AUTUMN LEAVES

Autumn had almost forgotten how loud and dark clubs can be as she trailed behind her friends up the narrow stairs to the VIP lounge. She couldn’t get out of joining the team party after the big overtime win, especially after Catherine’s insistence, seeing that it was a rare night out for her, thanks to their nanny. Once they settled on the table to wait for the guys to show up, Jessica made sure to sit next to Autumn. “Sid is coming tonight, he’s going to be in a good mood given that he scored his first goal in 12 games”, Jessica said to her over the music, which was considerably lower in the lounge compared to the rest of the club.

Autumn got the message that Jessica wanted her to talk to Sidney tonight. She gave her a tight smile and busied herself with the cocktail menu. She will need some alcohol tonight, a lot of it. “Kris just texted, they finished the interviews and they’re on their way. They’re taking a cab, no one is driving tonight, woohoo!”, Catherine announced cheerfully. Soon, Anna Malkin and Connor Sheary’s girlfriend Jordan joined the group. “Man, I want the guys to get here fast, I’m outnumbered here”, Nate, the only man at the table, joked with Jordan’s friend.

By the time some of the players arrived, the party was already on the second round of drinks. Sidney scanned the room quickly, spotting Autumn talking to Colin, the club’s owner, who was leaning too close to her from behind her chair. Jessica was sitting next to her quietly, while Nate was hitting it off with Jordan’s friend Elisa. He noticed Kris and Geno head to the VIP dance floor where their wives and Tiff were having fun dancing.

Ridding himself of his jacket and tie, he stood behind his girlfriend who did not see him yet and leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Jessica jumped in surprise, but gave him a wild smile as she stood up and kissed his lips in the middle of the club. Sidney did not seem to mind, but he broke their kiss for other reasons. “Congrats Sid, it’s been a long time coming!”, Jess exclaimed as Sid nodded and looked at Colin who has yet to move away from Autumn.

He patted Colin’s shoulder, interrupting his conversation with Autumn and getting her attention at the same time. “Hey man, long time no see, great goal tonight”, Colin greeted Sidney. “Alright, we can talk about this later, Auts”, Colin said with a wink that made Sidney’s hands ball into fists. “What did he want to talk about? And since when does he call you ‘Auts’?”, Sidney asked irritated as he glared at her forgetting Jessica at his side.

Autumn raised her eyebrows at him, “he’s a friend, Sidney”, she answered him shortly as she looked towards Jessica, hoping Sidney would get the message and not get all worked up. “Right, of course. I guess I was not aware that your friends call you Auts, that’s all”, he said mockingly as he took the seat next to her, still muttering under his breath, while Jessica settled next to him on the other side, not paying much attention to their exchange. Autumn decided not to answer him and took a large sip of her drink instead. Geno arrived at the table with a round of Vodka shots for everyone.

“To overtime win!”, he exclaimed as everyone cheered and raised their shots before downing them. Sidney knew Autumn did not like Vodka but he watched her closely as she downed her shot at the same time he did. They were sitting too close that he felt her thigh against his, he also had a great view of her cleavage. He looked at Jessica instead to avoid staring at Autumn.

Riley Sheahan, the newest Penguin, joined the group as he took a seat in front of Autumn.
“Mrs. Lemieux, it’s a great pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Riley”, he introduced himself politely, unable to avert his eyes from her. “Autumn”, she corrected, “it’s nice to meet you too Riley, welcome to the team”, she replied as politely. Riley stared at her in awe. “Wow, forgive me, but you’re even more beautiful in person, Mario is a lucky man”, he said as his eyes remained glued to her, still amazed by how Mario landed a woman like this. “Alright Sheahan, tone it down now, she got it, we all did”, Sidney said with so much authority, drawing circles with his index finger, giving the new Pens center a death stare that effectively put him in his place.

Autumn was fed up with Sidney’s rude comments and interruptions of her conversations. “How about YOU tone it down! What’s your problem?!”, she hissed in his ear, trying not attract attention. Lucky for him, Tiff pulled Autumn off her chair to the dance floor. Sidney looked down at Jessica’s hand resting on his thigh and tried to calm himself, realizing that he was crossing a line with Autumn. Autumn was free to talk or even flirt with whoever she wants, it was not his call. He should be focused on Jessica instead. “What’s wrong Sid, what did Autumn say?”, Jessica asked. Instead of answering her, he stood up and took her with him towards the bar where he ordered an old-fashioned.

“When you finish this drink, you’re dancing with me, Mister”, Jessica whispered seductively in his ear. Taking a gulp from his drink, he put the glass on her lips to give her a taste. She made a small show of drinking from his glass. He downed his drink in one shot and almost threw the glass on the bar as he put his hands on her hips and turned her so she was grinding against his front as they danced to the music.

As Autumn took back her seat at the empty table, she noticed Phil take a seat in front of her, a beer in his hand. She felt too embarrassed to look at him, Phil knew about her infidelity. He smiled at her, but as he tried to start a conversation to ease her discomfort, Sidney appeared at her side. He had seen them sitting at the table and could easily read Autumn’s mind. He snaked his arm around her chair and talked into her ear while he kept his eyes on Phil. “He promised not to tell anyone, don’t worry, we can trust him”, Sidney reassured her. She nodded faintly, looking at her hands. Upon seeing how stressed Autumn was by his presence, Phil decided to give her a break and leave the table.

Autumn looked at the dance floor, she saw Kris look at her and Sidney curiously, Tiff was doing the exact same thing from her spot at a high table. Autumn put her face in her hands frustrated. They were both trying to move on, but too many people knew, including Kris apparently, making what they did hard to forget. She felt Sidney’s hand on her back, rubbing her exposed skin up and down gently through her backless outfit. “Are you fucking serious now?”, she said wide-eyed, “everyone is looking at us, get your hand off me!”, she added angrily. “Relax, they know we’re friends”, Sidney answered nonchalantly. “Oh my god, are you drunk?”, she yelled. He sighed and shook his head as he reluctantly detached his hand from her warm skin. “I just miss you”, he whispered after a moment, unsure if she has heard him or not. They remained quiet for few minutes and Autumn felt herself relax a little. Her eyes locked with Jessica who was at the bar with Catherine and Kris. Jessica wiggled her eyebrows at her, reminding her of her promise.

“Jessica wanted me to talk to you”, she said to him with an exaggerated eye roll. Sidney looked surprised, “about what?”, he asked, inching closer to her. “To sum it up, she’s worried that you will break up with her because of the media and the distractions”, she told him, wanting to get it over with. Sidney frowned, he was surprised that Jessica would think that. “But I asked her to come tonight. Why would I do that if I thought it would distract me. Does she think that I’m blaming her for all the shit that’s going around on social media?”, Sidney asked Autumn, genuinely confused. Autumn sighed exasperated, she was hoping she would say her piece and get out of this conversation.

“It’s loud in here, let’s talk outside”, Autumn said as she stood up and gathered her coat. Sidney trailed behind her as she headed towards the outdoor patio that the club only opened during summer season. On her way out, she passed by Jessica who gave her a knowing smile as she chatted with Catherine at the bar.

Sidney closed the door behind him as they stepped into the quiet Pittsburgh night. She turned to him, “Sid, Jess cares about you. I don’t know what made her think that you’re regretting your relationship or whatever, but you need to explain to her that this situation is not going to affect your relationship, if that’s the case of course. She’s uncertain about her future with you”, Autumn told him softly. “Why of all people, would she tell YOU this?”, he asked, puffs of hot air coming out of his mouth as he spoke. “She said that I know you better than Catherine. I’m assuming she’s already spoken to her about this. She thinks you and I are good friends”, she whispered the last sentence.

“We are”, he said defensively, “or we were, at least, until I messed it all up”, Sidney confessed more quietly, as his eyes wandered around the empty cold patio. “I miss you”, he whispered. “Sidney –”, she interrupted, but he continued, “I miss dancing with you, telling you about my day, I miss talking to you. I miss my friend, Autumn. You understand me, you know me, the real me. You were my confidant. I trusted you with every little detail of my life. I miss all that”, he admitted. She had her back to him with her arms around herself as she continued to gaze into the starry sky, her soft hair dancing with the gentle breeze. He stood close behind her, almost flush to her, but he didn’t touch her. He missed her friendship, but he mostly missed her, all of her. “Do you ever think of what it could have been?”, he whispered softly. She nodded silently, “you know I still have no detailed recollection of how the accident happened that night. But right before I crashed into that truck, I had a vision”, she said as he intently listened.

“It was a vision of you, of us, when we danced together for the first time, you were flirting with me, remember? You were all smiles”, she said wistfully. “It occurred to me then, right before I blacked out, that it was the only time we flirted and touched without hurting anyone in the process. It was the only time we were free to feel and do whatever we wanted to”, she continued, swallowing the lump in her throat as Sidney was reliving that night through her words. “You were right that night at the museum, I did run to Mario too fast. I was scared just like you, Sid. I saw you as a heartbreaker, as a dangerous risk. I picked the easy way out, which was labeling you as the jerk who didn’t deserve me. I’m sorry, you have no idea how much I regret this”, she confessed, as she turned to face him.

“But what if I didn’t run away? What if you didn’t run away either?”, she wondered, searching his eyes, but he remained silent, waiting for her to continue. “You would have asked me out to dinner maybe. I would have likely said, ‘let’s skip dinner’”, she chuckled softly, earning a lopsided smile from him. “We would have ended up at your place in the city or maybe at mine. You would have asked me to go with you to the Lemieux foundation gala. You would have gotten me your Jersey to wear to every home game. You would have rightfully punched every man who spoke to me or breathed near me, like you almost did tonight”, she said as a tear finally escaped, but her smile never faltered.

“I would have made you mine”, he spoke possessively, his hoarse voice bringing her back to the present. She closed her eyes briefly and pictured that every word she said was real, wishing that it wasn’t just a lost dream, wishing that the man in front of her would really make her his.

She contemplated him, enjoying the view that was Sidney Crosby; his gray shirt stretched across his shoulders and biceps, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing his strong forearms. She inspected the light stubble on his face, his red pouty lips, his dark eyes that held her gaze so tenderly. She knew deep in her heart that she loved him, every piece of him. Her heart was his since that night when she danced with him for the first time. “I miss you too, more than I could ever tell you”, she confessed at the end.

Sidney didn’t even hesitate before he gathered her in his arms and kissed her long and slow. She delicately sucked on his soft lips, tracing them with her tongue ever so lightly as she hooked her hands around his neck. She played with his soft curls as he passionately kissed her breath away. She couldn’t get enough of him, she thought there will never be a time when she will get tired of kissing Sidney.

Her heart was bursting in her chest, she could no longer deny her man what he needed to hear. She could no longer live the lie that was her marriage. She could no longer convince herself that she loved Mario, because if she wanted to be true to herself, she was in love with the man who was kissing her and melting her into a puddle. She deserved this sweet surrender to her overwhelming love for him. Clutching his face with her hands, she detached her mouth from his as they both breathed heavily. She could feel his hot breath on her face as she stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, looking deeply into his eyes. “I love you, Sidney”, she finally breathed out. The toothy heart-melting smile he gave her in that very moment made her fall in love with him all over again.

He kissed her hard in response, holding her tight to him. When he stopped, he searched her grinning face, as if making sure she meant what she had just confessed. “I love you, I have always loved you, Sid”, she repeated, answering his silent question. She felt him pick her up and position her legs to wrap around his wide waist. With both arms under her thighs and hands resting on her ass for better support, he headed in the opposite direction of the club’s door. Autumn hooked her arms around his neck and shoulders as they both laughed out loud like teenagers playing hooky. “Where are you taking me?”, she asked almost giggling. She did not really care for an answer as in that moment, she will gladly follow him to the end of the Earth. “I’m taking you where you belong”, he answered confidently, happiness evident in his voice.

Autumn realized that they reached the private entrance of the club, where Sidney decided to put her down and act casual as he focused on the passing cars in order to flag a cab. It hit Autumn that Sidney wanted them to just leave the club and everyone else in it behind. “What about Jessica?”, she asked in a sobering moment. “I’ll text her that I had to take off”, he answered carelessly. “No, Sid, she knows we’re together. She saw us exit that door. She assumed that I’ll be talking to you about her”, Autumn said flustered. “You know what? I don’t care. I’m ending things with her anyways. I’m taking you home, that’s all I care about right now”, he said firmly.

“Sidney, everyone saw us leave through that door! What would they think if we never made it back?”, she tried to reason with him. “We’ll worry about that tomorrow, now come on, stop ruining the moment”, he said sternly. He opened the taxi door for her and gave her a triumphant smile when she finally gave up arguing with him and climbed in. Giving the driver the nearest intersection to his downtown apartment building, never trusting anyone with his address, he settled next to her on the backseat and held her hand discreetly. The driver obviously recognized the hockey superstar but he acted like a professional, taking them to their near destination without asking any questions.

With how cold it was, the streets were deserted at that late hour. Sidney pulled Autumn out of the cab and kept her hand in his. Once the taxi was out of view, they stood on the sidewalk holding each other like their lives depended on it. She ran her hands over his back as he tightly gripped her waist, securing her against him. She shivered from the cold wind. “Sid, you don’t have your coat!”, Autumn suddenly realized. He laughed a full belly laugh, “of course you couldn’t notice this earlier. You were too busy eyeing me like I’m a piece of meat!”, he said, pretending to be offended, making Autumn blush furiously. “Don’t worry, I’m Canadian, baby. This, we call June weather back home”, he joked, giving her a heart-stopping grin.

“Now, answer this, Autumn”, he trailed as he rubbed her sides. “Would you go to dinner with me?”, he asked her with a tilt of his head. It took her few seconds to catch on, but she did. “How about we skip dinner altogether”, she answered slyly, the twinkle in her eyes lifting off all the darkness that has been fogging his world.

Notes

Hiya for the second time in two days,

Well the last chapter got some interesting feedback. I understand how Mario's sex scene was difficult to digest for some of you but not others.

One thing for sure though is that the Sidney camp will get a reward for having gone through a "traumatizing experience" in Chapter 26 *wink* *wink*

I hope you liked this one. Looking forward to your comments :D
Stayed tunes, it's about to get hot, (not outside, it's still February, let's be real :(

Down-with-the-flu-Charlie