Quick Flicks

I sat on the edge of my seat, hands tightly gripping the armrests as the game carried on. It was the third period, with about ten minutes left. We were winning, 4-3, but the game had been back-and-forth the whole time. I proudly wore my #90 jersey, which Vladislav had given to me for my birthday.

Four Months Ago

"Vladi, you didn't have to get me a present!"

"Yes I did. Please, just sit down and open it."

I pretended to be annoyed and sat down on the couch next to him, holding the gift bag in my lap. Ripping the tissue paper out of the bag, I pulled a blue jersey out.

"I couldn't go another day seeing you wear Boyle's jersey. You'll look much hotter with a 90 on your back." I smiled and gave him a hug. I had wanted to wear his number for a while, but had never gotten the chance to buy a jersey or anything. "Go ahead, there's more."

I set the jersey to the side and reached into the bag again, pulling out a book. I flipped it over and noticed it was from my favorite author. I opened the cover and saw a personal message and autograph.

"Vladi, oh my god! How did you get this?"

"I know people." I gave him a strange look. He sighed and explained. "One of the guys grew up next door the the guy and helped me out."

I kissed his cheek and put the book down, reaching in for the last item in the bag. It was a small box, wrapped neatly in blue tissue paper with a silver bow on top. I carefully tore off the paper, lifting the lid off of the box.

"It's beautiful, V." The necklace was a lightning bolt, made of diamonds. There was a tiny charm of the number 90 hanging off the chain as well. "Honestly, this is so nice. Thank you so, so much."

"Please, I wanted to do this. You mean a lot to me and I wanted to make sure you knew it. Plus, you only turn 21 once." He reached out and took the necklace from me. "Let me put it on you." I turned away and lifted my hair off of my neck, and Vladi reached his arms around and put it on. It was perfect.

I turned back around and he pulled me in for a kiss.

Present Time

Five minutes left in the period. The other wives and girlfriends in the suite were anxiously watching the game, as the score had moved up to 4-4, and we were all praying it wouldn't go into OT. The minutes ticked by, until there were thirty seconds left and there was a defensive zone face off. The puck dropped and it was cleared. The whole scene unfolded so quickly I could barely understand what was happening, but I saw the puck hit the back of the net and the whole arena stood and cheered. I jumped up and down as I saw Vladi skate over to his teammates and jump into a hug, celebrating his goal. The remaining 15 seconds or so passed quickly, and the team had won.

"Rachel, would you mind coming down to the ice with me? We need some help." One of the employees walked with me out of the suite, after I had said goodbye to the other girls. The team was having a special meet & greet on ice right after the game, giving away some sticks and pucks and taking pictures. I had been vocal about being available to help with anything, as I loved kids and definitely didn't mind talking to them while they waited to meet the team.

As we stood in the elevator, I looked at my outfit, smoothing out the crinkled edges of the jersey that resulted from my nervous grip during the last period. I wore tight, black jeans and silver flats. My auburn hair was down, my natural waves cascading over my shoulders. I of course had on my necklace from V, which I hadn't taken off since he had given it to me, and I had touched up my makeup before heading to the game, not overdoing it.

We exited the elevator, weaving through the exiting fans and making our way to the ice. There were still a ton of people here, as they wanted to watch the players meet the fans, and were still celebrating the win. I saw V on the ice, bending down to talk to a little boy who was wearing his number. He waved at me and pointed, telling the little boy to wave, too. I stepped on the ice and leaned agains the boards in front of the bench. V nudged the boy to head over to me, so I met him halfway and helped him walk on the ice.

"What's your name?" I picked the boy up and sat him on the edge of the board. He shyly played with the laces on the jersey, before quietly responding.

"Jack."

"Hi Jack! I'm Rachel. Did you have a fun time tonight?" Jack nodded, still a little shy. I pointed to the number on his sleeve. "Is Vladi your favorite player?" Jack grinned wide and nodded quickly. "He's mine, too."

I noticed Jack look around me and hide his face. I was about to ask him what was wrong, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw V, down on one knee, looking up at me with a huge smile. My heart nearly stopped.

"V, I-" He cut me off.

"Rachel, this past year together has been the best year of my life. I'm so happy I met you that day at the pier, and I'm even happier you let me take you out again. You are the sweetest, funniest, most loving person I have ever met. You make me smile without even trying, and I don't want to spend a day with you not by my side. Scoring those goals tonight made me happy, but being with you forever would make me ten times happier. So, Rachel Elizabeth Daniels, will you please make me the luckiest guy on this planet and marry me?" He pulled out a box, opening it to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring that I've ever seen. It was silver, with a beautiful princess-cut diamond in the middle.

The rest of the team had gathered to the side, a few phones pulled out to take pics and I noticed the fans had stopped exiting the arena and were anxiously awaiting an answer. Our faces were on the jumbotron, and my heart was racing. With tears stinging my eyes, I brought my hand to cover my mouth and nodded, unable to form words. The team cheered and started chanting "VLADI! VLADI! VLADI!" over and over again. The stands erupted in cheering and the arena echoed with the sound of the team's goal horn and song. V got to his feet and wrapped me in a hug, pulling back to plant a passionate kiss on my lips. I heard a few "ews" from the kids in line, and we pulled apart laughing.

"I love you, Vladislav", I whispered in V's ear, his arms wrapped around my waist.

"I love you, too, babe."

"I think someone wants to say hi to you again." I linked my arm with his and turned around, pointing to Jack who still sat, feet away, on the edge of the boards, I smile on his face and giggling.

"Hey, bud! Thanks for the help!" V reached out and gave Jack a high-five.

"Jack! Did V make you help him out?" Jack nodded and smiled.

"I knew you couldn't resist this little guy. Plus, he's got great taste in jerseys."

Notes