Love, Lies, and the NHL.

I struggled with my grocery bags as I searched for my apartment key. I sighed, setting my bags on the floor as I dug threw my purse "Son-of-a-bitch!"

"Need help?" a soft voice asked

I looked up to see a tall curly haired guy standing at the door next to me, "Yeah...I can't find my key."

"You mean this key?" he asked picking my key up off the floor

"Oh my god..." I blushed, "I am so stupid. I am sorry."

He laughed "It's okay. Need help with your groceries?"

"Sure." I smiled "Thank-you, huh what's your name?"

"I'm Mike." he smiled as I opened my door letting us in. He carried in most of my bags. "Where would you like them?"

"Kitchen is fine."

"Are you new to the building? I haven't seen you around?" he asked

I nodded, "I just moved in. I'm Cassie, by the way. Have you lived here long?"

Mike nodded, "Yeah a while. Me and my roommate, James, live across the way...speaking of, I should probably head back over there before he does something stupid."

"Well it was nice meeting you, Mike." I smiled walking back to the door with him

"You too, Cassie." he said going back over to his apartment.

I smiled and grabbed my book, sitting down on my couch to read.
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"Fuck..." I mumbled quickly putting on my shoes. I had slept through my alarm and was running late for my first day at work. I ran out of my door, locking it and headed down the hall when smack! I ran face first into someone, feeling hot coffee all over me. "Shit!"

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" a guys' voice said

I looked up and saw a red faced guy with the whitest teeth I'd ever seen. "It's okay..."

"No no it's not. Fuck...are you okay?" he asked

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I can buy you a new shirt..." he said

"No, really, it's okay." I said throwing my hoodie on over my now coffee stained shirt. "I'm sorry about your coffee..."

"Oh, don't be sorry." he said with a half smile.

"You aren't from here, are you?" I asked

He laughed "No. I'm from Canada."

"I could tell." I smiled

"I'm James." he smiled extending his hand to me

I smiled and shook it, "James. Mike's roommate?"

"Oh! You must be Cassie."

I felt my cheeks redden "You heard about me?"

"Yeah, Richie mentioned meeting you."

"Richie?" I said confused

"Oh. I apologize, Richie is Mike. His name is Mike Richards. We call him Richie."

"I see. It was nice meeting you, James, but I have to run." I replied running out the door. What were the odds I'd have not only one, but two attractive neighbors. I hurried off to work and started my day.
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Work was great. I had made it just in time for my shift. I kicked my shoes off and threw my clothes in the laundry basket, grabbing by bag of quarters and some detergent before heading down the hall. I threw my clothes in the washer and turned the dial. "Hey!"

I spun around and saw James coming down the hall with an empty basket, "Hi."

"Excuse me." he smiled getting into the dryer and pulling out a load of clothes "Sorry again about your shirt..."

"No, it's okay." I smiled holding up my Tide Stain Booster "Tide works wonders."

James laughed, "Well, I still feel bad. Can I take you out to diner? Tomorrow?"

I smiled, "Okay. That sounds great. Thanks."

We exchanged numbers and walked back down to the apartments, "Okay. So I'll see you tomorrow?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Alright." he smiled heading inside. I smiled back as I headed into my own place.
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This time, I woke up early for my alarm. James had texted and we planned on meeting at 6 for lunch. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. "Morning, Cassie." Mike said

"Hey, Mike." I smiled

"So, I heard you meet Nealer."

"Nealer?"

"Yeah. That's James. James Neal. Most of the guys call him Nealer."

"What's with you guys and nicknames based off last names?" I laughed

"It's a hockey thing."

"Hockey?"

Mike tiled his head, "You mean...you don't recognize either of us?"

I shook my head, "No."

"Ah. Well James and I play for the Capitals." he replied. He must have noticed my confused expression "The hockey team."

"Oh! Wow. That's cool."

"Yeah." Mike smiled "So...are you free tonight?"

"Uh...no. James asked me to dinner to make up for the shirt his coffee stained." I laughed

"Oh typical Nealer." Mike laughed "Well, how about tomorrow?"

"Okay." I smiled "Tomorrow." We exchanged numbers and I headed off to work. I'd only been in DC a week and I already had two dates with two different guys! Both of them hockey players. This was great.
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James and I arrived at a place called The Capital Grille. He had made reservations so we got in right away. "Your table is this way, Mr. Neal." the hostess said leading us to our table

"This place is awesome." I said smiling at him

"Best steak in DC." James laughed "You like steak?"

"Yeah." I smiled "Thanks so much, James."

"No problem." he smiled, flashing those bright teeth again.

"So, Mike says you play hockey?" I said after we ordered our food and drinks and the waitress left

James nodded, taking a sip of his water "Yeah. I just got traded here..."

"Traded? You mean, you play professionally?"

"Mike didn't tell you that?" James said making this adorable confused face

"No."

"We play in the NHL. It's like the NFL, but for hockey. Mike and I play for the team here. The Washington Capitals. I was playing in Nashville, but I uh...I was traded here."

"That's cool." I smiled

James nodded, "Yeah. Since I'm new to the city, Mike let me move in with him until I can find my own place."

"Aw that was sweet of him."

"Yeah, Mike's a cool guy. I knew him from back in Pittsburgh...when he played for Philly."

"That's cool." I smiled

James nodded "Enough about me. Where did you move here from?"

"Oh, I moved here from Baltimore. I work in an office for an accounting company. I had worked for one in Baltimore, but due to some budget cuts, I was laid off. Then I found the place here and got hired."

"Oh cool. Accounting, that sounds like fun."

I nodded, "It's a lot of work, but fun."

Just then, our food came and our conversation died a bit while we both enjoyed out meals. After dinner, James and I headed back to the apartment. "Thanks for coming out with me." he smiled

"Thanks for dinner."

"Oh no problem. It was the least I could do."

"I had a really great time tonight."

"Me too." he replied "Good steak, eh?"

"Yeah. Very good." I said as we walked up to the door.

"Well good night, Cassie." he smiled leaning down and kissing me.

I smiled and kissed him back, "Night, James." I said as I headed inside my apartment.
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The next evening was my date with Mike. He took me to a place called Equinox. We ordered our drinks and food. "So you already know what I do, what do you do?" Mike asked

"I work in an accounting office." I smiled

"Awesome." Mike smiled "So, I don't mean to impose, but how was your date with James?"

"It was good. Had a lot of fun."

"He treat you right?"

"Yeah. Enough about that, tell me more about you." I laughed

"Well, as you know, I play hockey here in DC. I signed here from LA."

"LA has a hockey team?"

"Yeah." Mike smiled "California actually has three."

"Whoa. I didn't know they played hockey in California. So are you from their originally?"

"No. I'm from Canada." Mike laughed

"I should've guessed that." I smiled "So you've only been here a year?"

"Yeah and before I was in LA, I was in Philadelphia."

"Oh, yeah. James said something about that."

Mike nodded, "Yeah, Nealer was in Pittsburgh then."

"So, do you guys travel a lot then?"

Mike shrugged "Depends on the schedule. Sometimes we get lots of home games, other times there's more away games, but for Summers, I usually go home to Canada."

"When does your Summer start?"

"It depends. On when you get eliminated from playoffs, or win the Stanley Cup. Your season could end as early as April or as late as June or early July."

"Whoa...when do you start?"

"Well pre-season is usually September. Then regular season starts in October."

"You play from October to about April?" I asked, slightly shocked at the long season

Mike nodded, "Yeah. 81-82 games a season."

"Whoa."

"It's great though. Hockey is amazing. Playing the game has helped me through a lot." Mike said.

We continued on with small talk while we ate. After dinner, we started heading back to the building. "I had a great time tonight, Mike. Thank-you."

"Hey, no problem." Mike smiled

"Well, here we are." I said as we got to our doors

"Yep." Mike smiled

I leaned up and kissed him and he kissed back, "Good night." I said when we finally pulled away

"Yeah. Night." Mike laughed heading inside
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Over the next few weeks, I'd went on a few more dates with each of the guys. They'd even invited me to a game and got me tickets in the sky box. Hockey was exciting. James and Mike were both really good. I noticed throughout the game, each of them would periodically look up at me and I sighed.

I had gotten myself into a mess. It was rather obvious they both liked me and I liked both of them, but I didn't know what to do. They were friends and teammates. Choosing one over the other would surely cause an issue. They were both sweet and funny...not to mention hot, but I didn't want to ruin four friendships out of this. I had to make a decision.

After the game, both guys offered to take me out. I declined both offers. I had a lot to think about. I sat in my bed and went over all the pros and cons in my head. Either way, a con would be that if I picked one, the other would be mad. Another con would be how awkward things would be at not only the apartment, but also for the guys.

The pros were a little better. James was great. Always polite, funny, and that smile. That smile could kill someone. He sometimes talked too much. He'd get on a topic and ramble, but it was adorable. Mike on the other hand was sweet. A true gentleman. Opening up doors, pulling out chairs...that sort of sappy stuff. He was slightly older than me, however, but the age difference didn't seem to bother him and it didn't bother me. "What to do..." I sighed, thinking that maybe a good nights rest would help me decide what to do.
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The next morning, I invited the guys to come over after practice. I led them inside and made us a pot of coffee. "How do you take it?" I asked

"Just black." James replied

"Just a splash of cream in mine." Mike said

I smiled and prepared our coffees handing them each a cup, "So, I bet you're wondering why I invited you both over."

"Sort of." James said

"Yeah." Mike replied

"Well, I've been spending a lot of time with each of you...and I know how you both feel about me."

The guys looked at each other and then back at me, "Yeah."

"You're both amazing guys and I've really enjoyed all of our dates. I haven't had this much fun in years...so I was wondering...couldn't we just keep it how it is?"

"What do you mean?" James asked, that adorable confused expression evident on his face

"I mean, can't we all just stay friends? We don't have to hang out together, but I don't want to cause drama and to be honest, I can't pick between you."

"Oh. Yeah, I can do that." Mike said "How about you, Nealer?"

James nodded, "Yeah. That sounds awesome. Relationships just complicate things and this is a great solution."

"Great!" I smiled hugging each of the guys

Notes