Behind the Glass

After finally finishing all of the charts, I decide to go work out for a little bit to let off some steam. After the whole mess with Jonathan, the catching up with Patrick, and all of the paperwork, I felt like I just needed to get up and run.

Thankfully while making my way to the training room, I didn't run into anyone, but of course once I got there I wouldn't be so lucky. The only other person here was Jonathan, obviously putting in the extra hours he thought he needed. I take a deep breath and walk to the treadmill. As I begin running, I take a quick glance in the mirror to see Jonathan staring at me, hesitant to approach me. I try to ignore his presence, but that's obviously hard when the person you're trying to ignore is staring right at you.

After about 10 minutes, I get annoyed and decide it's time to face him. I turn off the treadmill and turn to face him. He gives me a confused, but knowing look, and waits for me to say something.

"What Jonathan? What do you want?" I ask him, clearly annoyed.

"I just can't stop thinking about earlier. You never let me speak." He says, his voice sounding defeated. I sigh, knowing he was right.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold back all the built up emotions and it all came out at once. Go ahead and tell me what you wanted to say." I said. He carefully steps closer, wary of what I might say or do.

"You don't have to apologize for what you said because I know it was all true. I was the biggest asshole ever to you. I broke every single promise I made to you, except one. I still love you, and I know you don't want to hear this, but it's true. You can hate me if you want. I just wanted you to know that I still love you, and honestly, I always will." He said quietly, as if he was scared to actually admit it.

I stare up at him, just like I always used to back when we were growing up. I study him for a moment before saying something. Since the last time I saw him, he has definitely grown into his features. Everything was perfect. From his strong jaw, to his high cheekbones, to his puppy dog eyes, and to his perfectly shaped nose. I couldn't help but admire his features.

"Jonny," I pause, noticing I finally called him Jonny again, "I could never hate you. Not really anyway. You'll always be my best friend, and I want to go back to that, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you the way I used to." The truth just spilled from my mouth, and I didn't want to hold it back. Jonny needed to know exactly how I felt. No holding back.

For a moment, all I wanted to do was get into his head. I wanted to know what he was thinking about while he was staring at me wide-eyed. His features were filled with so many emotions at once that it was hard to pinpoint exactly what he was feeling. I step forward towards him slightly, still allowing us to have enough room for personal boundaries, but close enough to where I could reach out and take his hand.

"Jonny, I want you back in my life. I don't know if-" I was cut off by Jonny quickly pulling me into a tight hug. I felt my body relax into his, letting out a breathe I didn't know I was holding in. He held me close to his body, obviously feeling as if I could run away from him at any moment.

"I will make it up to you Rae." He whispered softly into my ear. "I'll do whatever it takes."

~~~~~~

{A Couple Months Later - The Beginning of the 2014-15 NHL Season }

After working with these guys for a couple of months, I quickly became part of the family unit. I bonded easily with Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw, and Patrick Sharp. Those three always knew how to keep me on my toes with the endless amount of pranks that they pull.

Our first game was in Dallas this season, so I was excited to finally see Jamie and Tyler after such a long time of not seeing them. I was used to seeing them pretty much every single day, so being able to only see them every couple of months was basically torture. Since I was heading to Dallas a couple days early, as a surprise for both of my favorite boys, I call Jordie, Jamie's older brother, to finalize all of our plans.

Finally, after calling him about 4 times, Jordie finally answers the phone.

"Oh hey, Rae! Sorry I was working out and didn't have my phone with me. What's up?" He asked quickly, trying to avoid the subject of him missing my calls.

"Hey Jordie! I just wanted to make sure everything was ready for tomorrow?" I said. I could practically see him smile on the other end.

"They both miss you a lot Rae." He said happily. "Especially Tyler though. You've got that boy strung out." We both laugh at the end.

"Well I'll be there tomorrow right before noon, okay? Take the two dorks out until 2, and I'll be at Jamie's house waiting in the living room." I say, mostly to myself so I can go over our very simple plan.

"Yes Rae," He says with a slight chuckle. "I know the plan. I know exactly where I'm taking them so you don't have to worry about them being home early."

"I'll see you tomorrow Jordie. Thank you for helping me!"

"I'd do anything to get these guys out of their weird moods! I'll see you tomorrow weirdo. Bye Rae." He said jokingly.

"Bye Jordie!"

I couldn't help but smile when I thought about seeing my two best friends. I definitely needed something to distract me from my work because it was getting kind of stressful with everything that's going on between Jonny and I. We've been talking a lot on and off, but recently we've been getting into more ridiculous arguments about my trip to Dallas. He doesn't want me to go because he thinks that it's "not a good idea to get attached to Tyler and Jamie again when I'll just have to leave them again right after." I understand that he doesn't want to see me upset, but he's taking it way out of hand and he's being extremely overprotective over something that's actually not that important. Plus, nothing could keep me from seeing my two favorite losers again, not even Jonny.

After about 2 hours of doing absolutely nothing, I heard a knock on my door. Groaning, I get up from my comfortable position on the couch and open the front door to see Kane.

"Hey Pat! Come in, I'm bored." I say, causing him to laugh. He steps past me, and I close the door behind him and follow him to the living room. I watched him plop down on the couch, and did the same thing next to him.

"So what brings the great Patrick Kane to my humble abode today?" I ask him. He smiles at me and slings his arm over my shoulders, relaxing into the couch.

"I just came to spend time with my close friend before she leaves for Dallas, a couple days before she's actually supposed to be there." He said, pulling me into his side. I give him a ridiculous look, and just stare at my tv.

"You know I'm going to go see Ty and Jay, it's not like I'm going so I can ditch y'all. Plus, I see you all the damn time! You practically live here most of the time." I say laughing.

"Yeah but you love having me here Rae! I mean I eat all your food, drink everything, move everything around, aren't I just the best?" He asks, ruffling my hair. I scoff at him and gently push him away.

"Sure Pat! I just love you so much." I say, while throwing my legs over his to get more comfortable.

"How about we watch some movies?" He suggests. I nod, and get up to make some popcorn.

"You pick! I'm just gonna get some snacks I'll be right back." I walk to the kitchen, and find all of the snacks Pat and I eat on a regular basis, along with popcorn. I make my way back to the living room, with a lot of snacks, to find Pat setting up our pillows and blankets.

"We're having a Will Ferrell marathon because I know how much you love him." He says, throwing himself onto the couch.

"That sounds perfect to me! Let's do this!" I say excitedly. I set the snacks down, then join Pat on the couch.

This is exactly what I need before my trip, just another relaxing day with one of my closest friends.

Notes