Nicki tried to get ready as quietly as she could. She realized that showering would wake up Lisa and Zach, so she washed her face and ran some baby powder through her hair to absorb any oil, a trick that she had learned from her grandmother. She gently braided her hair to the left side of her head, and let a few pieces fall loose to frame her face. It didn't look so bad. But her red, swollen face was an issue.

She ran back into the kitchen and rummaged through Lisa's fridge. She and Zach were health nuts. Nicki was bound to find something that could help her. She grabbed a cucumber out of the crisper drawer and cut it into thin circles. She brought them over to the couch, laid down, and placed them all over her face, paying special attention to her eyes.

A beep snapped her out of her slumber. She cursed loudly. God damnit. She'd fallen asleep. Her phone vibrated.

"Give me five minutes. Sorry!" Nicki tossed her phone on the couch and bolted up the stairs, two at a time.

She had no makeup. She tiptoed into Lisa's room and into their adjoining bathroom. In the first drawer in the vanity she found concealer, mascara, and blush. It was much less than she usually used, but it would have to do. She tried to cover up the dark circles underneath her eyes. Suprisingly, that was the only battle scar she had after drinking so much the night before. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. She was still in last night's clothes.

Nicki ran out of the apartment. She saw a black BMW idling in the street. Was that him? She realized she had no idea what kind of car he drove. The tinted passenger window rolled down, revealing Tyler in the driver's seat.

She started walking over. He got out of the car and went around to open her door for her. No one had ever done that. Before getting in, she glanced at him. He was looking down at her, with those brown eyes of his. Those flawless brown eyes...

"Thank you. For getting the door, I mean," Nicki said, clearing her throat. Her voice still sounded like a stranger's.

He closed the door gently and walked back around to the driver's side. Nicki was all too aware of him sitting only inches away from her.

* * * * * * * * *

Tyler pulled into the parking lot.

"Really? IHOP? This is where the big bad Bruins go for breakfast?" Nicki said with a chuckle.

"Don't laugh. It's my favorite. It's the only place that lets me eat as many pancakes as I want," he said. It was true.

She was still smiling at him. He saw that she was still in her clothes from yesterday. The darkness under her eyes sold her out, she clearly had not slept at all. Despite the lack of sleep, there was a glow radiating from her skin, and her cheeks were perfectly flushed. She was a pretty girl. Not what Tyler was used to, but pretty. He usually leaned more towards bleach blondes with boobs bigger than their heads. That was what he liked. But there was something about Nicki that drew him in. Maybe it was her soft, chocolate brown eyes. He noticed the way the sun lit them up whenever it shined in her face.

"Well then let's get some friggen pancakes. I'm starving," she said as she opened her door and got out of the car.

Tyler pushed his thoughts away and joined her. For a Sunday morning, IHOP was pretty deserted. They walked up to the hostess.

"Two please," he said politely.

The girl picked up two menus and said, "Right this way."

They got seated and ordered drinks. Tyler got a coffee, Nicki an orange juice. She picked up her menu and started looking it over. He watched a few pieces of hair fall lightly in front of her face as she moved her head. She looked up at him.

"What, you already know what you want?"

"I always get the same thing, all you can eat pancakes. Nothing like a good pancake. Or fifteen," he said, hoping to make her laugh. It worked.

"Okay then, I think I'll get the same. I could probably eat everything in their kitchen right now."

They waited for their server in silence.

"So, I don't want to pry or anything, but what's this about? I'm guessing it isn't because you wanted to see my shining face," Nicki said, sarcastically.

Tyler took a breath. He knew that he couldn't put it off forever. "Nicki. About last night," she held up a hand for him to stop, but he kept going, "I am so sorry. I was such a jerk. That isn't me, I swear. I can't believe I acted like that. I was just, well, hurt. I'm not used to getting rejected. But that is no excuse. And I know that. I just want to make it up to you. You've had enough problems, you don't need someone who was supposed to cheer you up bringing you down. I really am sorry."

To emphasize his apology, he gently placed his hand over hers. To his surprise, she squeezed her hand around his. Her skin was soft and warm. A few seconds later, she leaned back and released her grip.

"Thank you for apologizing. I'm sorry I hurt you. I guess when Mark died a wall went up, and I haven't figured out how to tear," she was interrupted by their waitress.

"OH. MY. GOD. Are you Tyler Seguin?" She stared at him with huge eyes and an open mouth. He was wondering how long it would take for someone to recognize him.

He rolled his eyes at Nicki before turning to the waitress. "I am. If you keep your voice down and don't mention it to anyone else, I'll take a picture with you before I leave. How's that sound?" He would literally do anything to get her to go away.

She bobbed her head up and down quickly and took out her notepad to take their orders.

"Can we get two of the all you can eat pancakes, please?" He waited for her to write it down, even though he imagined any dumbass could remember that. "Oh, and can you pack an extra twenty of them to go?"

Nicki gave him a look. He assumed that she was surprised that he ordered for her friends. He was trying his hardest to make up for the way he had treated her.

"Jesus, that must suck. How do you deal with people constantly up your ass like that?" Nicki asked him.

"You know, it is still really humbling to have so many fans. At first, it was the coolest thing in the world. I couldn't get enough of it. But after a while, you just kind of want to live your life, ya know?" She nodded. "So what were you saying before?"

"Nothing. I was rambling." She shied away from his question. She didn't want to talk about it.

"No, you weren't. You were talking about how you put up a wall. And that's exactly what you're doing right now. Come on, tell me what you're thinking. You'll feel a lot better," he pleaded. He knew what it was like to keep things inside.

She hung her head low, ashamed. She spoke in a whisper, "When he died... I wanted to die." Tyler could tell this was the first time she had said it out loud. "The pain was unbearable. And it wasn't just emotional. It was physical, real pain. It was like someone was piling weights on my chest, crushing me. And I think my body couldn't handle it. So it shut down. The last few months, I haven't felt anything. Not happiness, not sadness. Just numbness."

For a moment, Tyler felt her pain. He had no idea what to say to her. He placed his hand over hers again. This time, she didn't move it away.

She looked up and started speaking again. "Until yesterday. When Dougie held up that jersey, I felt happy. And when I talked to you at the bar, I felt something. Warmth.. closeness. I felt like I could trust you, Tyler." She tried to smile at him, but it got stuck halfway, weighted down with grief.

"You can trust me. I promise," he said, matching her with a weak smile of his own. He wanted her to trust him. He wanted to be there for her, to comfort her.

The giddy waitress rounded the corner with their food. Tyler clapped his hands together, ready to dig in.

"Thanks sweetheart," he said to her. He watched her face light up like a kid on Christmas morning. She had not once spared a glance in Nicki's direction. Her full attention was devoted to Tyler.

"Anything else you need?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.

"I'm all set. You need anything, Nicki?" He asked her, watching the waitress look at her for the first time, glaring. He wondered if she had even noticed that he was here with someone else.

Nicki shook her head and started to cut her pancakes into little pieces. The waitress smiled at him one last time before walking away.

"You really have a way with the ladies," Nicki joked.

Tyler laughed. "Yeah, I like to think so." He took a bite of his pancakes, after drenching them in maple syrup. There was something still nagging at him. "Hey, I just have one question. Last night, when you said you thought we wanted different things. What did you mean by that?"

She stopped cutting her pancakes and placed her knife and fork on the sides of her plate. She hesistated, not wanting to answer.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but.. Correct me if I'm wrong, you don't really strike me as the type of person who is looking for a relationship. And I'm not the type of person looking for meaningless sex. So if there was something between us, I guess I just meant that I didn't think it would work out."

He didn't know that she could see through him like that. Was he that transparent?

"No, you're right. And I was an idiot for thinking that you were that kind of person. You're much better than that. But if we don't want the same thing, then where does that leave us?" Tyler feared her response. He knew that she wouldn't sleep with him, but he still cared about her.

She took her first bite of pancake, chewing slowly while she thought. "I'm not sure. Tyler, you are a really amazing guy. I'm not sure if you even see how great you are. And I'm so happy that I got to meet you," her voice cracked and she stopped. "You know what? I don't see why we can't just be friends. I've already opened up to you more than I have to anyone else, even my family. We clearly have something here."

Her answer relieved Tyler. He didn't want to lose her. She'd only stepped into his life a day ago, but she had already become an important part of it.

"Friends sounds just right," he said.