much for helping out guys," I smile and hug Wayne and Claude. Steve gives me a kiss on the forehead before the three of the walk out and says goodbye. As soon as they leave, we head around the apartment and clean.

-----Steve's POV

After Zac and Wayne help bring in the boxes from his truck, they leave to go to the gym. G stays with me to bring in the boxes from my truck and to organize them into separate piles in the living room. G walks out of the elevator with a big smile on his face, "look it says Flyers," he says and raises his eyebrows. He sets it on the coffee table and sits in front of it.

"You shouldn't be going through that," I chime as I grab two bottles of water out of the fridge.

"It's just stupid Flyers stuff, it's not like it's a diary," he says brushing me off and I just shrug; he does have a point.

I sit down next to G on the couch as he opens up the box. The first thing he pulls out is a black Giroux jersey signed by G.

"I've always seen it hanging up but I never knew what season it's from

"It has to be from 09-10."

"Wow, I didn't realize."

"Yeah I couldn't believe it when I saw it- I never knew I met her before," he adds before looking back in the box and pulling out an old picture of himself with a young female fan. Her smile is adorned by braces and it takes us a couple of seconds realize that it's Elle.

"I remember her!" G yells as he looks over to me.

"Seriously?" I ask.

"Yes! She was so excited to meet me- told me she was so happy that I got drafted to the Flyers. She was really sweet," G explains, "Wow, I can't believe that's her," he laughs.

"Yeah me neither, she certainly does look different," I comment.

After we put the picture frame and jersey back in the box, we seal it up and go back to organizing the boxes by subject. Claude ends up staying over and having pizza and a couple of beers, since Elle is busy with her friends getting the apartment ready to move out of.

*****

-----Elle's POV

As Steve and Claude help me get the final things out of my apartment the day after, the feeling of change was starting to sink in. When we get back to what is now our apartment, excitement starts to set in. Steve wraps his arms around my shoulders and rests his head next to mine, "welcome home, Elle," he whispers. He kisses the side of my temple and I can't help but let a huge grin spread across my face.

Sure, the fact that all of my clothes and everything that I own is in boxes is overwhelming, but here with Steve I feel at home and the feeling of anxiety doesn't exist.

"So we have a team dinner tonight, if you want to come," Steve proposes.

"No, I just couldn't- it's you're first team dinner of the season."

"You should come, it's fine with me- you're captain approved," Claude butts in.

"No way, I'm fine here- I have everything to unpack, don't worry about me. Tell the guys to come over after- it can be like a house warming!" I insist

"Alrighty, well we'll see you in about two-three hours?" Steve asks.

"Sounds good!" I exclaim and wave goodbye to the boys as they leave the apartment.

After they leave, I have some pizza delivered, turn on some TV, and unpack almost all of my boxes. While I hang up my clothes, I blast some music through the apartment with Steve's amazing stereo system. Before I realize how much time has passed, George is already announcing Steve's return- barking over the loud music. I hurry out of the bedroom to turn off the music and see a smile spread across his face. "I'm glad you like the speakers," he chimes.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I laugh nervously.

"No need to apologize," he says as he presses his lips onto mine, "it's nice coming home to a noise filled apartment instead of an empty one." I feel my face get warm and he strokes my cheek with his thumb.

"Well I hope you can get used to me living here- just let me know if I am doing someth-"

"Stop," he says calmly, "this is your apartment too now- it's not just mine anymore, it's ours. I just hope you'll like seeing my ugly mug all the time."

"Oh, I think I'll make do," I say quietly and get on the tip of my toes to kiss him, "oh! Where are the guys? Are they going to come over?"

"Nah, I wanted to spend tonight with you alone," he smiles warmly, "This is so great, I'll see you every day, and every night," he says kissing me in between his words.

"I can definitely get used to this," I murmur. He slowly sits us on the couch and starts to kiss me harder. Just before things get even hotter he wraps me into his arms and suddenly lifts me off of the couch, holding me bridal style.

"Now, let's go break in my bed, eh?" he says with a devilish smile as he carries me through the bedroom doorway.

Notes

Hey! Hope you like the chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it! I'm sorry I'm so terrible at updating cause let's be honest I am- I just get busy doing a 100 different things and I had some writers block this time. Thanks for sticking with the story though- I really hope you guys are enjoying it! Please comment and leave some feedback- I love it. Don't forget to subscribe if you like the story! Thanks so much to those of you that have- I love writing for you!