Overlooked

The horn sounded ending the 3rd period and I felt a slight sense of panic rise. I headed towards our goalie, Jonas Gustavsson. After patting him on the head, I headed off the ice and back to the visitor’s locker room at Boston’s TD Garden. A quick glance at my phone told me I would be back in Toronto earlier than expected. I hated afternoon games, but today I was happy to be headed home. I showered quickly, hoping to avoid Luke as much as possible. So far I had succeeded and most of my teammates were oblivious to the drama. Old man Armstrong was pretty smart. I did not want to be the person who got blamed when it all exploded. I finished getting dressed, gave some post-game interviews and headed for the team bus. Colby was already waiting for me. He pointed to the seat in front of him and I sat down and waited for him to get off his phone. “Sorry, Meli was calling me about a doctor’s appointment she had to reschedule. I wanted to give you a heads up real quick. Apparently some of the team is headed out to the bar once we land. Don’t be surprised if she ends up with a bar full of hockey players.” He said and I just shook my head. “I can’t stand him. He is going to keep at this until we both end up in trouble with management. I’m going to the bar, I’m not changing my plans. I promised her I would meet her there. She is working until close.” He looked up and motioned for Dion to come sit with us. “Do you think Elisha would mind meeting us at Carly’s bar?” Colby asked him and he raised his eyebrows. “No, I hope Meli is going to be there though. She isn’t going to want to hang out with just the guys.” Dion said and Colby let him know she was waiting for the sitter now. “We land at quarter of eight. Don’t show up at the bar until at least nine o’clock. I want to make sure I get there before you. He is less likely to make a scene if Dion and I are there.” Colby said and I thanked him and Dion. “No problem man. I’m just happy you finally figured out what most of us have seen for the past year or so. She is good for you. We all gotta grow up sometime Joffrey.” Colby said patting me on the back. I turned around and settled in for the ride to the airport. I sent her a quick text. Lupes: I will see you around nine. Need to go home and change once I land. A few minutes later as we were pulling into the airport terminal, her response came through. Carly: I’ll be here. It’s so dead in here right now. Maybe I can leave earlier than planned. I know you are probably exhausted. Tough game this afternoon. Lucic is such a DB. I couldn’t help but smile as I read the text. It made me think of a conversation we had last year about all of the players she didn’t like in the NHL. Needless to say it was a very long list. Carly definitely wasn’t one to hold back on what she thought about people. I got back to my condo and took a quick shower. I also grabbed a change of clothes. We both had off tomorrow and I figured I would probably stay at her place. It was much closer to the bar. I locked up my place and headed towards the bar. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but I was really nervous. I knew she had to be skeptical about whether or not I could handle a relationship. I knew I was going to have to put work in to get her to trust me. I parked in the relatively crowded parking lot. Dion and Elisha were standing out front of the bar. I gave Elisha a hug and she whispered “good luck” to me. Dion opened the door and walked towards the bar. I saw her before she saw me. She had just opened a bottle of beer and was handing it to Bozie. Luke was sitting to his right. I wasn’t surprised. Dion pointed to a table. “Come on bro. Give her a few minutes to get rid of him.” Elisha squeezed my arm and shook her head agreeing. Colby and Meli walked in a minute later. He grabbed a table and pulled it closer to the booth. I couldn’t stop watching her at the bar. She was working her way around the bar refilling drinks. She finally acknowledged he was sitting there. He stood and leaned over the bar to whisper something to her. She frowned and I tensed. “Let her handle it. Stay out of it.” Colby said and I watched intently. Colby stood and headed right towards them. She said something back to Luke and he looked annoyed, but sat back down. Carly smiled when she saw Colby. She gave him a hug and he pointed back towards us. She raised her hand and waved but stayed behind the bar. Luke stood and called her name and she walked back towards him. He leaned over the bar and motioned for her to come closer. She shook her head no and he reached for her arm. I nearly lost it. Dion threw his arm in front of me and I sat down slowly. She walked towards the end of the bar and Colby went towards Luke. A minute later, Luke stood and finished his beer. He threw money on the bar and left quickly glaring at me as he walked by. Colby came back and looked at me. “Don’t screw this up and hurt her. I will kill you.” He said and I stood just as she looked up and smiled at me. I couldn’t help it, I broke into a jog towards the bar. She stood waiting. I went to vault over the bar to give her a kiss and it went horribly wrong. I ended up knocking us both onto the ground. I landed on top of her. There was a collective gasp. Everyone at the bar was leaning over to make sure she was still alive and she made no move to get up. I tried to gauge her reaction. I started to apologize and she burst into giggles. I silenced her with my mouth and I could hear Dion whistling. I stood back up and held out my hand to help her up. Colby couldn’t stop laughing. “Didn’t I tell you if she got hurt I was going to kill you. You didn’t last sixty seconds.” Carly burst out laughing and I pulled her closer to me. She tiptoed and I gave her another kiss. Dion asked if the bar had a security camera and one of the other bartenders said they did. He pulled out his wallet and offered to buy the tape. I knew I was never going to live this one down. Carly finally ushered me back on the other side of the bar and handed me a beer. She went over to the other bartender and spoke for a minute before going into the kitchen. She came out a minute later and sat down with us in the booth. “I thought you were working until close.” Dion said and she smiled. “Injured on the job. Did you not see him jump over the bar to pin me wrestling style.” She winked at me and I laughed. “Ok, so it wasn’t as smooth as I planned it, but the intent was there.” I said and she grinned. She leaned against me. “I’m ready whenever you are.” I nodded and stood. I gave Elisha and Meli a hug and said thank you quietly to Dion and Colby. I reached for her hand and we headed towards the parking lot. I opened the passenger side door and she slid in. I got in and looked over at her. She was biting her bottom lip and she looked a little nervous. “So, do you want to go back to your place?” I asked and she nodded. I leaned over and kissed her again. “Thank you for giving me a chance.” I said and she smiled and reached for my hand.

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