Skates and Plates 2008-2009 or as I like to call it, the day that changed my life forever. He was wearing the most ridiculous tuxedo but in a way, it made him look even more adorable.

The whole Pitt soccer team was at the event so I was dressed in my most fancy clothes. I even wore heels which for me, is a total accomplishment.

"More wine?" He leaned over me, a smile as big as his chubby face. His eyes were even more entrancing in person. "Yes, please." I was blushing, my cheeks were flushed and my body was getting warm.

Max likes to think it was because I was attracted to him but honestly, I think I just drank too much wine.

"You should go find him, Tess. He couldn't keep his eyes off you all night!" Max was my closest friend here, a Pittsburgh native, she showed me around the city and taught me the way of life here. Not to mention, she asked me to live in her parents spare loft downtown.

"Pfft. Get real, Max. The chances are slim to none of him being interested!" I couldn't stop laughing at her.

"He's Sidney Crosby, Tess. It's not like he's Justin Timberlake. The chances are pretty damn good if you ask me."

Only Max could compare the world's best hockey player to one of the world's most elegible bachelors and king of boy bands, Justin Timberlake.

"There he is. Go before I do." She nudges my arm hard to enough to make me fall back, my right heel breaking from the strain. The sound of myself collapsing, and maybe the little shriek, was enough to catch Sidney's attention. He began running towards us and Max was standing there with a giant grin on her face.

"Hey! Are you alright?" He leaned down grabbing my arm, his left hand finding the small of my back as he helped me off the cold floor of the then, Mellon Arena. I caught my footing, quickly kicking off these dangerous heels.

"Thanks for the hand, Max." I shoot her a glare before returning my attention to the man still holding my hand.

"As for you, thank you for the lift. I usually don't wear heels." I try to stay as calm as possible in hopes that I don't freak him out. "I usually never get star struck either but it's not everyday you meet the guy that put your hometown on the map!"

He smiled even wider, his pearly white teeth glowing in the dim light. "I'm Sid. And you're Tess Mariot. I can also say that I usually don't get star struck either."

He knows who I am. How is this even possible? He could read the confusion on my face.

"I've seen you play a few times. You're incredible!" My cheeks felt unusually hot. Obviously now I was blushing.

"Wow...I don't know what to say. Thank you. I can't believe you know who I am." I laughed nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I hear a grunt from behind me and realize I was being selfish with Sid's attention.

"Oh. This is my friend Max, she plays soccer with me at Pitt. She's kind of in love with you." Payback is a bitch. She gasped in disbelief. Sid smiled at her, lending his hand out for a shake.

"A pleasure to meet you." Max nearly fainted when Sid touched her.

"No, it's a pleasure to meet YOU!"


*** Two Years Later***


"Sid, I don't think this is a good idea!" He was watching me pace back and forth in his living room. I was biting my nails to the cuticle from nerves.

"You'll be fine. He's a good guy and he's been bugging me to meet you forever. It's quite pathetic really." Sid shoved a handful of pretzels in his mouth amused at my behavior.

"You know, you seem oddly nonchalant about this. He's your teammate and now you watch to play match maker?" I stopped pacing just long enough to hear a knock on Sid's door. "Fuck. Is that him?"

Sid smiles and nods as he forces himself off his couch. "Just be yourself, you'll be fine. I'm here to bail you out if you end up not liking him."

I've known Sid for awhile now, we've met each other's families, I met the Lemieux's but I have never actually met any of his teammates. Well, except maybe Max Talbot. Okay, so I've met almost all his teammates BUT they were all single and showed no interest in me other than being someone Sid can take to parties and events.

This is so unlike the other times. He purposely went out of his way to ask Sid to introduce me to him. Who knows what else he said, Sid won't tell me much.

"Tess, this is Nealer." I turned around quickly almost knocking over my glass of wine in the process.

"Hey. Nice to meet you." I blurt out. I sound and look like a baboon. This is so embarrassing. He walks over to me, his hand grabbing mine.

"I'm James. It's an honor to meet the famous Tess Mariot. I've been bugging Sid to introduce us for a couple months, I'm a huge fan." His smile was sincere. And perfect. His hair however looked absolutely crazy, it looked like he just got out of bed.

"So he's told you about me? Hopefully good things?" After the initial introduction, I found myself relax. He's just another guy, another famous hockey player you've met through Sid, this is as normal as it gets.

"Very good things. Though he forgot to mention how stunning you look in person." I smiled at James, picking up my half full glass of red wine and gulping all of it.

"Thank you. Looks like Sid also forgot to mention that you have an adorable smile."

What am I doing? It's the wine. Abort mission! Leave all dignity where it lays and get the hell out of there!

James and I were staring at each other trying not to laugh for about 2 minutes when we were distracted by a cough.

"Ahem." We both looked at Sid who was leaning against the wall of his kitchen, arms crossed in front of him with a look of amusement on his face.

"Are you two hungry? We could head to Local, some of the guys are gonna be there." I give Sid a look of concern. "Don't worry, I think Vero is going to be there with Flower." He was always great at reading my facial expressions.

Vero and I became really good friends after Sid and I met. She was the first hockey girlfriend I met and was the only one that I really got along with.

"I'm starving!" James rubs his stomach with the dorkiest of all smiles plastered across his bearded face.

"And I could use a few beers." I mumble to myself, unaware that it was loud enough for both guys to hear.

"In that case, first round is on me." James looks at me and winks.

"Okay you two. How are we getting there, we have two cars. Who do you want to drive with?" Sid and James look at me for an answer, both of them hoping I choose them instead of the other.

"Rock, paper, scissors." I say bluntly. They both look at each other confused.

"What?" Sid stammers.

"You two play best out of 5. Whoever wins, well, that's who I'll drive with." I took the barstool next to me and planted my rear on it, my right hand was cradling my chin as I waited for the competition to being.

"I so got this!" James cries out. Sid rolls his eyes and laughs.

"Rock, paper, scissors, SHOOT!" They both say in unison.

This goes on for another 30 seconds. The verdict was in. With a score of 3-2, the winner was....

"Looks like it's me and you, James." I jump off the stool, grabbing my cardigan which was hanging on the door handle. I walk to Sid who was sunken in defeat. I place my hand on his firm chest and pat. "Better luck next time, champ." He shakes his head.

"Shall we?" James offers his arm to me, which I gladly take. I watch him as he flashes Sid the cockiest smile I've ever seen, Sid's face turning red with envy.

"We shall!"


*** Present Time ***


"Hey! Remember that night we first met?" I looked at James who was rummaging around his bedroom looking for something.

"What about it?" He was focused, his eyes on the prize. What the prize was I had no idea.

"You were such a dork. I remember that shirt you were wearing, it was absolutely hideous. Who knew that I'd be dating that guy." My stomach was beginning to hurt from laughing so hard. "I also remember it took you over a year to even ask me out on an actual date."

He stopped his search for a moment, his eyes on me spread across his king size bed. "Well Tess, you intimidated me." The corners of my mouth curled up and I crawled to the edge of his bed on my knees.

"Intimidated?" I was curious. No one has ever told me that I intimidated them, well, off the soccer field.

James pulled out a black packet from the bottom of his dresser drawer and flashes me the only condom he seems to have in his house. "I need to get more, I guess." He mumbles. He pushed away my previous question with ease.

"James. How did I intimidate you?" He walked over to the edge of the bed. He leaned in, his lips touching mine as his right hand settled on my hips.

"You were far too beautiful both emotionally and physically. I guess I just thought that you'd be more interested in a guy like Sid rather than a guy like me, so it took me a while." His mouth focused on my neck, then to my collarbone. His hand then slid up under my tank top.

Even James thought Sid and I would end up together. What is this? Why does everyone think that?!

"I had eyes only for you, babe. It drove me crazy when you didn't ask me out on a date after we first met. I thought I turned you off somehow!" I was feeling insecure, something I always try to hide from people, especially guys. James took his hands, one on each side of my face, he was looking at me intently.

"You could never turn me off. I wanted to ask you out so bad but Sid told me I should wait and get to know you better." He leans in to kiss me again when I push him away.

"Sid told you to wait?" I was pissed. Beyond pissed. I was furious! That whole night, I tried warming up to James, I let myself be loose around him. He made me laugh with his stupid jokes and there was nothing more I wanted then for him to ask me out. What started as a scary set-up by Sid ended up being one of the best things that happened that year.

"Why on earth would Sid, the guy that tried to hook us up anyway, tell you to wait?" I climbed off the bed, throwing the condom packet that was laying next to me, on James' beside table.

"He said he had this feeling that you weren't into me. He figured if we became friends that maybe you'd eventually give in and it would be easier to ask you out."

Standing by the window, I glance over at James, giving him the nod to continue his thought.

"Guess I should have listened to my gut. I mean, I thought we got along just peachy, I was really into you and it seemed you were into me. Guess it's bad judgement on Sid's part."

All of a sudden I start laughing. Like really laughing. Almost to the point where I'm crying. This is absolutely ridiculous.

"I was practically throwing myself on you! I have NEVER been that forward in my entire life. Where the fuck does Sid get the right to tell you when to ask me out?"

He stood there with a doe-eyed expression. "Babe, calm down." He walks over to me and I move away. "Tess. Talk to me, what's going on?" I couldn't take it anymore. All these years I've been hiding a secret and I'm just sick of having to deal with the consequences.

"It's a bad idea for me to move in with you. There's still so much tension and I'm finding it hard to deal with it." I start walking downstairs towards the door, James inches behind me.

"What are you talking about? Tess!" I walk outside, my phone in my hand, dialing a car service to pick me up.

"Tessa."

I stop instantly, ending the call. The only person who calls me Tessa is my father.

"Come back inside. Obviously we need to talk."

"I don't think, right now, we need to talk about this. I don't want to be responsible...." Tears were swelling up in my eyes.

"Responsible for what?" He was standing infront of me, his finger lifting my chin as our eyes connected.

"Drama. James, it's complicated between Sid and I. And now you. I just can't deal with this anymore."

He kisses me once more before leading me back inside the house. I wasn't prepared at all for what was about to happen, the things I was about to say.

But for once, I need to be honest with someone. I guess the person I should start that with, is the person I love the most.

Notes

So with this story, I'll be starting the chapter with a flashback and ending in the present. It seems that way I can get more backstory while benefiting the reader at the same time. Hopefully it's not too confusing and I'm starting this story out with a bang so bare with me. It's a lot easier to tell this story if I begin with some heated drama. Makes it all make sense in the end.

Thanks for reading and all your comments! xx