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The Moonstone Starlet

Chapter 10

Chapter 10


The Blackhawks lost to Phoenix, and they would lose again in Colorado. Since she had already pissed off Toews once and had Quennville watching her closely Elia kept a low profile in Denver. She mostly hung out in with Niemi in his room, watching weird Finnish movies that were mostly about Nazis for some reason. Antti had a strange liquor with him called Koskenkorva Viina which Elia took a liking to right away. She tried to get him to give her answers to some of the homework questions Toews had written for her but he just shook his head. At one point Adam knocked on the door and asked what they were doing. Elia just replied they were having quiet time and not to bother them.

The night after they got back from the Colorado Elia stayed at Kane's new condo in trump tower. She looked out the living room windows East onto the Chicago river running into the Lake. It was a spectacular sunrise, the sun lighting up the water like a road of sequins. Her phone rang, it was Toews.

"Hey what's up,"
"Hey it's Jon."
"I am looking at your apartment right now from down river." She gazed out across the river at the Aqua building.
"You're at Kane's?" Jonathan stopped pacing and looked out his window West towards Trump Tower.
"Yeah, haha."
"Oh cool, I was calling to see if you want to go for another run this morning?"
"I can't,actually, I'm supposed to go look at a house,"
"You're buying a house?"
"I've been thinking about it. Do you want to come with? Go for a run after?"

Jonathan quickly accepted the offer and even suggested he pick her up at Trump in forty minutes. Elia sat by the window a while longer. Toews and Kane's condos might be perfect locations for her upcoming film. "I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away…" She wondered if she could see a light from Toews window from here. If they went home for the summer maybe they would lease them out.

Jonathan was a little odd when he picked her up later that morning. He didn't say much as they headed towards Wicker Park. Elia made small talk, remarking on the colder weather and predictions of snow. She asked if Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving--they do but not the same day as Americans.
"Is something bothering you?" She asked abruptly when she ran out of things to say.
"No," he said awkwardly.

They sat in silence for a minute.
"Do you have a thing for Burish or something?" He said quickly, as if to get it out before he changed his mind about asking.

"Why is everyone so interested in me and Bur?...I don't know...I guess I like parts of him."
Jonathan had a habit of clenching his jaw when he was unhappy or annoyed. Elia wasn't sure which it was now.
"I don't know, what if underneath his abrasive personality there is a hidden depth?"
"Trust me, there's not."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I've just known him longer than you."
“It doesn’t matter anyways, I wouldn’t hook up with him while I am technically an employee of the Blackhawks.”

The house was on a quiet one way street jutting between Milwaukee and North Ave, right in the center of Wicker Park and Bucktown. From the outside it was narrow and made of windows, with dark wood paneled outlines, white brick and metal accents. Inside it was light, airy and minimalist. The front window wall let in ample lighting. It ran unappealed through all three stories. The backyard had a nice patio, with a stairwell to a balcony on the master bedroom. In total there were 4 bedrooms. Elia thought the basement would make a great sound studio and screening room, with an additional bedroom upstairs converted into an office. At first the realtor tried to steer the idea that it would be great for a growing family. Elia had to repeatedly shoot down the idea, emphasizing it was just her. Just her and maybe a dog and a stray cat if one meandered by. Jonathan wondered if Elia minded being alone, if she had imagined life turning out this way. On the outside she put out a strong facade.

She loved the house. Jon thought it suited her. Stylish, sleek, modern. Sunny and peaceful, with few adornments or possessions. Unfortunately, it was in Wicker, and she preferred Lakeview. The realtor made some calls. They could wait to find an open lot in Elias desired neighborhood, wait for the permitting, wait for the architect and the building, wait for a long time and get a similar house maybe. Or there was this house. Elia would consider it. As much as she didn't like being away from the lake she truly appreciated the house.

Jonathan was interested in her infatuation with the lake. She said there were two running routes she had in mind, the Bloomingdale trail or they could run by her favorite place in the city. Jonny said they should see her favorite place. They took North Ave to LSD and headed North. Elia told him to get off at rec drive and park. They started off running up and across by the Marovitz golf course, then over to the path closest to the lake. It was a white gravel path that laid between the concrete barriers and the golf course fence. The winter winds blew into them off the lake as they ran. To the right approached Montrose Harbor. Most of the boats had been hauled out for the season, and the empty harbor sat quiet. They followed the sidewalk along past the vacant waters, around back towards the lake. Across the water now stretched the skyline cold and grey. They kept running. The concrete spread into stair steps up a hill, still they continued. They reached a fork and stayed to the right. The path ran out to sea now following a long, narrow desolate road. At the peak of the breakwater was a small light tower. Elia and Jonathan walked carefully behind it and sat down. They were surrounded by water on 3 sides. Lake Michigan lapped at them indifferently. They sat in silence for a while looking out into the never ending water.
"Why is this your favorite place?" Jonathan asked, looking out into the endless water.
"I like to pretend I'm sitting at the edge of the world, and that if I got on a boat and sailed out into the horizon I would fall off and disappear.”
“What are you always trying so hard to get away from?”

The wind blew Elia’s hair across her face and she covered her face with her hands as she pulled it aside. She pulled her knees up and rested her elbows on them, her hands on her cheeks holding her hair back. She glanced at Jonathan, then back out to the water.

“Just life.” She finally replied, quietly. Jon put his arm around her shoulders. Elia had always been a pensieve gloomy child. Growing up she believed if she got away from her chaotic, unstable home life she would be happy, but it hadn’t exactly happened that way. She found herself struggling even when she had everything she could ever want. The intense restlessness and inability to find balance was startling and pushed her further into melancholy. On top of that she felt pressure to be cheerful, funny and charming all the time.

"Please don't repeat any of this to anyone. I know it's hypocritical of me to say in interviews that I have depression and that people shouldnt be ashamed of their mental illness but it's different to be so personal and specific about it. I haven't spoken about it to anyone, not even Kaner. Please don't say anything?"
"I wouldn't. El?"
"Yeah?"
"I think you're strong enough to do this without self medicating with alcohol."

She shifted uncomfortably.

"You are. You don't need to hide, and you don't need to keep everyone at arms length with your party persona. You're ok the way you are."
Elia turned to face him. His big brown eyes stared into her.
"It really freaks me out how you can just cut through me like that," she said.
Jonathan smiled, “The feeling is mutual.”

They sat for a minute, and then Jon spoke.

"Sometimes it terrifies me that I'm the Captain of the Blackhawks."

Elia was taken aback. Jonathan had never for a second let up that he wasn't confident in his role. He said he wondered if he had made the right decision to accept the position. He wasn’t sure if the older guys had felt slighted, or if they resented him.

"Jonny the team believes in you so much, and the guys see how hard you work. They have nothing but respect for that, that's what makes you a great captain. You don't have to make a big show of it or anything and they respond to that and listen to you."
"You don't even listen to me!"
"I don't listen to anyone!"
"I don't want to be this captain serious guy all the time but--"
"Hey, the guys know that, they're just teasing you. They know you're just dedicated. I’ll make them stop calling you Captain Serious, I didn't know you hated it so much."

More than ever Elia was starting to know the real Jonathan. He was a lot softer than he let on and even had feelings. She realized it must be isolating for these guys. They were in a stressful environment where any type of weakness was frowned upon, and as sports celebrities probably didn't have many outside friends to confide in. The more mature guys all had girlfriends, Kane was very close to his family, but for some, like Jonny, they were kind of on their own. Elia had started to get the feeling that she was becoming a confidant to many of the guys, but maybe especially Toews. Which was good, because he was really becoming a great friend to her.

It was a cathartic run. The second half of the route they both ran off a bit lighter. At the end they agreed to try and make the runs a regular occurrence.

Notes

Comments

Well. There goes my reason for coming to the site. Brava on being done! Hope you find inspiration to write another story.

DELETED DELETED
4/27/15

omg its done.... what am i gonna read now :( So good girl!

hockeygirl07 hockeygirl07
4/26/15

What an amazing story. I can't believe it is over.

runawaycherry93 runawaycherry93
4/26/15

aweeeeeeeee

hockeygirl07 hockeygirl07
4/26/15

That was beautiful!!! Made me teary. Is this the end?

KWeber8771 KWeber8771
4/26/15