At 5:30 Tyler decided it was time to get out of bed. He had been trying to sleep since midnight, and so far had not fallen asleep once. He threw the covers off of himself and walked across the room to his dresser. He pulled on a pair of gym shorts and a sweatshirt. He went to the kitchen to get some water.

When he got into the hallway, he noticed that all of the lights were on in the apartment. He found Freddy in the kitchen, looking worse than Tyler felt. He had his head in his hands, staring down at a thick textbook. He looked up when he heard footsteps.

“Dude what are you doing up? It’s like five in the morning,” he asked Tyler.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he responded as he opened the fridge.

“I’m sorry we got in a fight last night. I was really on edge the whole day. I was a jerk.”

Tyler stopped mid pour and placed their Brita filter on the counter.

“It’s alright. I can’t stay mad at you. But I’m serious about Nicki. We are just friends. And nothing else. I can’t go there.”

“You can’t, or you won’t?” Freddy asked. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about it. I guess I just thought the two of you had chemistry, that’s all. And she looked seriously happy with you. Which is saying a lot for someone who went through what she did.”

“I won’t go there. I don’t even think she likes me like that. I don’t care.”

“So you won’t care if I ask her out on a date?”

Tyler glared at him. “Are you serious? No, I don’t give a shit. Go ahead.”

“Okay,” Freddy said, “Give me her number.”

Tyler went in his room to get his phone. What the hell was he trying to do? Make him jealous? They were just friends. Still, a part of him didn’t want to give Freddy her phone number. He doubted that she would even say yes. He grabbed his phone and went back to the kitchen. He gave Freddy her number.

“I’ll call right now,” he said.

“Are you crazy? It’s not even six yet!”

“Listen Ty. This girl probably doesn’t sleep much. And if I wake her up, I’m sure she’ll forgive me. Plus I have to leave at seven and won’t be back until late tonight.”

Tyler pulled out a chair and sat down, wanting to see what Nicki would say to him. Freddy put the phone on speaker.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded three octaves deeper than normal.

“Nicki? It’s Freddy. Tyler’s roommate.”

“What? Is he okay?” She asked. She woke up awfully fast.

“Oh, yeah, he’s fine. Sorry to call this early, did I wake you up?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s the first time I’ve slept through the night in God knows how long,” she responded.

Freddy raised an eyebrow at Tyler, as if he was trying to tell him something. He didn’t know what he was trying to get at.

“I was just wondering if you wanted to go out on a date with me.”

“What?” She asked, confused.

“Yeah, I wanted to know if you’d go out with me sometime. Maybe tomorrow night?”

“I have a game,” Tyler mouthed. They were playing the Penguins tomorrow. He thought Freddy was coming.

“I know,” he mouthed back.

“Uh.. yeah, I guess. Sure. You aren’t going to watch Tyler play?”

“Well I figured I have an extra ticket, maybe you could come with me and we could get dinner first,” Tyler had to give it to him, he was smooth. He came right out with it.

“That sounds fun,” she said.

“Great! I’ll pick you up at 4:30?”

“That works. I’ll see you then, Freddy.”

She hung up the phone.

“Good for you, man,” Tyler said. “I’m going for a run.”

He grabbed his running shoes from the welcome mat and left.

** * * * *

Friday, 4:30 P.M.

Freddy pulled up in front of the tan house labeled #42. He beeped twice to let Nicki know that he was there. It took her less than a minute to come out of her house. She looked gorgeous. He couldn’t believe Tyler wasn’t all over her. She was wearing skinny jeans, stiletto heels, and a black leather jacket. She didn’t strike him as the leather jacket type. It was sexy.

When she got into the car, he noticed her even more. Her dark eye makeup made her eyes look deep, and a little mysterious. She had the slightest bit of pink lip gloss on her lips. She reached across to give him an awkward hug. She smelled amazing.

“Hi Freddy. It’s nice to see you again,” she said.

“Yeah, you too. You look beautiful.”

“Wow, thank you. That means a lot.” She smiled at him.

He was having a hard time concentrating. But he couldn’t sabotage his plan.

“So, what made you want to ask me out?” Nicki asked him.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Tyler made it very clear that you guys were just friends, so I didn’t think I was overstepping any boundaries or anything,” he answered, only being half honest with her.

“No,” she assured him, “Not at all. We’re just friends.”

He could tell from her tone of voice that she wished things were different.

“Good then. So, wanna pick a song?” He handed her his iPod. He didn’t want to bring anything up until they had already gotten into Boston. He didn’t want her to be able to change her mind.

They spent the remainder of the car ride talking about music. She was actually a really cool girl. They liked a lot of the same music, too. In Freddy’s experience, there was no stronger bond than music.

“Is this where we’re eating?” Nicki asked, noticing that Freddy was slowing down in front of Joe’s American Bar and Grille.

“Yeah, I hope that’s okay. They have the best burgers here, and it isn’t too far from the Garden.”

“No, that’s awesome. I’ve only been to this one once; we sat outside, overlooking the water. It’s so beautiful this time of day.”

Freddy was glad she liked his choice. Although she seemed like the kind of girl that would have been happy with just about anything. He had a hard time believing that this was the same girl who, according to Tyler, lost her boyfriend just months after losing her mother.

He left the car with the valet and walked up to the hostess table.

“Fred Bender. I made a reservation for two.”

“Follow me,” the hostess said.

“You made a reservation?” Nicki asked. “You’re the greatest!”

She would be even happier when she saw what table he reserved.

“You got the best table in the place! Freddy, this is awesome,” she exclaimed, hugging him before she sat down.

He smiled and looked out over the water. She was right, it was beautiful this time of day. The sky was turning a deep range of colors, from purple to orange. The water, even though it was filthy, reflected the colors. It was these moments that made Freddy love being alive.

“Wow,” Nicki said as she gazed at the sky.

He was glad he could make her happy. She deserved it.

“Hi, I’m Ken. I’ll be your server tonight,” their waiter said. Neither of them noticed that he was there until he spoke. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’ll take a beer,” Freddy said, pulling out his I.D.

“A water for me, thanks,” Nicki said.

They looked over their menus while they waited for their drinks.

“Do you know what you’re getting?” Freddy asked her.

“Yeah, I come to Joe’s all the time. I always get the chicken club,” she said.

He nodded and looked back to his menu. He was going to get a burger, he just had to decide what kind.

Ken placed their drinks on the table. “Are you all set to order?” He looked at Nicki first.

“I’ll have the chicken club, light on the mayo, please. Thanks,” she said. She was so polite.

Ken looked at Freddy. “I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger, medium, with cheddar.”

They handed their menus to Ken and he walked away.

“Now that I have you here, there’s something I need to confess,” said Freddy.

Nicki looked at him curiously. “What is it?”

“There’s another reason I asked you out on a date.” He paused for dramatic effect. “I know you have feelings for Tyler.”

She blushed and looked away.

“And I know that he has feelings for you, too.”

“What? No he doesn’t. He..” Freddy cut her off.

“Yes, he does. He just won’t admit it. I think he’s in denial. I mean, he knows that he wants to get you in bed. But he hasn’t realized yet that there’s more to it.”

“What did he tell you?” Nicki asked. He had gotten her interest.

“He didn’t have to tell me anything. I can see it. Neither of you is very good at covering up your feelings. Seriously. The first time I saw you, you two were all pretzel-ed up on the couch. And the way he feels like it’s his job to take care of you? You don’t feel that way about someone you just want to have sex with.”

She blushed again. She gets embarrassed easily.

“So, the reason I asked you out was to get you in on my plan.”

“What plan?”

“Well, it’s in the early stages. But I’m going to try my hardest to get you two together. I wanted to make sure that it was okay with you first. I don’t care if it’s okay with him. I know what’s good for him,” he said.

“I want to tell you not to… but I can’t. You’re right, I do have feelings for him. And if there is any chance that he feels even an ounce of what I do, I think it’s worth it.” She said, eyes sparkling with hope.

“I’m glad you’re on board,” he said.

He loved helping his friends. Tyler didn’t see it yet, but Nicki was perfect for him. Hell, she was perfect for anyone. But she deserved to get what she wanted, and that was Tyler. Freddy was going to make him see, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

“So what’s phase one?” She joked.

“We are currently initiating phase 1: Make Tyler jealous. Asking you out was the first step. I could tell he wasn’t happy, but he wouldn’t admit it. Then I’ll bring you to the game tonight. If we’re all over each other, it will eat away at him. It’s just a bonus that you look this hot. He’s a sucker for a girl in a leather jacket.”

“Ha, well thank you Freddy. I didn’t know that about him,” she said.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about him. And whatever he won’t tell you, I will.”

They shared a laugh. Their situation was ridiculous.

“I hope this works,” Nicki said.

“Me too.”

He sincerely hoped that it did.

* * * * * *

“Come on Seguin, hustle for Christ’s sake!” Claude screamed.

Tyler had just given away the puck during four-on-fours. Twice. Thank God it was just practice.

Brad skated over to him, followed by Milan.

“What’s going on Segs? You’re all over the place,” Brad said.

“Ugh, it’s nothing. Just having a hard time getting my head in it,” he answered.

“Well get your friggen head in it. We’re counting on you tonight, man,” Milan said. “If your line doesn’t produce, we’re absolutely screwed.

They skated away. He couldn’t tell them he was frustrated because his roommate was on a date with Nicki. It would make it seem like he liked her.

He skated over to the bench and watched a few fans fill up the stands.

“Alright boys, that’s a wrap! Locker room, now!” Claude shouted from across the ice.

Tyler made his way to the tunnel, head down. He needed to find a way to concentrate.

** * * * * *

Nicki followed Freddy to their seats. They had box seats, but chose to sit in the first row of the private bleachers to ensure that Tyler would see them during the game.

“You ready to put on the show of your life?” Freddy asked her.

“Aw, Freddy, I really don’t have to try that hard. You’re an awesome guy,” she said, smiling at him.

“Thank you. Too bad you’re the only girl who thinks so,” he said, letting a bit of self consciousness slip out.

“Don’t say that! I bet plenty of girls have crushes on you. You play hockey, play the guitar, sing, you’re in good shape. You’re funny. And you’re attractive. You’re basically what every girl wants.” She said, trying to boost his confidence. It was all true.

“Again, thanks. You’re so nice. I guess it’s more like me being picky because I want to find the right girl. I look at the girls Tyler brings ho-,” he stopped. “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s alright. I’m perfectly aware of the way he is. That was part of the reason why I didn’t let him kiss me that night at the bar. I knew then that I liked him. And I didn’t want to be another girl that he would get with and then forget. So the girls he brings home?”

“They’re so trashy. Sure, they’re beautiful as anything. But looks can only go so far. They all have terrible personalities and don’t know how to have fun without being drunk and sucking on some guy’s dick,” he said. “Sorry. I keep forgetting you’re a girl. I have to be polite around you.”

“Fuck it,” she said, giggling.

“See? That’s what I mean. Most girls would have either been offended by what I said or would get offended when I thought that I offended them.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I only have one friend who’s a girl,” she said. “Don’t worry Freddy. I owe you big time for this. We’ll find you a genuine girl. I promise.”

Just as she said that, the lights went down in the Garden, and the music started playing.

“Alright, here comes Tyler. I’m gonna put my arm around you, okay? When he looks over, we’ll wave.”

She nodded as he slipped his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against his. She looked for number 19. She saw him skate out, and the nerves kicked in. What if he hated her for this?

** * * * * *

Tyler blasted out onto the ice. Claude’s pregame speech gave him the incentive he needed. He hated the Penguins. He turned whatever emotions he had into anger. He looked towards the section of the Garden that Nicki and Freddy would be sitting. He found them. They were in the front row of the box seat stands. He had his arm around her. When they saw him, they waved. He lifted his stick a little off the ice.

It bothered him enough that Freddy took her out. Now he has to be all over her, at his game? Not cool. She was his friend, and Freddy had to respect that. He looked over again. They were standing up. It was then that he really saw Nicki. Her curled hair swung back and forth as she moved. She was wearing heels that made her legs look five feet long, and a black leather jacket. She was stunning.

Tyler felt a shooting pain in his left calf. He grabbed his leg and looked around. Someone hit him with a puck. Adam McQuaid came up next to him.

“Sorry Segs, I didn’t mean to hit you,” he said.

“It’s cool. I shouldn’t have been standing here anyways.”

He needed to regain his focus. He got control of the puck that hit him and drove towards the goal, slapping it in.

** * * * * *

“He is so amazing...” Nicki said as she watched Tyler score on Tuuka. She was entirely lost in her own world.

“So what is it that you like about him so much?” Freddy asked.

She was not expecting him to ask her that. She thought about what to say.

“First and foremost, I think he’s the most attractive man I’ve ever met. But like you said earlier, looks only get you so far. And before I met him, I just figured he was some jerk who had a reputation for getting around. So many girls like him, you know? It’s hard to imagine that he wouldn’t indulge in that a little bit. When we met, I saw a different side of him. Especially when we went out that night. He told me about his tattoo, and I told him things about myself. It had been a while since I felt that close to a guy. I just couldn’t stop thinking about him. But deep down I knew that we just couldn’t have anything.”

“What changed your mind about that?” He asked.

“On Wednesday, after I freaked out. I didn’t know who else to call. So I called him. And that entire day he was so great. He did everything he could to make me feel better. And it worked. When he said he wanted to cuddle, I was nervous. I didn’t want to get my heart broken. Not again. But the second he put his arm around me, I just kind of knew,” she said.

“Knew what?”

She sighed and closed her eyes. “That I was falling in love with him.”

** * * * * *

“Seguin! Get in there and score a freaking goal!” Claude screamed.

Tyler grasped his stick and sped out onto the ice. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. He was ready. As soon as he got out, Brad sent the puck gliding towards him. He barely had time to react. He charged towards the Penguin’s goalie and faked a shot. He pushed the puck over to Brad, who wound up and shot. It bounced off of one of the player’s skates and slowed. Tyler was already moving in on it. He shot the puck at the upper right-hand corner of the net. He heard the siren going off before he realized that the puck had gone in. The guys on his line rushed up to him. Maybe being angry was working out for him.

** * * * * * *

“Are you sure we can do this?” Nicki asked Freddy.

“Yeah, all of the security guards know me. I do it after every game,” he said as he led her towards the Bruins’ locker room.

They got to the hallway outside. Freddy could hear Claude still giving his post game speech. They waited for the doors to open. Brad and Nathan were the first two to come out of the locker room.

“Hey Freddy! Been a while, bro!” Brad greeted him. He looked at Nicki. “Hey Nicki, good to see you again. How the hell did you two meet?”

“Ty brought her over to our place the other day, h-,” Freddy never got to finish what he was saying.

Tyler walked out of the locker room, and Nicki went right over to him.

“Congrats on the win!” She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Thanks,” he said, hugging her back.

“I didn’t know that they were friends,” Brad said.

“He never told you guys?” Freddy wasn’t surprised.

“Nope. Are they like, together or something?”

“No, actually. I took her out on a date tonight. He swears to me that they’re just friends.”

They both looked at Tyler and Nicki.

Brad scoffed. “And you believe him?”

“Absolutely not. Look at them,” said Freddy.

“So why on earth did you take her on a date?”

“It’s all part of the plan,” he said.

“What plan?”

** * * * * *

“So how was your date?” Tyler asked Nicki.

“It was a lot of fun, actually. Freddy’s really cool,” she responded.

“Yeah, he is.” He paused. “Do you like him?”

His question caught Nicki off guard. What was she supposed to say? She didn’t think she could lie to him.

“As friends, yeah. I think that’s what this whole thing was.”

She just ruined whatever plan Freddy had. But the look on his face when he asked her if she liked him was unbearable. He looked so hurt. And he looked so relieved when she said he was only a friend. She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt.

“I’m glad you had fun. So what are you guys doing now?” He asked.

“Um, I don’t think we have any plans. I think I might just go home,” she said.

“Well I’m not going out tonight, I’m way too sore. You can come over if you want. I’m sure Freddy would like that.”

She glanced around the hallway, looking for Freddy. She spotted him talking quietly to Brad.

“Okay. I’ll catch a ride with him. See you soon.”

She walked over to Freddy and Brad. She caught only the end of what they were talking about.

“There she is!” Freddy said. “What’s up?”

“What were you two just talking about?” She asked.

“We were discussing what we’re gonna do tonight,” he responded.

“Don’t lie to me. You were telling him about…”

“Shh. He’s right over there. Yeah, okay I was filling Marchy in. I need as many soldiers as I can get. But we really were talking about what to do tonight, too.”

“Tyler said he isn’t going out. He invited me to come over. He said he figured you would want me to.”

“Oh, this is perfect,” Freddy said, thinking.

“Why?” Brad and Nicki asked at the same time.

“Because, he set up phase two of our plan for us. I’ll take you to our place, and when he gets there I’ll tell him I’m going out. Then it will just be the two of you. Tell him that we’re just friends,”

“I already did,” Nicki said. “He asked if I liked you. And I said as a friend.”

Brad and Freddy looked at each other and nodded.

“Initiating phase two,” Freddy said with a smile.

** * * * * *

It took Tyler double the usual amount of time and effort to get up the stairs to his apartment. He had a rough game. He took a few hard hits, and spent most of the game throwing himself in front of the puck. He made it to the landing and saw that their door was slightly ajar. He walked in.

Brad, Nicki, and Freddy were sitting around the island in the kitchen, laughing about something. Marshall was lying underneath Nicki’s feet.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked. He didn’t know why Brad was there.

“Hey Segs! Freddy’s my plus one for tonight,” Brad said, winking at Freddy.

“Weird,” said Tyler.

“Really though, I’m going out with some of the guys. We’re leaving now. Rest up Ty!” Freddy said, gathering his jacket.

“Are you going with them?” Tyler asked Nicki.

“Nah, I don’t really feel like going out. They were gonna drop me off on their way.”

“You can stay here if you want to,” he offered.

He saw Brad and Freddy exchange looks. What the hell was that about?

“Yeah, okay,” she said.

“We should get going,” Brad said. “See ya later guys.”

He patted Tyler roughly on the shoulder and walked out the door. Freddy followed.

“I had a great time today, Nicki,” he said.

“Me too.”

When they left, Tyler tried to take a seat at the island. He couldn’t get himself up onto the stool, and gave up. He groaned, frustrated.

“What’s wrong?” Nicki asked.

“Just a lot of aches and pains tonight. I’ll be fine.”

“Can you get over to the couch okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You should lie down,” she said, concerned. “If you tweak something your coach is going to be pissed.”

He nodded. She was right. He made his way slowly towards the couch. He collapsed face down, his body taking up the entire straight part of the sofa. He tried to move so that Nicki would have somewhere to sit, but his body wouldn’t have it.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I really don’t think I can move.”

He turned his head to look at her. She put her hands on her hips.

“Do you have any baby oil?” She asked.

“No. Actually… Check Freddy’s room. He has all kinds of chick stuff.”

Why was she asking about baby oil?

“Ha! No way. You were right. He has some,” she said from down the hallway.

Her heels made a clunking noise on the floor as she came back. The noise got Marshall’s attention, and he got up from the kitchen floor and plopped down on the rug near Tyler. He let his arm fall limply onto his dog.

“Where does it hurt?” Nicki asked as she reached him.

“Everywhere.”

“Hear me out, okay? My aunt used to own a spa, and I worked for her for a summer. I had to take a masseuse class. I know what I’m doing. I’m gonna fix you,” she said, laughing. He probably looked pathetic right about now.

He didn’t see anything wrong with the idea. And even if he did, he was in way too much pain to deny her offer.

“Mmkay,” he said. “Just please don’t hurt me.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.” She laughed again. “I’m gonna have to sit on your butt since you didn’t leave me any room.”

“But that hurts too.”

“You’ll be fine,” she said.

He felt her climb on top of him. He could tell she was taking extra care to be gentle. She grabbed the ends of his tee shirt and pulled it up, exposing his back.

“Oh my God! What the hell happened to you? You have bruises everywhere!”

“That’s what happens when you’re a professional hockey player,” he said.

“You poor thing.”

She ran her hands up the length of his back. He started to trust her more. She wouldn’t hurt him.

“I need your help getting your shirt off,” she said.

He raised his arms as much as he could. She struggled, but eventually got it off. He felt the oil on his back.

“Jesus H. Christ! It’s so cold!” He hated anything cold.

“Shh,” she cooed. “Relax.”

She pressed the palms of her hands into his back. The more she kneaded, the warmer the oil got. It only took a few seconds for him to calm down. A moan escaped his lips.

“That’s it,” she said softly as she moved her fingers up to his neck. “The more relaxed you are, the better this will work. You just can’t fall asleep, because then I won’t know if I’m hurting you.”

“Then you’re going to have to keep me up. I can barely keep my eyes open,” he said, yawning.

“Okay. What’s your favorite color?”

He laughed. “Ow. Please don’t make me laugh. And my favorite color is blue. What’s yours?”

“It depends,” said Nicki.

He rolled his shoulders up to meet her touch. He could feel his muscles relaxing. His eyes started to close.

“Hey! What did I say? No falling asleep. What should we do to keep you up?”

“Ugh, I don’t know. Tell me about your date,” he said. He was interested to see how she would answer.

“I already told you, it was really fun,” she responded.

“What did you guys talk about?”

“Mostly music. We like a lot of the same stuff.”

He didn’t get why she was being so cryptic with her answers.

“Did he say why he asked you out in the first place?” He asked the million dollar question.

“Not specifically. He just said that you made it clear that we were just friends, so he figured it would be fine if he took me out. I think he just wanted to get to know me better. Is there anywhere else that hurts before I start your arms?”

Tyler laid there for a moment, trying to feel without moving. At some point he had gotten extremely comfortable.

“I think I’m good,” he said.

Nicki got off of him and kneeled down on the floor next to Marshall. She squeezed more oil out of the bottle. This time, he didn’t flinch when she put it on his skin. She rubbed up and down his arm.

“You can go a little harder if you want. My arms aren’t as bad.”

She applied more pressure, but her touch was still gentle.

“So why don’t we talk about you now,” she suggested.

“What do you want to know?”

She watched her hands on his arm, as if she wasn’t the one controlling them.

“Have you ever actually been in a relationship?”

He turned his head sideways so he could look at her. She stared him dead in the eyes, waiting for his answer.

“Once. In high school,” he said.

“For how long?”

“Most of senior year. We had a lot of fun together.”

“Well what happened?”

“I got drafted. We both knew it wouldn’t work.”

She nodded, understanding. She always understood. For a while, she worked in silence. Tyler closed his eyes.

“Did you love her?”

His eyes opened. For some reason, her question made him feel uncomfortable.

“No. I’ve never been in love,” he responded.

After another minute of silence, she gave him a pat on the arm.

“This one’s all set. I’ll get the other one when you get on your back. Do you need me to do your legs?”

In all honesty, his legs didn’t hurt very badly. But he liked the time he was spending with her. And he was enjoying his massage. He didn’t want it to end. Occasionally the trainers would give him one, but they were rough and just wanted to untangle your muscles. Nicki was so gentle. He hadn’t been so relaxed since he started playing pro hockey. He wasn’t sure if he had ever felt this good.

“If you don’t mind,” he said.

“We’re going to have to take off your jeans…”

“Yeah, whatever you need to do.”

Did he really just say that? He wondered if they were venturing out of friend territory. But it was for medical purposes. Right? Yeah.

“If you’re sure,” she said, “Can you do it?”

He tried to reposition himself, and nearly fell off of the couch in the process.

“Guess not. Alright. Can you at least lift up your hips?”

He raised his butt in the air, hoping it would be enough for her to get her hands underneath. She reached her hands around his waist. He could feel her hands shaking. She fumbled with the button. After what felt like three hours, she got it undone. She looped her fingers on the inside of his jeans and pulled. He heard her giggle.

“I like your Bruins boxers,” she said.

He laughed. “It’s all about the team spirit.”

He was glad she had finally gotten his jeans off. He usually had no problem with girls taking his pants off. Something about Nicki’s shaking fingers had made him nervous.

** * * * * * *

“Just stay awake a little longer, okay?” Nicki begged Tyler.

“Well maybe you shouldn’t be so good at this. You’ve been putting me to sleep for two hours. What more do you want from me?”

“If you want to go to bed, fine. But in the morning you’re going to regret that you didn’t just let me finish. I’m almost done. See, this arm should be all set.”

It had been a struggle, but Nicki had gotten Tyler onto his back. Her hands were starting to ache. He was right, they had been at it for over two hours. But she had massaged nearly every muscle in his body. She at least had to finish the job. Plus, after the awkward moment with his jeans, they had a lot of fun. He kept making her laugh.

“Okay. I won’t argue with that.”

About halfway through, Nicki’s heart started beating at a normal pace again. For a good amount of time she felt like she was going to throw up, her nerves were so out of control. She had only dreamed of being able to touch him this way. Once their conversation had lightened up, she became more comfortable. But the nerves were coming back. In order to get his chest and stomach, she had to climb on top of him again. His backside was one thing. The front was an entirely different story.

“What are you waiting for? I wanna go to sleep,” he said as he patted his thighs. Apparently he was giving her an open invitation.

She got her left knee between the back of the couch and his leg, then raised her right knee onto the couch. She was straddling him. She was mortified. She didn’t care if he saw her cheeks turn bright red. She tried to avoid sitting on his crotch, but there was just no way around it.

“It’s okay,” he said, sensing her internal struggle.

She tried to calm down. A million things were racing through her mind, none of them helping. She glazed the oil over his stomach. Her hands began to shake again. Damn it, she thought. It wasn’t helping her situation that his abs looked like they were sculpted by the angels themselves.

“How’s that?” She asked him.

“So great,” he said. He shook his head a little. “What I’d give to get this after every game.”

“I think we could make that happen.”

“For real? That would be incredible,” he said.

He had no idea how much she would love to do that.

“Yeah, well home games at least. When you don’t go out. You stay out way later than I stay up,” she said, laughing.

“Believe me, this beats going out by a long shot. You really don’t mind?”

“Not at all. We help each other out, right?”

He smiled at her. “Right.”

She ran her hands up and down his stomach one last time.

“Alright Ty, you should be good to go,” she said. She didn’t move off of him.

He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. She loved it when he did that.

“You just called me Ty.”

Nicki brought a hand up to her mouth. “I’m sorry, Freddy must be rubbing off on me.”

“No, don’t apologize. Only my close friends call me that. I think you have the right to,” he said.

She blushed for the umpteenth time. She had to learn how to control that.

“We should get you into bed. I’d normally recommend a shower to get the oil off, but I don’t trust you. I’m afraid you’re gonna fall. Need me to help you up?”

“Probably.”

She got off of the couch, being careful not to knee Tyler in a place that he really didn’t want to be kneed. She held out her hands and he grabbed them. She pulled, getting him to sit up straight for the first time since he’d gotten home. He swung his legs around and placed his feet on the rug, where Marshall was still lying, asleep. Nicki bent down and wrapped her arm around his waist.

“On three, okay? One. Two. Three,” she said as she tried to support his weight.

He managed to get up. They walked slowly towards his bedroom. Nicki released her hold on him to pull down the covers on his neatly made bed. He lowered himself, groaning.

“How do you feel?” She asked him.

“Better. I’m not in so much pain. I’m just exhausted.”

She pulled the covers up over him.

“You can finally go to sleep now,” she said with a chuckle.

He looked at her. “Shit! How are you going to get home? I forgot you didn’t have your car.”

She hadn’t thought of that. “I can just wait for Freddy to come back. Hopefully he’ll be sober enough to drive me home.”

“Or you could spend the night. If that’s easier for you.”

Did he seriously just ask her to sleep over?

“That probably would be easier. Are you sure?”

“Of course. Just text your dad to tell him you’re not coming home. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

She nodded, pulling out her phone. She sent a text to her ever worrisome father. Tyler tried to push himself up.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Nicki asked, concerned. He was going to hurt himself.

“You can take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

She sat down next to him. “I don’t think so. You need to sleep in a bed tonight. I’ll take the couch.”

“You’re my guest. You aren’t taking the couch.” He paused to think. “Just stay in here with me.”

Nicki almost didn’t believe him. She must have heard wrong. She didn’t say anything back.

“Seriously. I don’t mind. If you need something to sleep in, take whatever you need. There are shirts in the top drawer in the dresser, sweatpants and shorts in the bottom. I don’t have an extra toothbrush, but the toothpaste should be on the edge of the sink. Hurry up. I want to go to bed.”

She felt like she was dreaming. This was really happening. She walked into his bathroom to relieve herself. She washed her hands and splashed water over her face. She used her finger to brush her teeth. It would have to suffice. What the hell was she supposed to wear? His pants would be way too big on her.

She walked back into his room and opened the top drawer of his dresser. The top layers of shirts were all Bruins gear. She picked the softest one with long sleeves, in case she got cold. She turned her head over her shoulder to look at Tyler.

“Don’t look,” she said, half hoping that he would.

She removed her jacket earlier, so all she had left was a white top. She pulled it up over her head and let it drop to the floor next to her. She unhooked her bra and let that fall with her shirt. She slipped into Tyler’s shirt. It smelled like him. The shirt fell just above her knees. She took off her jeans. Thank God she decided to wear cute lace panties, instead of her usual thong. That would get awkward, fast.

Nicki turned around quickly, catching him looking at her. She hoped he liked what he saw.

“Want to get the light?” He asked.

She flicked the switch next to the door. She was momentarily blinded while her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Nicki felt her way over to the bed and climbed in under the covers. It still felt like it wasn’t real. She sat next to him with her head against the headboard, hands folded on her stomach.

“I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve been this sore,” she said to Tyler.

“Not at all.”

“So what did you do those other times?” She hadn’t thought of it until now.

“I would just collapse on the couch, just like I did today. Except no one would make me feel better and I wouldn’t move for a day or so,” he said. “But I don’t have to worry about that anymore, do I?”

“No. No you don’t ever have to go through that again.” Nicki switched positions, from her back to her side, facing away from Tyler.

“Goodnight, Nicki.”

“Sweet dreams, Ty.”

Nicki fell asleep with a smile on her face.