Somebody to Love

On Wednesday, the Playoffs started. Having home ice advantage, my boys played the Sens and lost 5-4, but on Friday, they won 2-1. Now, it's Saturday and Marc is in Ottawa for the next couple days and coming home Tuesday night after Game 4. Melanie is due today anytime between 9 and noon. I couldn't feel more anxious than I do now. I had gotten up an hour before nine and showered earier than I usually do during the weekend. I didn't know when she'd get here and if she would've eaten, so I decided on making myself a bowl of cereal till then. Around 11, I got a text.

On my way. See ya in a few! :)

I smiled and sat back on the couch. I heard the carhorn honk ten minutes later. I jumped up and opened the door, running to hug Melanie.

"How are you?" I asked separating.

"Well, my heart was pounding since I started packing this morning. I think I'm good now."

"Good. You wanna get something to eat?"

"I would love that." she said with a smile.

"You wanna eat here? Or do you wanna go out?"

"Can we pick up Chinese and come back?"

"Sure. I've been in the mood for Chinese for a while."

She laughed and we got into my car and drove off. When we got back, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby."

"Hey Marc. What's up?"

"Eh. Not much. Is Melanie there?"

"Yeah. We actually just got back from picking up lunch."

"Qu'avez-vous obtenu?"

"Chinese. I'd been craving it for a while. It was Melanie's idea."

"She has good taste. Tell her I said hi."

I put him on speakerphone.

"You tell her."

"Hi Melanie."

"Hi Marc."

"How are you?"

"Pretty good. Yourself?"

"The same."

I took it off speakerphone and put it back to my ear.

"So, talk to you later?" I asked.

"Of course. Have a great day."

"You too. Je'taime."

"Je'taime vous aussi."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up and smiled.

"Happy?"

"Very. He can lift my mood in an instant and even if I'm already in a good mood, it gets better after talking to him."

She smiled.

"I hope I can find someone like that."

"I'm sure you will." I said squeezing her shoulder.

She hugged me.

"I think I'm gonna change some things about myself in the meantime. First of all, I'm gonna stop going to the tanning salon. I'm looking ridiculous."

I opened my mouth to speak, but she stopped me.

"You know I do."

"Well, yeah...but...I'm trying to be polite. I went from hating you to being your friend in a split second. You get where I'm coming from, right?"

"Yeah. I do."

We then walked inside to eat lunch. By the time three o'clock hit, we had finished setting up her room and showed her around the house.

"So, tell me about Marc and how you two met."

"Well, Ally, she had set me up for season tickets and Marc came to the door to deliver them. Turns out he lives just a few houses down. When I came home from work my very first day, he was out in his driveway. We got to talking and he shyly asked for my number; it was adorable. On our first date, he made spaghetti at his house and we watched a movie. The following morning, I woke up in his bed and to him walking into his room...without a shirt on. Obviously, I argued about me sleeping in his bed and him on the couch then, he kissed me. Since then, we've been together." I said smiling.

"Wow. That was fast. When did you two fall in love?"

"We said our 'I love you's a month into our relationship. It was a little crazy. I told my friend Maddy that I was gonna tell him I loved him and she flipped out. I came home to find Marc sleeping on my bed. I told him it was about him and he was confused, so I said it the way I didn't want to. I teared up after a few seconds when I didn't hear him back, so I got off the couch. He stopped me and grabbed my arm. I sat back down and he said he loved me."

"That is definitely crazy. You two sound perfect."

"Well, I don't know about that. We've had our moments, really bad moments in the short time we've been together, but that has seemed to bring us closer."

She nodded and smiled.

"Again, I can't wait to meet him. He's one of my two favorite players."

"Who's the other one?"

"Geno. Definitely."

"Yeah. Letang comes close, but even if I wasn't with Marc, Marc still takes the cake."

"And you."

"And me. I'm so much better than cake. Cake is so amazing though."

"Wanna make some later?" she said excitedly.

"Absolutely!" I said jumping up.

The fact that we're such great friends already, makes me feel so happy. Come eight o'clock, we had watched a few movies and talked up a storm with us ordering a pizza two hours ago. When Marc called, we had just iced the cake that had been cooling for an hour.

"Hi."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Well, we just iced a cake."

"Mmm...what kind?"

"Devil's food with cream cheese icing."

"Save some for me, please."

"I'll try."

"How much can two women eat?"

"Don't underestimate two women who love chocolate, Marc."

"I never underestimate you."

"You better not."

"I never have and never will."

"Good. So, how was your day?"

"Just another day. I just wanna play already."

He sounded like an impatient kid. I loved it.

"I know you do and you will be amazing when it's gametime."

"I will?" he said with an apparent smirk on his face.

"Of course you will. I'm your girlfriend, which means I know everything."

"No you don't."

"I know that. Just believe me, please?"

"Ok. I believe you."

"Now, that's what I wanted to hear."

"Bella! Bella! You gotta try this cake, it's fucking delicious!" Melanie yelled from the kitchen.

"Was that Melanie?"

"You heard that?" I said laughing.

"Yeah. Want me to let you go, so you can eat?"

"I wanna eat, but I can talk for a while..."

"Go eat. I know you're having trouble not looking at it right now."

"You know me too well." I said laughing.

"I certainly do, don't I?"

"Yep. I love you."

"I love you too. Talk to ya later."

"K. Bye."

"Bye."

-click-

I sat the phone down on the living room table and met Melanie in the kitchen.

"How's Marc?" she asked cutting me a piece of cake.

"Good. He can't wait to play tomorrow. In fact, he sounded like an impatient kid on the phone."

She laughed. She handed me my plate and the second I took a bite, I moaned.

"Good?" she asked knowingly.

I nodded.

"Mmhhmm." I said chewing cake.

That night, I fell asleep exhausted but happy because of a great day with a new friend.

Notes