Because You're Home

"He what?"

"He kissed me," Leah looked between Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp, then towards Corey Crawford who was sitting on the lazy boy chair, xbox controller in his hand. She hadn't meant to tell the guys about Jonathan and the little incident the night before but she was beating Sharp and Kane in the xbox game they were playing and she got cocky. Needless to say everyone of their jaws dropped the minute they had heard the news.

"Well shit, who knew Tazer had it in him," Patrick Kane said, turning back towards the xbox game at hand.

Leah turned towards Patrick, "Had what in him?"

All of the guys chuckled before Corey replied, "Had to ability to get you back within two days of being back in the city."

Now it was Leah's jaw that dropped, "He hasn't gotten me back." All the guys looked at Leah, smirking and then just shrugged their shoulders, slouching back into the comfort of the couch, Leah took that as the end of the conversation.

If anything he should be taking you back, not getting you back, Leah thought to herself. It was her that had left Chicago in the first place. And sure it had been many different situations that had led her to giving the ring back, but nevertheless it was Jonathan that needed to be doing the forgiving, not Leah. Leah shook her head, You're just friends. Most friends don't kiss each other and ask the other to stay, but you're special friends. Ya that's what it is, special friends.

"Fuck yes, we won!"

Leah looked back towards the screen to see that the Patricks' had scored on Corey and Leah, successfully winning the game. Leah put her controller on the table in front of her and leaned back in her chair, drinking her beer.

Patrick Sharp took a swig of his own beer before looking towards Leah, "Have you given any thought to if you're going to take the L'Oreal deal?"

Leah twisted her lips, "Yeah I did."

All three guys looked at Leah who was sitting in the middle of the couch, eyes wide. She laughed, "I guess you guys are going to have to get used to seeing me around a lot more because I'm moving back!" At the same time, Patrick, Patrick and Corey lunged towards Leah, full force, enveloping her into a hug. She laughed, "But I need a ride to the airport tonight Patrick."

He nodded his head, "Yeah anything. You should just move in with me, do you need a place to stay?"

Corey backed up and then looked at Leah, "Or you could move in with me, I don't have as many girls tracking through my house every night as Kaner does." Patrick sneered, Corey laughed.

Leah chuckled, "I'm staying with Kylie. Remember her, my old roommate?"

Corey and Patrick both cursed under their breaths, both knowing they could get 2x as many girls as they normally did with Leah at their side.

Leah looked at all the guys before getting up off the couch and walking towards her room, "I'm going to go pack."

In the comfort of her [guest] room, Leah laid down on the bed. Breathing deeply, wondering if she was making the right decision. Of course you're making the right decision, you love Chicago and you're getting a ton of money for this deal. Leah bit her lip, thinking about her salon in New York and how much that dream had meant to her. She had decided that she would keep it open, even without her there, and check in every once in a while to see how her employees were doing. She had too many customers that she couldn't let down.

She had wanted to buy a new place in Chicago, but with all the money it took to get the first salon up and running, Leah knew that she didn't have enough in the bank to start a new salon from scratch, or even buy the building, while also trying to live in Chicago.

There was also the question of Jonathan, and if the reason Leah was really moving back to Chicago was for him. Because her mind and her heart had been nagging at her all day, wondering the same thing. Her heart said, "Yes absolutely you are, you love him." But Leah's brain said, "No you're doing this for you." Leah didn't know which one she wanted to be right.

There was a knock on the door, interrupting her thoughts. Leah was expecting one of the Patricks or Corey, but she was surprised and, against her brains wishes, happy that is was Jonathan that had walked through the door.

Leah immediately shot up from the bed, "Jonathan."

Jon shut the door behind him, quietly and then leaned against it. He knew he shouldn't be here, but when Kaner had texted him that Leah was staying he stopped what he was doing with Avery, telling her that a teammate needed something, and then raced over to Patricks. Corey and Sharp were in the kitchen when Kaner came to open the door, all of them surprised to see Jonathan. Although they all looked like they were also a little bit happy that he was here, nevertheless, none of them said a word, they just pointed towards Patricks guest room, where Jon guessed Leah had been staying while in Chicago.

He hadn't been expecting to see Leah, sprawled across Patricks guest bed, like she always used to do after she would get home after a trip, when she had been with Jonathan. It tugged at his heartstrings. But Jonathan could swear that he saw the faintest of a smile on Leah's lips when she saw that it was in fact Jonathan who had knocked on his door. He hoped she couldn't hear his heart thumping.

Jonathan tried to look away from Leah, for fear that he would creep her out, but she looked so comfortable, so normal. Like for a minute they were friends again, maybe even lovers. But then in an uncomfortable voice, she said his name, and he knew he should just get to the point.

"I heard that you were staying in town."

Leah nodded her head, "Yeah, it was a good deal and I missed--" She faltered off, not knowing if she should just go ahead and say Jonathan, or if she should break both of their hearts and say the city, she didn't say anything.

Jonathan smiled slightly, "The pizza across the street from your apartment?"

Leah looked up to where Jonathan was standing, not yet looking into his until now and laughed, not the stupid awkward laughs that she had been doing around everybody lately. But a laugh that said she loved her life, "You have no idea." How much I missed you, her heart added silently, without her consent.

Jonathan looked into Leah's eyes, now that she was finally looking into his and faltered, they were still a beautiful calming ocean blue. Eyes that used to tell Jonathan everything that Leah was feeling, now they were blocked off, just blue orbs when Leah was around Jon.

"What's going to happen to the salon?"

Leah didn't remember telling Jonathan about opening a salon, she didn't even remember telling him about the L'Oreal deal, but the team had never been good at keeping secrets, "I'm going to keep it open, let my friend run it, and I'll check in on it every once in a while."

Jonathan frowned, "Are you going to open one here?"

Leah smiled, slightly, "Not enough money in the bank account," Jonathan looked at Leah, she was sad. It had been her dream to open a salon and now it was practically being ripped out from underneath her, "Some dreams are just too big, ya know?"

Jonathan bit his lip, he didn't really know since he had been living his dream for the past five years or so, apparently his dreams weren't too big, they were just in reach.

Leah looked around the messy room in front of her and realized that her flight was in just two hours and that she should probably start packing, "But hopefully I'll see you around the city, eh?"

Jonathan laughed, Leah wasn't canadian, but she used to always make fun of Jonathan for ending every single sentence with the word "eh." Jon opened the door, but before leaving the room he looked at Leah, "Yeah you will."

---------

Leah had been done packing over thirty minutes ago, and she should've been on the road to O'Hare ten minutes ago, but she was just sitting on Patricks bed. Just sitting there. Not doing anything, or even thinking anything.

Well technically that wasn't true. She was thinking about Jonathan and having second thoughts on if she should really move back to Chicago. She didn't want to have hopes of starting something, that she wouldn't actually be able to start. Maybe if she just explained to L'Oreal that she needed to stay in New York..

No you need to do this. You can make money doing this and then start another salon here. You'll be fine. Leah took a deep breath, thanking herself for the encouragement.

Patrick knocked on the door, "Leah we need to leave," Leah nodded her head, and then remembered that Patrick couldn't see her, "Yeah I'm coming."

She grabbed her one bag, knowing that the next time she came back to Chicago she would have her life packed up in boxes. If it could actually fit. Leah walked out of her temporary room, and towards where Patrick was standing at the door, keys in his hand.

He opened the front door, holding it open for Leah to pass through, and then looked down at the ground, picking up an envelope, "It's for you."

Leah looked at the scribbled writing and cursed to herself. She opened up the envelope, and pulled out a piece of paper that was folded in two, she read the scribbled hand writing on the first part of the paper:

Lee,

You're dreams aren't too big, don't worry. Thanks for staying.

Jon

Leah flipped open the piece of paper and gasped, but then started backing up against the door, not wanting Patrick to look. Leah read the words sprawled out in front of her:

Ms. Moore,

Thank you for buying from Chicago Reality, we are very hopeful that you'll love your new building, which we have been told will be space for a new salon.

If you have any questions please call us.

Barb Mahoney
Chicago Reality

Notes

:) Hopefully you guys like it.

xoxx