Suddenly I See

He flipped mindlessly through the channels, hoping something would catch his interest.It was going on eleven in the evening and at this rate, he’d be dragging himself to practice in the morning.He wasn’t tired, having tried to make himself go to sleep twice already to no avail.He knew part of the reason was because he was lying on his couch and not in his bed, but he didn’t want to move and risk waking Parker up, especially given his new found knowledge dealing with her sleeping problems.She’d been sleeping on him so soundly that he had to check to make sure she was breathing at one point.

His phone vibrated on the coffee table with a notification.Stretching his arm to the max, he slowly reached for the phone, again trying not to disturb Parker. The notification was from one of the trivia games he and his teammates played together, alerting him that Geno asked for a challenge.He opened the app and started the challenge, winning five of the six questions before they continued a regular game.He was so consumed in the game that he wasn’t aware his phone would make noise after every correct answer.He didn’t even realize he was reading the questions aloud.

“What is the largest bone in the human body?” he murmured quietly, scanning the four possibly answers before he pressed femur, be rewarded with a correct answer and another spin on the trivia wheel.

“How many innings are there in a standard Major League baseball game?That’s easy,” he mumbled as he correctly answered the question.

The wheel landed on art as a category, his least favorite and lowest correct answer average.

“Which WWII leader failed as an art student? Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, or Truman?”Wracking his brain back to any World War II discussion he had in school, he tried to remember any of the facts in the twenty five seconds he was allotted to answer the question.He was momentarily distracted when Parker started to stir, nuzzling against him in a way that he hadn’t expected or anticipated.Her face was in the crook of his neck, resting comfortably on his shoulder, but when she nuzzled into his neck, her nose and lips lightly grazed his skin, and that mixed with the breath of her exhales gave him goose bumps.She kneaded her fingers into his chest before caressing it simultaneously as her feet nestled and wove themselves in between his, all while she unconsciously readjusted, fast asleep. It stopped as soon as it started, opening his eyes once he realized they were closed.He stared at the ceiling, internally admonishing himself for the stirring of arousal he felt in that moment, his skin still tingling where her nose, lips, and breath caressed him in a way he hadn’t been touched in a while.He phone made a disgruntled noise as he ran out of time to answer the question.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath as he put his phone down on top of his chest, waiting for Geno to get a question wrong.He didn’t have long to focus on the television before he was alerted that it was his turn again.Spinning the trivia wheel, it landed on art, and he rolled his eyes.

“Which is the meaning of ‘Mesopotamia’ in Greek?” he whispered, and repeated the question as if reading it a second time would make the answer jump out.

“Between two rivers,” Parker mumbled sleepily against his neck, smiling and stifling laughter as he physically jumped when she spoke unexpectedly.“Hurry up and answer before you run out of time,” she giggled.

“Was I being too loud?” he asked as he put his phone down again.

“No,” she shook her head against him.“You were running your fingers up and down my back.”

He didn’t realize he was even doing it and felt a little embarrassed that he was absentmindedly doing such an intimate gesture without his own knowledge.It wasn’t something he did with Sara, and he didn’t know where it came from.

“What’s the next question?” She whispered.

He cleared his throat, settling in to play trivia with Parker against Geno.“Geography.‘What are the berg, the bise, and the bora?’Options are whirlpools, wastelands, waterfalls, or winds.”

“Berg, bise, and bora?” she concentrated aloud.“I think its either winds or waterfalls, but I’m not sure.I’m not great with geography,” she shrugged.

“Some help you are,” he teased, pinching her lightly on the hip, making her curl against him, laughing into his neck.

“I think its wind,” she says through laughter.

“Lucky guess,” he told her after he pressed “winds” and got the answer correct.

He answered a couple of sports questions correctly before the wheel landed on art again.“In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, who was the sole surviving pro…”

“Ralph,” she answered before he could finish the question or give her the options.

“Show off,” he muttered as he squeezed the ticklish part of her hip again, making her laugh and bow against him again.

“That question was easy.Give me a hard one.”

“Answer this.‘Which Canadian hockey team won the gold metal at the 2010 Winter Olympics?’Both men and women, men, women, or none of the above.”

Looking down, he watched her think about the possibilities, furrowing her brows together as she thought hard.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“You didn’t watch?” he asked as he answered the question correctly, spinning the wheel to the next category.

“I did, but I don’t remember.What was the answer?”

“I’m not telling you,” he smiled.“You’ll have to figure it out and tell me the next time we see each other.”

Sidney continued to play, unaware that Parker was quiet until he saw her hand wipe her cheek.Her cheek was shiny in the light of his cellphone screen.

“What’s wrong?”He purposely dropped his phone on the floor.

“I’m worried about Jersey,” she sniffled quietly.

Sidney didn’t know how to respond, so in the absence of words, he wrapped both arms around her and hugged her tighter against him, purposely running his thumb up and down her back in a soothing manner.They laid together, Sidney embracing Parker as she worried in his arms, for a while before he heard the slow, heavy breathing of sleep coming from Parker.Turning his gaze back toward the television, he flicked through more channels until his eyelids grew heavy, closing them for a moment before falling asleep.

“Fuck!”

The loud expletive jolted Sidney from his sleep, confused as to what was going on.He was in his apartment, it was still dark outside, and Parker was clumsily trying to climb over his from her spot on his couch.As she tried to get over him, she accidently put her knee on his lower abdomen, making him wince.

“Oww!”

“I’m sorry!” Parker exclaimed as she abruptly removed her knee, only to lose balance and head butt him, causing him to grunt loudly in pain.She instantly reared back from the collusion, instinctively trying to soothe Sidney from wherever she hit him, only to poke him in the eye above the already bruised cheek.

“Parker!Stop moving!” he said forcefully to get her attention.He didn’t understand why she was in a panic, but she couldn’t see that she was literally wedged between him and the couch cushions, and his eye and cheek were throbbing with pain from the head butt.“You’re trapped in between me and the couch.Let me help you,” Sidney said in a softer tone.Rising himself, he held a hand out for her, leading her to the floor.

“Are you ok?” she asked concernedly.

“I’ll be ok.I’m used to having black eyes.”

“Why is that?”She looked thoroughly confused but intrigued.

“Growing up playing hockey… recreationally.Pucks or sticks to the face are pretty common.”His explanation sounded unconvincing as he sounded rushed and put on the spot for an answer, but she didn’t look skeptical.

“Now, why the rush to get up?”

“I’m late for work and Meara will be here to pick me up any minute,” Parker explained as she tried to contain her mild panic.“I think I can get downstairs on my own.”

Slipping on his flip flops, he quickly took hold of Parker’s hand and walked her out of his apartment, swiftly walking toward the stairs.

“Sidney, wait… I,”

He knew she probably felt uncomfortable going down the stairs, especially at his face past.Without any warning, he picked her up, startling her as she gripped onto his shoulders and shirt, and ran down the stairs with her, putting her back on her feet when he reached the door to her floor.He pulled her quickly to her door, watching her keys out of her pocket.She opened her door and hesitated on walking in, and he wasn’t sure if she was afraid to go in because of what happened the night before, or if her reluctance was because of something else entirely.Parker turned to face him abruptly, her face full of gratitude, expectation, and something else.She held out her hand, and he took it into his as if he’d been doing it for years, as if it was second nature.She moved very close to him, never letting go of his hand until it traveled up his arm and over his shoulder, feeling for his face.Her hand spread across his cheek where she hit him earlier, but he was so enrapture in what she was doing that he didn’t mind, and if it hurt, he couldn’t feel it.

“I’ll never be able to fully thank you for all that you’ve done for Jersey and I.I’m not sure what I did to deserve a friend like you.”

“I could say the same thing,” he said as he grasped her hand that was resting on his cheek.

Leaning in, Parker moved her thumb, and at first Sidney didn’t know what she was doing until she swept it lightly over his lips.She leaned in further, lips parted, and he thought she was going to kiss him, but as her lips came within centimeters of his, she frowned slightly and moved her lips to his opposing cheek, kissing it lightly before she turned to walk into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

Parker got ready in record time, putting on her flats as her doorbell sounded.Opening her door, she was greeted by Meara, who made a disgusted noise as she walked in.

“Why does it smell like death in here?”

“Because Jersey got into my sleeping medication and vomited all over the guest bedroom.I’ll explain later,” Parker huffed exhaustedly.

“Is she ok?” Meara asked apprehensively.

“No.She’s being hospitalized for acute renal failure.They’re rerunning labwork later today to see if her IV fluids have turned around the damage done.”

“I’m so sorry, Park.”Meara pulled Parker into a hug.“Maybe you should call out today.I’m sure the principal would understand,” she suggested as she rubbed Parker’s shoulder.

“I need the distraction,” Parker smiled weakly as she grabbed her coat and walking stick, motioning for the two of them to leave.

The ride was silent, and Parker knew the questions would start at any moment.Their rides to school were never quiet, always filled with conversations about anything and everything.Parker hoped Meara would assume her quietness was due to Jersey’s absence, when in reality, she was flustered with her current dilemma.She was going on a date with Kevin that evening, and didn’t know if she should cancel or not, given that she was seconds and centimeters away from kissing Sidney only twenty minutes prior.

“What’s going on upstairs?” Meara asked on cue.

“I’m going on a date tonight.”

“With who?”Meara asked excitedly.

“Kevin,” Parker muttered unenthusiastically.

“You sound beyond thrilled,” Meara laughed sarcastically.

“I was when he asked originally, but I’m not sure anymore,” Parker sighed.“I’m taken with someone else, and I think he likes me, too.”

“Date both of them and see who you like more,” Meara suggested as she pulled into the school parking lot, putting the car in park.

“I’ve already been with Kevin.The other guy is completely different.He doesn’t make me feel abnormal.He respects my boundaries to do things on my own, and even when he doesn’t, I don’t mind because I don’t feel handicapped around him.He walked in on me trying to get Jersey out of the apartment and took control right away without any hesitation.It’s actually the second time he’s come to my rescue when it comes to Jersey.”

“I think you just made up your mind.”

“I actually made up my mind this morning when he walked me back to my apartment and I almost kissed him, switching to his cheek at the last minute when I remembered Kevin.”

“What’s his name?” Meara asked, glee evident in her voice.

“Sidney,” Parker responded with a smile.

“What does he do?”

“Something with ice skates,” Parker responds as she pulls her scarf tighter around her neck.

“Parker, you’re not talking about Sidney Crosby, are you?”

Parker’s laugh was loud and hearty, one that could probably be heard outside of the car.She was gripping her stomach as the full belly laughter started to hurt.“Meara, don’t be ridiculous!Crosby is probably happily married and living in the affluent suburbs, not living at an apartment building spending his spare time with me.The Sidney I’m referring to manufactures skates and is not the captain of the Penguins.”Parker started laughing again as she opened the door and extended her walking stick, shutting the door as she walked toward the administration door opening.

“What’s up with you, man?” Marc asked Sidney with a swing of his stick against his leg pads.“You’re quiet and brooding, clearly distracted.And what’s with the bruise on your face?”

“I didn’t sleep well last night,” Sidney said cryptically as he practiced a new move he’d been cultivating.

“Finally back in the game?” Marc wiggled his eyebrows suggestively with a large grin.Sidney looked at him but didn’t respond physically or mentally to the lewd comment.“I got hit in the face this morning.”

“Here?” Marc asked him confusedly.

“No.At my apartment,” he shot the puck forcefully into the net.Skating to get another puck, he noticed Marc’s bewildered facial expression.

“Parker stayed the night and head butted me this morning by accident when she tried to get up.She was stuck between me and the couch,” he explained quietly, trying not to cause any unwanted attention from his other teammates.

“She stayed the night?” Marc said in disbelief.

“It’s not like that.Her guide dog is sick and she didn’t want to be alone.”Could it be like that?He remembered their morning, how he felt before, during, and after their very intimate moment at her door.It started with the innocent nuzzling into his neck and body as she slept, continuing to the way she felt her way from his hand to his face, the way she felt for his lips with her thumb drove him wild.Walking back to his apartment, he was disappointed she didn’t kiss him.Before he realized it, he was recounting the entire night and morning to Marc as he was thinking it.

“Dude, she was probably waiting for you to go in for the kill and you stalled.She kissed your cheek to lighten the blow.Smooth,” Marc shook his head reproachfully smile.

“You’re probably right,” Sidney muttered as he distractedly fiddled with his stick.

“She still doesn’t know who you are, does she?”

“I don’t think so.She’d never alluded to knowing,” Sidney shrugged as he put his weight on his stick.

“I can see that going over really well when she realizes the ice skate manufacturer gimmick was a lie.You’ve got to tell her the truth.Shit or get off the pot, man,” Marc shoved him amiably as the coach called the beginning of practice.

“Is everything ok, Ms. Fisher?”

The question caught Parker off guard as she pulled her head from its resting place on her hand.

“Everything is fine, Gemma,” Parker smiled unconvincingly at her student.

“You never allow free periods.You seem… off… like you’re sad.”

“My guide dog isn’t well,” Parker admitted to appease Gemma’s inquiring mind.That and she was thoroughly confused and exhausted about what she should do with the Sidney and Kevin situation.

“I hope she gets better,” Gemma said sincerely, and Parker smiled appreciatively in return.“I wanted to give this to you for Christmas,” Gemma explained as she put an envelope on top of Parker’s hand.

“Gemma, you know you don’t have to give me anything,” Parker smiled uncomfortably.

“I know, but you’re my favorite teacher and my dad and I couldn’t use them.”

Parker opened the envelope and pulled out two flashcard sized pieces of paper with a glossy finish.They felt like tickets of some sort.She looked up at Gemma expectantly.

“They’re Pens tickets.Section 122 on the glass.”

“Gemma, this is too much.You didn’t need to buy these for me.A coffee mug would’ve sufficed.”

“Ms. Fisher, my dad has season tickets and we’ll be out of town.Please take them.”

“Thank you,” Parker said with a genuine smile, putting them in her purse.She thought about whom she could take with her, and only one person popped into her mind as a suitable companion.She’d ask Sidney if he wanted to join her.

“Gemma,” Parker called for Gemma to return, “You’re an avid hockey fan.Which Canadian hockey team won the gold metal at the 2010 Olympics?”

“Both the men’s and women’s teams,” Gemma told her before the bell rang, indicating the end of the school day.Pulling out her cellphone, she initiated her voice to text option.

“Both the men and women Canadian hockey teams won gold at the 2010 Olympics.I’ll take my next trivia question at any time,” she spoke into her phone.Smiling to herself, she couldn’t wait for Sidney to read it.

Notes