The Roommate

It’s a good thing Bri had a large variety of a wardrobe and knew how to dress up for an occasion. She decided to stick with an animal print to keep with the theme and went with a fancy bun. She grabbed her clutch and rushed over to Sidney’s room to show him her outfit.

“Sid! Can you tell me if this looks good!?”

“Come on in,” he yelled back.

She opened the door to Sidney Crosby’s bedroom and it hit her just how personable room this is for him. The walls were covered from head to toe of pictures of memories and had hints of home. A little lighthouse stood on an end table that sat next to an arm chair, a jar of sand and shells were on the other side. There were pucks and a few commemorative jersey’s on the arm of the chair, probably awaiting a shadow box.

She looked around for a little while longer until Sid came out of his closet buttoning up a dress shirt. He looked up and his jaw wanted to drop at how good she looked. “Does this meet your approval? I haven’t been to this kind of charity event before.”

“Absolutely, way to add a bit of an animal into it with the zebra print. You pay attention to details don’t you?”

“Of course, I try to anyway. Your buttons aren’t even by the way,” she pointed out. He noticed and rolled his eyes, throwing his head back in frustration. “Here, I’ll do it.”

She bit her lip as she aligned the buttons of his dress shirt from bottom to top. His eyes watched her concentration carefully. The odd time her nail would graze his bare skin and it would drive him absolutely crazy inside. She had to remain focused on the buttons or she’d instinctively attack the sexy adonis in front of her.

When she finished she patted his shirt down on his chest and looked up at him. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” he coughed, slightly aroused. “Take my car?”

“Sure,” she smiled. “Just gotta pee again.”

“I’ll warm up the car,” he said, grabbing his suit jacket.
Bri locked up the house and went out to join Sid in the car. They had a long drive ahead of them, about an hour and a half to go or so. To make things worse the weather was freezing cold and it was a typical rainy fall day. This car ride gave them an opportunity to get to know each other a bit better.

“What are your family like?” he asked.

“A well oiled machine. We are super close yet fairly distant. I have a sister who I adore to death but we aren’t really close. We’re at two completely different stages of life and she’s coming into her own. My mom held our house together while my dad was away, I learned how to be independent because of her. My sister is still developing that.”

“And you lived in Toronto for most of your life?”

“Yup.”

“So your dad played for the Leafs at some point?”

“He did. Maybe somewhere else, who knows?”

“Why are you so afraid to tell me who he is? Do you really think it’s that big of a deal?”

Bri was hesitant about telling him. “Well, it kind of is. He was accused of doing something he didn’t do and had a bad reputation from a lot of players of this generation because of something that happened a while back. His old teammates still adore him and understands the situation but players in your generation would probably get a little angry.”

Sidney’s mind went racing, “Am I going to have to figure it out?”

“You bet, so good luck with the challenge.”

“Oh I’ll figure it out,” he chuckled. “You know, it’s nice being able to connect with you through understanding this crazy lifestyle. Normally it scares people away.”

“You must find it ridiculously difficult to find people to like you for who you are.”

“Yeah, but I’ve experienced that since I was 9 years old. I can’t remember a time where I got along with regular people. My best friend back home, Andrew, he’s probably the only lifelong friend I’ve had that hasn’t changed because of my success or profession. Dating is a joke, so I avoid it all together.”

“Really? Don’t girls throw themselves all over you?”

“You’d think so being a hockey player, and some girls do, but most are easily intimidated by me. They think I’m a cocky, arrogant, selfish and too good of a guy for them. It’s like they don’t think I’ll have a conversation with them or that I won’t consider her in anything I do. They’re afraid of me. And I think a lot of them are afraid to lose their identity because they’ll always be affiliated with me.”

“I don’t think that’s how it should be though. I mean, I can understand that it is a tad intimidating at first when dating a professional athlete because it’s a lot of work. People think it’s glamorous but it can be far from it. But I think it’s important to have your own identity in a relationship. Obviously every couple is different but to me personally, I learned you need to be your own person and have your own career so you don’t lose your sense of self.”

“That’s exactly it! No girl I’ve ever dated or met has had that mentality.”

“Have you dated anyone long term before?”

“Well, when I was your age-”

“Shut up,” she laughed at his old man imitation.

He laughed back, “When I was 22, almost 23, I started a relationship with a model. She wasn’t your typical high maintence type either. It didn’t end because of anything bad, but it lasted a good 3 years because she had similar goals I did.”

A bit of jealousy waved over her body knowing he was dating a model. “So why didn’t it work then?”

“Because she didn’t like the fact that I was always going to have a ‘bigger name’ than her and that she never got her own separate attention. It was entirely an ego thing.”

“So would you say it was serious then?”

“At the time I thought so yeah,” he said turning off the highway. “In reality I was young and it was my first long relationship. I was blinded by the idea of her and who I thought she was. I don’t need a girl like her in my life.”

“So what do you need?”

“I need someone who is… Independent, determined, confident, and someone who is willing to compromise and sacrifice. What about you?”

“I guess I’m looking for the same kind of things, and someone who isn’t afraid of loving me. That’s been my biggest problem, dating the emotionally unavailable.”
“Really?”

“Oh yeah. Every one of them has been afraid to give me their all and have always been held back by something. So it’s always been me putting in the effort and being blindsided. It’s bizarre how it’s always happened.”

“I don’t get why that would happen with you. But that’s our generation for you. I’m very old school like that, I don’t know.”

“You and me both. So what are we exactly going to do at this event?”

“Well, we have to go do a little bit of a red carpet with our dog we posed with, then we do a charity event and auction for the animals with the fans and people there, and then there’s a dinner part and a bit of press and mingling. So feel free to do your own thing and network,” he said as he pulled into the valet parking section, handing his keys to a driver. “If not, stay with me. Oh, and I forgot to mention, people will want to talk to you because you photographed the calendar.”

“Sidney…” Bri said extremely scared.

“Did I forget to mention that? Oops,” he laughed, escorting her into the venu.

The room was jam packed with fans and people from the organization. Sidney left a brief moment to do his thing on the red carpet with Bri’s favourite little dog. She stood off to the side and observed everything going on around her. After the red carpet Sidney went back immediately to her and showed her to their table.

To her surprise the room was surrounded with pictures from the shoot that wouldn’t be featured, but one’s they wanted to showcase. Bri was extremely touched by the gesture and couldn’t wait to check them out. As soon as she was spotted representatives from the humane society came over to express their gratitude. Sidney stood back and watched her in awe at how she took control of the room.

Along her path she ran into Kris Letang and they posed for a few pictures, as well as a few other players. Her confidence radiated beautifully in their eyes. She was comfortable in her own skin and she was acting appropriately.

When it came time for speeches and a meal portion she found her place next to Sidney, who helped her to her seat. “Are you doing alright?” he whispered.

“So far so good. I didn’t know they’d showcase those photo’s if they weren’t using them.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Not only would we like to give our greatest thank you’s and appreciation to the the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team for their collaboration yet again, but we would like to give a special thank you for providing an outstanding photographer. Our regular photographer Liz fell under the weather on the day of and thinking quickly like he normally does on the ice, Captain Sidney Crosby recommended a talented replacement. Thank you Brianna Dumas, with your work you will help display the wonderful animals who are still looking for homes. You have made them look all the more lovable and showcased each of their personalities based off a brief first impression. We cannot thank you enough,” the president of the organization read.

His speech earned a loud applause that filled the room with claps and cheers. Bri just waved and mouthed “thank you”. Sidney looked down at her with pride in his chocolate brown eyes. You could see how proud he was of her to get the recognition she deserved. He saw her potential and he knew what great things she was capable of. Giving her this opportunity was the least he could do.

Bri felt the sudden urge to kiss the man next to her, but had to resist. She knew she couldn’t, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to. She was always respectful in a professional setting and she knew her role, especially being her as his date. She had to let him do his thing and keep his image the same. It wasn’t hard to do with him though.

After the meal was over they went back to mingling with the fans and the auction began. All dogs were auctioned except for her favourite, which worried Bri. She was extremely nervous about what that meant. But seeing the joy on everyone’s face in the room made all of it worth it to her and Sid. And seeing how he was with the kids was what made it really special.

At the end of the night the two of them decided it was time to go, especially since Sidney had a practice tomorrow afternoon. Sidney had a few drinks so Bri decided she would drive his car so she was really nervous. Because it was 8 and they hadn’t eaten since about 6 they started getting hungry.

“Where do you want to go?” Bri asked.

“I just want a hot dog, I’m really craving one.”

“Where are we going to find a hot dog place in a town like this? We are in the boonies!”

“Let’s just find one, it doesn’t have to be street meat,” he laughed. Bri wasn’t sure if he was tipsy or not, but she loved the mood he was in.

“Do you even know where we are?”

“No but that’s part of the adventure.”

“If you get me murdered or shot, I will haunt you,” she laughed pulling off the highway and into this tiny town.

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take,” he shrugged.

After driving around for a bit they saw a diner that was opened so they made a pit stop. The design inside reminded them of a 1950’s place, so they shared a large chocolate milkshake and got a massive hot dog each. Bri got cold while waiting for their meal so Sid gave her his jacket.

They were obviously over dressed for the occasion and couldn’t help but find humor in the fact that people were staring. They were unsure if it was because he was Sidney Crosby or because of how they looked. Regardless of the fact they enjoyed each other’s company and laughing until the place was closing. Hours felt like minutes when they were together, and sadly their night was coming to an end.

Bri continued to drive home and they continued to have good conversation about anything and everything. She could feel their connection growing stronger yet at the back of her mind she wasn’t sure if this was a date date or just her being Sidney’s date to an event. Whereas Sidney was resisting every urge in his body to attack her with the affection he so badly wanted to give her.

Together they got out of his car in the garage and walked into the house they shared. She looked over at him, still wearing his suit jacket, and said, “Thank you for tonight. I had a really good time.”

“Thank you for coming. I hope you didn’t mind having the attention on you for a little bit,” he scratched the back of his head blushing.

“I wasn’t expecting it but it was nice to have,” she giggled looking up at him.

Together they stood in front of the staircase, looking into each other’s eyes, wondering if they were going to make the move. The tension was evident to them both yet they were so afraid to act on it.

Sidney swallowed. His breath shaky, “You handled it like a flawlessly.” Watching her interacting with his coworkers and friends was attractive to him. Her confidence was radiating all night and he wanted to show her how much more confident she should be. He has been longing to show her.

“Thank you,” she breathed, inching the slightest bit closer. “I learned from the best.” She was practically in his face with her head tilted, looking at his lips and focusing back on his eyes.

He swallowed even harder, “I can teach you a few more things.”

“Like what?”

His hands were moving slowly onto her waist. Her hands crawled their way onto his forearms, resting perfectly on his muscles that were perfectly flexing through his dress shirt. Sidney leant down slowly to give her a kiss on the lips very gingerly. She got up on her tiptoes to try and reach his height better. She threw her arms around his neck to secure herself and deepen the kiss. Considering how the beginning of the day started for the two of them it sure is ending like a dream they both kept having.

Notes

Outfit of the chapter: http://www.polyvore.com/sparkly_animal_print/set?id=213363137

So this will probably be my last update before the holidays, so I really hope you enjoyed it! I know I loved writing it and I'm excited for the direction this story is headed in!

Thank you all so much for your feedback and for helping me write this story lol I do take suggestions pretty seriously!

I hope everyone enjoys their much needed holiday break and has a safe and great time! Wishing you all the best and looking forward to the new year (seriously 2016 can end any time now)!

Lots of love, xoxo!