Dry Land

*Starbuck's Coffee*
*Madison Avenue, Chicago*


Standing in the long line at the Starbuck's on Madison Avenue, I take a deep breath before letting it out in a deep sigh. Checking the time on my phone, I continue to grow impatient as time goes on. Taking a moment, I stare at my lock screen.

My new labrador puppy. A thing that happened so quickly, I still can't remember quite how it happened.


*Flashback*


"Like who?" The words exit Jonathan's mouth once again, reiterating what he had already said once before while I just sit, frozen in place. The entire room is looking at me now, including Patrick, who is trying hard to keep from laughing. Eventually, my brain and my mouth decide to connect.


"Well, the other day I went to the pet store over near the West Side, and I saw this lab. Yesterday, I told Pat here about him, and he keeps telling me to talk to Alek about it, although I refused to admit that I even want the dog, even though I apparently do. So, yeah," I finish awkwardly. I notice Patrick looking at me amusedly, while Jonathan looks as though he doesn't believe me, but drops it.


"Alexis, you know I wouldn't mind having a dog around here, I told you when you moved in that whatever made you feel at home would be fine by me, as long as it's not illegal. It's just that you'd be the one that would have to take care of him, seeing as I would be gone a lot," My brother says, making me nod my head weakly.


*End Flashback*


So that's how the Belinsky's ended up with a dog, or rather, a puppy. That would not stop chewing things. Just this morning, he chewed up my only Minnesota Wild jersey that I had with me in Chicago. When my brother told Andrew Shaw this, he replied with something along the lines of:


'Well at least the dog has got it right'.


Up until this morning, I didn't have a name for him, after all, we had only gotten him a few days previous. However when he chewed up my Wild jersey after ultimately deciding he would sleep on nothing but one of my brother's game worn jerseys (about which he was not exactly happy about), I decided that I would name him Dagger. After the Blackhawks goal song. For obvious reasons.


I contemplated naming him Peek-A-Boo, but when I suggested this to Patrick in text message, he replied firmly with a:


No. Screw you.


This, in turn, made me laugh before replying with:


You wish.


Before returning my phone to my pocket and moving up in the slow moving line. Feeling a slight tapping on my shoulder, I whirl around to locate the culprit, only to be met by the face of Lindsey Vecchione, Jonathan's ex.


"Um, hi?" I say, more of a question rather than a statement. I had only met her a couple of times, most times without much interaction. I hadn't had enough interaction to determine if she was a nice person or not, so I was a little wary.


"Alexis, right?" She asks, making me nod my head in response," Okay good, that would have been really awkward if it hadn't have been you. Hi, by the way."


I stand there for a moment, just looking at her before she finally gets the hint," Well, okay look, I get that this might seem a bit weird, but would you maybe want to like sit with me and drink coffee or whatever you like to drink for awhile? It's kind of important."


Standing there, I continue to stare at her before finally speaking," Uh, yeah sure, I guess."


--^--


"I like your jacket, where'd you get it?" She asks me as we sit down in one of the booths inside of the large shop. Removing my backpack from around my shoulders, I set it down beside me as I sit down.


"Oh thanks. I actually got it from Nike. They sponsor me and stuff for swimming, like clothes wise. Swimwear is more of the central swim brand, although Nike has a swimwear line. It's all really confusing, I really don't try to understand it, I just sign the papers and do what they tell me to," I explain before shutting my mouth quickly, embarrassed by my rambling.


"That's right, you swam competitively right?" She questions as I nod my head," My cousin actually has a son that swims competitively. He's pretty young, but it seems like a good sport. What strokes did you swim?"


I'm grateful that she doesn't ask about my controversy," Mainly IM and breaststroke. My coach actually had me training mid-distance for the next Olympics in the hopes that I would be able to win eight in one like Michael did in '08."


"Well that's cool. I've heard that the IM event...that really long one you know? I've heard that that one is like, the worst event of them all," She says, making me laugh.


"Oh believe me, it is. It's like if Satan and the Bruins had a baby. Slams you all over the place, makes you hurt, breathes fire down your lungs. You know, typical, everyday things," I joke, which earns a laugh from Lindsey.


"You know, when you first showed up at one of the events for the Hawks, I didn't really know what to think of you. But I'm kind of sad now that I didn't try to get to know you better, because you are pretty funny," She says, making me laugh.


"I'm awkward, but that just sort of comes with the swimming territory. I never really got much social interaction with actual people other than those who were my teammates, and they were some of the weirdest people I've ever met. So naturally I fit right in," I say, honest," I can't say the same with the Blackhawks though. It's like I'm on this entirely new level of awkward and weird while they're like...three levels below me on that aspect. Patrick likes to say that the chlorine has gotten to my brain and that's why I'm so weird, which I can't disagree with."


"So how are they?" She asks, voice a bit quieter this time. I know she's talking about Jon, and I'm starting to see a bit more why she wanted to sit down and talk with me.


"They're good. I just found out not even two days ago that my brother has a girlfriend, whom he only mentioned once. Never even hinted that he might actually be in a relationship. Honestly I'm surprised he could even get himself a girlfriend," I joke, which lightens the mood to what it was before it changed with her question.


"Yeah, Josie. She's a really sweet girl. Fits in well with everyone else," She pauses," You know I actually used to be this huge party girl before I met Jon? Well, obviously I grew up a little bit during the time in which we dated, and I guess he did too. Honestly, I saw the breakup coming before it even happened, I just refused to admit that we weren't, like, okay anymore, ya know? That, and when you came along...the way he looked at you. Man the way that he looked at you, it's the way that he used to look at me...but more, more intense almost. I can't really describe it. But I found it honestly amusing when it turns out that you two didn't even like each other. Although I'm sure thats changed now," She rants, leaving me sitting there with my mouth open.


"I don't resent you for it," She says quickly, as I just sit there," Like I said before, I could tell that we were reaching the end point in our relationship. I just want to see him happy now, honestly."


"Well...um...wow, okay." Is all I can manage to say. I hadn't known what to expect from Lindsey, because I had heard things about her being, quite honestly, bitchy. But the person that I had heard about and the person sitting in front of me were two completely different people. I also hadn't expected for her to sit me down and technically tell me that she was okay with me dating her ex-boyfriend.


"Do you like him?" She asks, pretty straightforward.


I decide not to lie, seeing as she had been completely truthful towards me," Honestly? At first I hated the guy but now? It's like he grew on me, and we became friends, but then I developed feelings and yeah."


"Well, he likes you too, and if I know him like I think I do, he's gonna be like he is and be secretive and hide it. So, and I know that you might not want to trust me on this, but if you're as fearless as I think you are, I think you should be the one to make the first move."


"I just...Patrick said the same thing, but what if you guys are both wrong and he doesn't like me? I may seem like I'm fearless but I'm not. I have feelings too and I hate being embarrassed," I confess.


She seems unaffected by this answer, as though she expected it," Not to mention from what I've heard and what I know, you're both really stubborn."


As much as I want to be offended by her comment, she's not wrong.


--^--


"So, I ran into your ex-girlfriend at Starbuck's on Madison today," I say to Jon as we sit in his apartment, in the midst of looking over footage. After Patrick had refused, stating that he had a date with Amanda, Jon had called me because apparently 'he needed a fresh set of eyes'.


"Lindsey?" He asks, making me nod," Oh. So how was she?"


"Good," I reply," She asked about you actually. Wanted to make sure that you were happy and whatnot. She had this weird idea that you have feelings for me or something. Oddly enough, she was okay with it? I dunno, it was a bit awkward."


"It's not that weird of an idea, is it?" He questions after a moment of silence, making me turn to look at him.


"Well...I mean...I uh...huh?" I stutter in confusion.


"But you like someone. And don't lie this time. I still don't know how you managed to convince your brother that you were talking about a puppy," He spits, temper beginning to flare. He couldn't, actually, like me, could he?


"Hey now, don't go dissing Dagger. I actually had visited the pet store and did like him, so that part wasn't a lie. But I do like someone," I admit.


"I knew it," He says, anger leaving his voice, being replaced by what sounds like frustration almost. Like the frustration you get when you're frustrated with yourself for something. I decide to take Lindsey and Pat's advice and, sort of, make the first move.


"Well, you actually know him."


"I do?"


"Yeah. He plays hockey. He's from this weird place up in Canada called Winnipeg and he just so happens to be a good friend of mine that I'm hoping likes me back," I say, making him look at me again, this time with a small smile.


"Oh. So is he good at hockey?"


I decide to play along," Nah, he quite actually sucks. I don't know how he got to be captain of his team. But he speaks French, and it's kind of hot."


"Well I wouldn't necessarily say that I suck, you've wounded my precious ego," He breaks, holding his hand over his heart in a dramatic fashion, moving a bit closer towards me.


"And by the way," He adds as he moves one step closer so that our bodies are almost touching," I like you too."


And then his lips are on mine.

Notes