Because You're Home

Leah sat in in L'Oreal office, her knee bouncing up and down, and it had been bouncing since she sat down ten minutes ago.

"Ms. Moore?" Leah looked up from the carpet on the floor and to the receptionist behind the desk, "Mr. Jones will see you now."

Leah stood from her uncomfortable chair in the waiting room and walked towards the open door where the receptionist was standing. She nodded her head at Leah, a smile on her face and then closed the door just as Leah stepped through.

"Ah Ms. Moore, my name is Lindsay, it's lovely to meet you."

Leah shook hands with the man in front of her, "You too sir, thank you for having me." Mr. Jones nodded his head and gestured for Leah to sit down in the chair across his desk.

Leah looked towards the man sitting on the window sill behind Lindsay, he smiled, Lindsay spoke, "Oh that is my partner, his name is Jean." Leah nodded her head towards the man, "Nice to meet you."

Jean spoke quietly, "You as well."

"So Leah, you have quite the reputation in New York, every other salon in town is being out done by yours and you started it.." Lindsay paused, hoping Leah would fill in the blank.

"Three years ago," Leah said, wondering how he knew about her salon.

"Ah yes three years ago, well you have quite the name to your clients. Now as for you collaborating with us, we would love to start a line with your Shampoo and Conditioners other hair products as well if you have them. They are perfectly L'Oreal, what do you say?"

Leah was shocked, she had been expecting them to offer her a ton of money to have the rights to her Shampoo and Conditioner, and then they would make millions off it. She had not been expecting them to offer her her own line.

"You want me to start a line of my hair products with L'Oreal?"

It was Jean who spoke, "This is rare, Ms. Moore, normally we like to stay to the roots, make everything L'Oreal, but your hair products are fascinating. You would have seventy-five perfect control over the products and get the profit, since technically you would be working for L'Oreal."

Leah had to tense her jaw, afraid that if she didn't her mouth would form a big "O". She smiled, "I would love to start a line with L'Oreal."

Lindsay smiled, "Oh lovely, now of course we have contracts to sign and we want to get started right away and we'll pay for your moving expenses and--"

Leah faltered, "Wait moving expenses?"

Lindsay scrunched is eyebrows together, "Well you would need to live in Chicago, you'd be working on the line almost everyday of the business week, and we don't have a branch in New York."

Leah hadn't been expecting this opportunity to have a flaw, but moving back to Chicago wasn't supposed to be in Leah's future, "And if I don't move back?"

"Then you won't have a line in our company," Jeans face was stern.

Leah smiled slightly, "Could I take a day to just think this over, this is a big opportunity I know, but I have my salon to think about."

Jean looked towards Lindsay with a look that said get her out of the office, Lindsay just smiled, "Of course Ms. Moore, just know that you can always start a new salon, but you may not always be able to have a line in L'Oreal."

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Patrick stared at Leah. She looked like she was about to cry and he had never been good with crying girls. He brought Leah over to the couch in the living room, "Leah why is that a bad thing?"

Leah smiled, "It shouldn't be, I just-- Chicago is my past, I don't know if I want it to be my future."

Patrick nodded his head, "I think you mean you don't know if it's your future without him." Leah bit her lip, not quite ready to fully understand why she hadn't jumped at the chance to move back to Chicago. It had always been her favorite place to be. Leah looked over at Patrick, who didn't know what to say, and then she looked at his hands, "What are those?"

Patrick chuckled, "These are tickets to the game tonight, I figured you should be celebrating because technically you got what you came here for."

Leah shook her head, "No Patrick I--"

Patrick just smiled, one of his show stopping grins, "I already called Kylie and told her to pick you up at six."

Leah cursed under her breath, now that Kylie had been called there was no way of getting out of the game, "I hate you, you know that right?"

Patrick stood up from the couch, grabbing his hockey bag and walking towards the front door, "I think the words you should of said are, thank you Patrick."

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Leah had been hearing Kylie talk for an hour, the game was about to start and Kylie was still giving Leah a lecture on leaving her in Chicago for three years.

"Kylie. Kylie. Oh my god Kylie shut up!"

Kylie looked over towards Leah with a smile on her face, she had missed her best friend, "I'm just trying to annoy you, and apparently it's working."

Leah shook her head, laughing slightly, and turned back towards the ice. They had gotten to the game just after warmups had ended, for fear that someone would recognize Leah, even though even Kylie had trouble recognizing Leah, and they've been best friends since birth.

"Ladies and Gentlemen your Chicago Blackhawks!"

Leah stood up from her seat, at glass level. She wasn't wearing a jersey, just jeans, with up to the knee boots and a vineyard vines sweater. She was hoping she would blend in. But since she was at the glass and near the Blackhawks bench, she failed.

During the national anthem, they showed Jonathan, head up and looking off into the distance, like he always did. And normally the camera would keep moving on towards the other players in the line, but this time it cut out.

"Holy shit you're on the screen."

Leah looked towards Kylie's pointing finger, and indeed she was on the big screen. She didn't know what to do. The last time she was on the big screen she was probably in the WAGS box, talking to Abby Sharp, and waving. Now she felt very out of place.

So she just turned back towards the ice, and kept looking towards the ice until the anthem was finished. Just in time to see Jonathan looking right at her.
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Jonathan hadn't been expecting to see Leah on the big screen right in front of him. He didn't think the rest of the crowd had been expecting to see her either, because he could hear silent gasps. People moving around to see just exactly where she was sitting, remembering exactly what had happened three years ago. She looked uncomfortable.

Jonathan had scored a hat trick that night, and he didn't know if it was because they were playing Detroit, or if it was because Leah was in the crowd. The only thing he knew was that the game he just played was the best game he had played in three years.

Walking back into the locker room he got slaps on the back, they had won 5-2, and everybody was still running on their highs. Patrick came up from behind Jonathan, giving him a light punch to the arm, and said, "Wonder what got into you." Then he walked away, a smirk splayed across his face and towards the locker room.

By the time Jonathan was ready to walk out of the locker room, most of the guys were still waiting for him. Normally he was the last one out of the locker room, but he had a feeling that most of the guys were still in the room because they wanted Jon to walk out first. And not because he scored three goals tonight. He sighed, and started walking towards the locker room door, and into the lounge.

She was standing near the door, looking just as uncomfortable and she had when she was on the big screen during the national anthem. She was in the middle of a hug with Abby Sharp and Kelly-Rae Keith when she looked over at Jonathan. Abby and Kelly pulled away and looked towards where Leah was looking, then froze.

"Jon baby!" Jonathan turned around and saw Avery. She was standing there in an expensive outfit that he probably payed for without knowing it. She was looking at Jonathan, but he knew that she was also looking at Leah. Avery had probably figured out who Leah was to Jonathan by now, and probably knew that she had big competition. Well actually in Jonathan's mind it honestly wasn't even a competition, he had already picked the winner, she just hadn't picked him.

Jonathan moved over to give Avery a hug, and a kiss on the cheek to keep up appearances. He could feel every eye in the room looking at him, but mostly he could feel Leah looking at him.

Patrick moved past Jonathan and towards Leah. Kylie had already left since she had an early morning, and Leah had already planned on getting a ride home with Patrick. Before Patrick could speak, Abby was already asking the question, "Are you going to come out to celebrate?"

Leah looked at Patrick, he had a hopeful look in his eyes, so Leah nodded her head. Patrick smiled before saying, "I don't think their coming out tonight." Leah nodded her head again.

They got to a club that Leah didn't recognize, but then again she hadn't been out with these guys in three years so obviously things were bound to change. Once Leah stepped into the club she turned towards Patrick, "I'll be at the bar." He smiled before pointing towards the VIP area, where he would be.

"Can I have a sex on the beach?" Leah asked the bartender as he nodded, walking away to make her drink.

"I could give you sex on the beach."

Leah turned towards the disheveled man sitting next to her at the bar, and scoffed, "I'll stick with the drink but thanks."

The man got closer, "Come on you know you want to."

Leah could smell the alcohol wafting off him, "No I'm good, now can you back off!" The man was about to say something again, moving in closer.

"I think she asked you to back off."

The man turned towards the voice behind Leah, and immediately backed away, which confirmed Leah's suspicion of who the voice belonged to. Leah closed her eyes, taking in a much needed breath, and then turned around.

Up close he looked the same as he had three years ago. Still the same broody Jonathan that Leah had fallen in love with, "Thanks."

Jonathan nodded his head, and smiled just the slightest. The bartender had brought Leah's drink to her, and Jonathan took out some money to pay for not only Leah's drink but also a beer for him. The bartender took one look at Jonathan and rushed off to get the beer as fast as he could. Jonathan took the seat next to Leah.

They didn't talk, they just sat there, both of them sipping their drinks, observing the club scene around them. The whole VIP section had their eyes on them, no one doing anything else, just watching the reunion unfold in front of them. Patrick couldn't help but chuckle at the awkwardness between two people that used to be inseparable.

Leah finished off her drink in a matter of minutes, and thought it would be best if she went up to the VIP area and got away from the palpable tension between her and Jonathan. Jonathan honestly just loved being near her again. Leah put her drink on the counter and started to move away when she felt a hand around her wrist. She turned around to see Jonathan, just inches away from her.

Jon took in a deep breath before leaning in and capturing Leah's lips with his own. She still tasted like Strawberry. He wove his hands in her hair and Leah put her hand on his waist. It was so natural and normal to both of them. Like the three years they had put between them just evaporated. That was until Jonathan reluctantly pulled away from Leah and leaned down towards her ear, "I hope you stay." And then he was gone.

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