AUTUMN LEAVES

“Downward-facing dog starts by positioning your legs like this, not too wide apart though”, Autumn explained as she demonstrated to a group of 10-year olds some basic yoga poses. Upon her suggestion, the UPMC was now offering slow-paced and gentle yoga for kids as part of a wellbeing program tailored for their young patients suffering from various chronic illnesses. Autumn was delighted with how well this program has been received by the families and the kids themselves. Upon returning to work, she volunteered to teach the class and successfully created a fun environment for kids to loosen up, exercise and simply get out of their hospital rooms.

The kids were old enough to know who Autumn was and often asked her about the Pens. She found herself asking Geno to surprise the kids at one of the weekly sessions. The kids loved him and got excited for the next session, expecting another Penguin to join them. Knowing that Sidney had a soft spot for kids, Geno told Autumn that he will never say no to this. In fact, Geno texted her the night before saying that Sidney agreed to make an appearance during the class.

Ten minutes into the class and there was no sign of the captain yet. She was nervous to see him again. Last time they saw each other was two weeks ago, the day that she was trying so hard to forget. She avoided the rink like the plague. Sidney have also successfully avoided her and Mario. During that time, she and Mario were back to normal, almost. They went out for dinners and events, they spent time working out together, and they hosted various guests at their home. Though, she often caught herself spacing out and thinking about how she betrayed her husband. She did her best to pretend that it didn’t happen. She cannot tell Mario that she slept with Sidney. Every time she thought of the possible scenarios, she freaked out and decided that it’s best if he didn’t know, especially that her and Sidney will never do such thing ever again. It was a mistake, a one-time thing.

Everything else felt normal except their intimate love life, which had taken the backseat. It was not for the lack of trying. Mario had tried a few times only for Autumn to find a convincing excuse every time. She was telling herself that with time she will be more at ease to have sex with her husband. She was feeling undeserving of him and blamed this fact on her unwillingness to sleep with him.

“Someone thinks that he’ll actually sweat from a kids’ yoga class”, Tiffany said mostly to herself as she saw Sidney enter the makeshift yoga studio with a towel on his shoulders and a workout outfit. His hair was gelled to perfection, Pens T-shirt was tight enough to accentuate all his upper body attributes, but his loose shorts were a terrible idea for yoga. Tiffany sat in the far corner watching the class and Sidney sneak in without anyone noticing so far. She couldn’t help but chuckle when he stood in front of her.

“Good morning to you too”, he said with a smile, not sure why Tiff was laughing. He was thankful for her presence though. Seeing Autumn again was bound to be uncomfortable. Tiffany stifled another laugh as she kept picturing him on a yoga matt with his huge ass exposed to the world, nay, to the children. He gave her a questioning look as he looked around him, waiting for Autumn to notice his presence. He was greeted with her round ass sticking high in the air, head between her yoga pants-clad legs as she stared back at him upside down. She looked hot that he couldn’t help but stare. He grinned at her flushed face and hair that was grazing the hardwood floor. He barely registered anything around him.

As Autumn straightened up, she got the attention of the class and announced that she has yet another surprise for them, another reward for them to have put the effort to exercise. The kids’ faces lit up once they spotted the large hockey player standing behind their doctor. Cheers filled the room, some kids less shy than others, approached the superstar to talk to him.

“Okay everyone, we are very pleased that Sid is here to do yoga with us. Now that you have greeted him, please go back to your matts. We will continue the workout. Sid would be happy to take pictures and sign anything you want at the end”, Tiff said with few claps of her hands. Managing 20 kids in a yoga class was a challenging task, prompting Autumn to ask for her sister’s help.

“Hey, thank you for taking the time to come. I know you just had practice”, Autumn said to Sidney, a little too formally, not meeting his eyes. It saddened him but there was nothing he could do about it. It is better this way. “No problem. Anything for the children”, he responded just as formally. From behind them, Tiff was surprised by the interaction but thought that maybe it’s their way of keeping their distance given Sid’s feelings for Autumn.

Autumn motioned for Sidney to take the matt that was placed next to hers, facing the kids. Sidney looked at her wide-eyed, alarmed that he would be on display for everyone to see him miserably fail at yoga. She waved him off with a reassuring smile. “Just follow my lead”, she whispered pointing to his shoes. He blushed and started unlacing his running shoes, realizing that he was the only person in the room with shoes on. He returned to the matt and copied Autumn standing position, which was not really a position.

Sidney is so adorable when he’s nervous, she observed. This was going to be fun, Autumn thought to herself, putting all her chagrins to the side and planning on having fun for the first time in weeks. She started out with some basic poses that everyone seems to follow easily, including Sidney, despite his clear lack of grace. He did a good job of watching her very closely and copying her every move.

The room started to feel hotter as he watched her go into a weird-looking pose that she called “fish”. Her long toned legs extended in the air, her pelvis and torso arched with her chest prominently on display, her ass and head resting on the floor with arms stretched overhead. Damn she’s strong and flexible, he thought. You experienced that first hand, he mused, his thoughts going back to their hot encounter on his couch. He just hoped that he won’t embarrass himself in front of the kids. Autumn doing yoga was certainly a sight for sore eyes and sore dicks. He faintly heard her telling the kids to do this pose only if they can.

Still in position, Autumn’s eyes wandered towards Sidney to find him sitting and looking at her intently with arms stretched behind him to support his heavy body. She wiggled her eyebrows to signaling for him to copy her pose. He simply laughed and shook his head. “Nope, I’m not doing that Dr. Scott”, he answered playfully. “I don’t have the muscles for it”, he continued joking, wiggling his eyebrows in return. Finishing the pose, Autumn sat back up and addressed the kids. “Apparently, Mr. Crosby here finds this position difficult. Since he’s our guest, we would like to accommodate him”, she said with a devious smile sent his way. Two can play at that game.

“Sheryl honey, could you please show Sidney here the Moo pose? It may be easier for him”, Autumn said with evident mischief. “Moo pose?”, he asked confused. Everyone in the room started laughing at what appeared to be an inside joke that Sidney was not aware of. “It’s the Cow’s pose. It’s very easy. I’ll show you”, Sheryl the blond little girl said to him, as she started to demonstrate the Cow’s pose.

Sidney sent Autumn the dirtiest of looks as he realized this pose would entail that he goes on all fours, back arched and more importantly, ass in the air. “Good job sweetie. Let’s see if Sidney can do it. What do you say Sid?”, Autumn asked, enjoying the situation way too much. The kids were young but not stupid, they likely sensed his predicament as they all had big smiles. He looked behind him to inspect who’s going to get the ultimate show of his huge ass. After making sure that the coast was clear and sending Autumn an “I will kill you” look, he resigned and went on all fours as everyone cheered him on. Shaking his head, he told himself that it’s for the kids, they’re having fun and there’s no harm in it. They don’t have social media accounts, or do they?

As he took the proper position, Autumn turned her back to him and tried so hard to stifle her laughs. There were tears threatening to spill over. He could see her shoulders shaking and knew that she was laughing at his expense. She wiped her eyes as she turned towards him, trying but failing at hiding her amusement. “He is better at hockey”, a sassy little girl chimed in loud enough for everyone to break into laughter, including the hockey superstar. The rest of the session was as delightful for everyone involved. Before leaving, the kids got their time with Sidney and took pictures and autographs.

He had no idea how much he needed it. “It” being just laugh and have fun without dwelling on his declining game or the mess that was his love life, the latter occupying his mind more than anything. He watched as Autumn tidied-up the space, he studied her every move as she bent down to roll a matt. He felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her. He’s never seen a woman wear yoga pants the way she did. Her tight hot pink top left very little for the imagination too.

Taking a deep breath, he needed to focus on not crossing a line. However, Autumn was making it a very challenging task as she squirted water on her warm face then on her neck where drops rolled down landing in her cleavage and further down behind the fabric of her top. He gulped and commanded his eyes to move away but couldn’t. All his blood rushed south and she wasn’t even aware of what she was doing to him. She simply wiped her face and neck with a small towel as her eyes met his. She gave him a small smile that tugged at his heart. He missed her.

With few long strides, he had her in a corner behind a small cabinet. He caught her by surprise that she didn’t know what was happening until his arms held hers above her head to stop her from pushing him away, and his lips were crashing hers in a bruising kiss. Sidney taking control, he kissed her hard and with hunger at first. But then as he felt her tongue tracing his lips ever so lightly, he melted into the kiss, slowing down and taking his time nipping at her lips and exploring her mouth with is tongue. He let her arms go and held her to him, moving his mouth from her lips to graze the soft skin at the corner of her mouth, leaving open-mouth kisses on her cheek, jaw and neck.

Needing some air, he stopped and gently put his forehead on hers, with their eyes closed their noses touching. “You break down my defenses every single time”, he whispered, trying to stop himself from taking her right there in the middle of the hospital. Autumn looked down, averting her eyes from him, trying to build some sort of barrier between them despite being surrounded by him. She felt his hold on her loosen and his warmth fade away. She looked up to see him walking backwards still looking at her with a deep frown. As she watched him leave, she wiped her silent tears and hoped that Tiff, who was waiting for her outside, did not see them.

“What did Sid want?”, Tiff asked Autumn once she met her in the hallway. “Nothing”, Autumn answered faintly. “What’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”, Tiff inquired, seeing that Autumn’s demeanor has shifted dramatically. “It’s nothing”, she repeated. Knowing her sister, Tiff knew that it was never “nothing”. “Bullshit! Let’s go to my office”, Tiff said, linking her arm with Autumn’s, not leaving her much choice.

“Spit it out”, Tiff demanded from where she sat facing Autumn in her office. “Auttie, there’s something going on with you and I kept telling myself that she’ll talk to me when she’s ready. I suspected it’s about Sid, please tell me I’m wrong”, Tiff spoke calmly. Autumn’s reaction told her everything she needed to know. It was about Sidney. “What did he do now?”, Tiff asked, getting worked up. “You mean what did I do?”, Autumn countered between tears. “What happened?”, Tiff asked her as she soothingly stroked her hair. “I slept with him”, she whispered in shame.

“Oh. My. God”, Tiff kept repeating these three words, covering her mouth in shock. “Why would you do such thing? You’re married! To Mario! Are you out of your damn mind?!”, Tiff yelled once she overcame the initial shock of her sister’s revelation. Autumn remained quiet, letting Tiff scold her and say all the things that she needed and deserved to hear. “When? How many times”, Tiff asked trying to contain her anger. “Once, two weeks ago”, she answered with a small voice. “So, you two are a thing now? You’re having an affair behind your husband’s back?”, Tiff asked in disbelief. “No, No, we are not. It was a mistake and it will never happen again”, Autumn said hesitantly. “It’s not like me to do that. You know me Tiff. I just…”, she paused and sniffled. “I have feelings for him, Tiff”, she added. “Of all men to cheat on your husband with, not that you should be doing that in the first place, you chose Sidney. Of all men to have feelings for, you chose Sidney Crosby.”, Tiff said incredulously. “I know, he’s like a son to Mario”, Autumn chocked out an answer.

“Yes, there’s that. But that’s not what I meant, Autumn. He’s a player, big time. The man may have the biggest heart, but in the women’s department, he fucks anything that moves. He just used you, he doesn’t love you. That asshole got what he wanted and I bet now he’s over you. He’s probably telling you that it was a mistake”, Tiff spoke with disgust and anger. That’s exactly what Sidney told her right after they had sex, Autumn thought. Tiffany watched her sister too shaken and hurt to speak..

“His numbers are in the three digits, Auttie. It’s disgusting”, Tiff added more calmly. She thought that it was now or never to tell Autumn all about Sidney, maybe it’ll make Autumn believe her and forget about this sinful crush. “You know how I know about his numbers? He told me. He says to think of it as having sex once a month for the last 15 years that he’s been sexually active for. Yes, it’s that disturbing”, Autumn was too shocked to speak, her jaw dropped at what Tiff was telling her. She knew women threw themselves at him. She also knew that he would indulge them sometimes. But she had no idea it was that much. Three digits.

“He must have been joking. Why would he tell you this?”, Autumn asked, refusing to believe. After a heavy sigh, Tiff decided to tell her the truth, she deserved to know. “I haven’t told you this because I’m embarrassed about it and plus, I thought it was not relevant until now”, Tiff started. Autumn looked at her with wide eyes, sensing a big confession was about to be made. “It was last year after your Christmas dinner. We were both drunk, I was horny and Sidney did not need to be told twice when I knocked on his bedroom door”, Tiff confessed as she looked down, too embarrassed to look Autumn in the eye. “In my house? We sat all together for breakfast that morning. It was right after you….?”, Autumn whispered, not knowing how to react.

All sorts of emotions clouded her mind. To start, her sister slept with Sidney and hid it from her for almost a year; The disturbing past and maybe present of Sidney’s sex life; But what hurt her most of all is all the things Sidney had told her about how he loved her and the way he made her feel like she’s the most important person in his whole world. He made her fall for him, cheat on her husband with him, only for her to learn that he slept with every woman in North American, including her sister. I love you in I don’t want you to marry him way. I would have never let you walk out that door, never. You break down my defenses every single time. She replayed all the things he had said to her. Were they all lies?

Tiffany watched the wheels turn in Autumn’s head as she stayed still and terrifyingly silent for having heard her confessions. Was this the calm before the storm? Standing up abruptly, Autumn retrieved her gym bag, and without a single a word, she headed to the door. “Autumn, we should talk about this”, Tiff tried, feeling mortified. Then Autumn turned around and asked her the unthinkable, “Do you love him?”

“What?!”, Tiff yelled back. “Is that what you think this is? I was trying to open your eyes to the kind of man he truly is so you could stay away from him, and be happy with your damn husband! You thought that I was speaking out of jealousy? Unbelievable!”, Tiff screamed at her. “I don’t know anymore, Tiff. I’m tired, my life is a mess. But you, you were the only constant in my life. The only person I trusted and you lied to me. Why would you hide it from me if you don’t really care about him?”, Autumn asked with clear disappointment.

“I was embarrassed!”, Tiff shouted back, defending herself. “If sleeping with him is so fucking embarrassing for you, why do you tell me about every other man you sleep with and not him?”, Autumn retorted. She knew Tiff slept around, not caring much for serious commitments. Her career was her only serious commitment. Maybe Sidney and Tiff would make a great couple after all, she thought resentfully. When Tiff remained silent, not knowing how to articulate a response, Autumn sighed with defeat. “That’s what I thought”, she said before leaving.

The sun was too bright for her dark mood. Autumn was feeling sick from the anger and disappointment. She wanted to go back and scream at Tiff. She also wanted to scream at Sidney. But mostly she wanted to scream at herself for making the mistakes in the first place and for letting it all get to her. Tiff is single and had the right to do as she pleased, so did Sidney. She was the married one who had no right to fall for him nor sleep with him. Rationally, she had no right to be upset with either of them, but in reality, she felt cheated by Sidney’s words and disappointed by her best friend’s secret. At the end of the day, she was the one to blame for having feelings for someone other than her husband and for cheating on him with that unworthy someone. Climbing in her new car, she thought about the last time she drove with nausea and misery as her company. Everything is supposed to happen for a reason, isn’t it?

Notes

Two chapters in one week! Yay me :D

Thanks for reading! Looking forward to your comments :)

Charlie