Carolina Blues

I tossed my sweaty shirt into my bag, holding a tight grip on the towel around my waist before dropping onto the bench in front of my locker. I pulled one arm across my chest, the muscles in my shoulders tight after our long morning practice.

"Doin' alright?" Skinner asked, tugging a sweatshirt over his head next to me. I sighed and he nodded, "Yeah, Petey was in a hell of a mood today."

"Damn right!" I added, stretching my other shoulder. My body ached as I reached for my shorts, Sebastian using his stick to pull them just out of my reach. He chuckled, lifting them up and slinging them over to Murphy who trapped them under his foot. "Really Seebs?"

Murph held up my shorts, twirling them on a finger and throwing them my way. "C'mon Faulker! He just wants to see you in a towel for a little longer- can you blame the guy?"

I stood up to grab them and laughed, slipping them on and running my hands over my bare chest seductively. "Yeah, you like this Seebs? Some of this?" Murph started humming Big Spender and Skinner joined in, dancing with me and throwing a leg up on the bench as he pulled his socks up high.

Across the room Elias began twirling his towel in the air, wearing nothing but boxers, as Eddie howled behind him. The entire room broke out in laughter, only interrupted by Justin's phone ringing. He let it ring twice before grabbing it, unable to quiet the guys as he swiped to answer.

"Hello?" He asked, practically shouting over the din of the locker room.

"Hey, Justin? This is Georgia. We met at the diner."

He remembered her immediately, how could he forget that girl. Her dark blonde hair falling from her ponytail as she shook her head, impeccably impersonating Don Walters as he screamed during Gretzky's legendary game of 1997. "Georgia," he repeated back to her, the name sweet on his lips, "hi. How are you?"

"I'm good! How are you?"

"Yeah, go- good, just dancing in the locker room." He heard her chuckle and he couldn't help but laugh as well, hearing how ridiculous it sounded. "I should explain."

"No explanation necessary. I uh, I wanted to see if you wanted to meet for coffee or something? I know you mentioned hockey but it's not really-"

"Oh, coffee sounds great!"

Around me the guys had stopped dancing, all staring wide eyed with shit-eating grins on their faces. I held up a hand, clearing my throat quickly. "Can I uh, can I call you back when I get out of here and we'll set up a time?"

"Yeah! That sounds great!"

"Super, I'll call you in a bit. Bye!" I hung up the phone, setting it down and exhaling the breath I'd been holding. All at once the boys erupted in a chorus of noise, most of them chanting super in a high pitched voice.

"Thanks guys, thanks a lot."

"Hey, you're the one that said super! Who was that anyway?"

"Diner girl?" Skinner asked, making kissy faces.

"Her name is Georgia, and yes. We're getting coffee." The boys whooped, Murphy in particular.

"Good on you bro... she seemed cool."

I stood up, grabbing my bag and heading out into the cool Carolina weather. The sun was high in the sky, heat settling in Raleigh and warming up the Jeep. Georgia was on my mind as I dialed her back. One, two, three rings before her voicemail.

Hi, you've reached Georgia Pavel with Detroit General Hospital. I can't answer my phone right now, please leave a message and I'll call you back-"

I hung up and shifted the car into drive, heading home with her name on my lips. Georgia, Georgia, Georgia...

Notes

Hi!

So the dance party was inspired by the Capitals Dance Party on the Dads Weekend! If you haven't seen it, it's amazing and you should check it out.