Goodnight, beautiful

When her eyes finally fluttered open she was beyond grateful for the heavy black curtains blocking out the suns rays. The hangover was just as bad as Bristol had expected it to be and she was sure her head was going to explode at any moment. Laying comfortably on her back, she ran her hands through her hair, over her face, pressing lightly on her eyes and hoping the awful pressure would go away soon. The bedroom she had awoken in was vaguely familiar but thankfully not all recollection of the night was gone.

“Good morning,” dressed in nothing but his boxers, Dan emerged from the bathroom. “These’ll help.”

Smiling weakly, Bristol held out her hand as Dan dropped two different pills into her hand. She was afraid to ask him what they were as they didn’t look like the average over-the-counter pain reliever. She guessed they were narcotics—whatever worked. She popped them into her mouth, washed them down with a Gatorade.

“Please kill me.” Bristol groaned.

Dan laughed sympathetically as he was just as hungover as she was. After putting her bottle of Gatorade on the nightstand, Bristol rolled over in an attempt to be closer to Dan. With him lying prone on the bed, back propped on the headboard she placed her head on his lap. The only glow illuminating the bedroom came from the television and it was just enough of a glow for Dan to see that even after a night of hard partying, Bristol could still manage to look radiant. He grabbed her hand, their fingers lazily playing with one another, her long nails grazing his skin.

Bristol cleared her throat. She could tell he was spacing out. “We didn’t…do anything, did we?”

Letting go of her hand, Dan’s fingers were eager to run through her hair.

“We didn’t,” he was hoping to come off as a gentleman for not having taken advantage of her intoxicated state. The truth of the matter was Dan had been just as—if not more—intoxicated than Bristol which left him in a state to be unable to perform.

Bristol had her fair share of drunken hookups in the past but she always kept it out of Kris’ inner circle. Whether people chose to believe her or not, this was the first time she had ended up in the bed of an NHL player. Not that any of the professional athletes hadn’t tried for a shag, she respected not only herself but her friendship with Versteeg.

Once the medication to combat the headache and nausea kicked in, Dan offered Bristol a ride home. She was naturally inclined to say no, but when she learned he would be passing her apartment on his way to New Jersey, she accepted. So she wouldn’t have to take that walk of shame in the slinky dress she wore the night before, Dan loaned her a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

These were two very out of character actions for him. Never had he offered a girl a ride home the next morning (even if he was passing her apartment) nor would he even think to offer up a chance of clothes.

Bristol was half expecting the car ride to be silent and awkward but it wasn’t. He had bought her a coffee from the Starbucks at the corner of his block and the conversation revolved around topics other than his flattery. It was a nice change of pace for Daniel to be able to have an actual conversation with a woman who occupied his bed. He was more impressed by Bristols ability to rattle off hockey statistics like she was a commentator on the NHL Network.

“I really appreciate the ride and the coffee.” Bristol flashed him a smile that could make any man weak at the knees. What shocked him to his core was what she did next. Leaning over the center console she smacked Dan with a kiss on the lips.

They had kissed several times throughout the previous night but Dan found it to be far more electrifying when his blood wasn’t almost pure whiskey. Now it was her turn to leave him blubbering and stumbling over his words. “Any—anytime.”

Inside the apartment, Kris was half asleep on the couch. The television remote rested on his bare chest and it almost went flying to the floor when Bristol startled him. He really hadn’t been expecting her to come this early. Sure, it nearing almost one in the afternoon but when they hadn’t stopped drinking until well past four.

The smell of the pizza from last night still lingered in the air and it made Bristol instantly queasy.

“How are we not dead?” Kris asked the million dollar question, his eyes fluttering closed.

Bristol curled up on the love seat wondering the same thing. She decided to follow Kris’s example, a nap was too good to pass up.

“I have no idea,” she yawned, “but all I know is, I am never drinking again.

The beginning of March marked one week in Philadelphia for Bristol. She was pleasantly surprised at how well she was adjusting to the new city, it didn’t take long for it to start feeling like home. She had been intimated at the idea of making friends with the Broadstreet Bullies as their reputation around the league wasn’t glowing. What Bristol found to be ironic was that this group of guys was far more welcoming to her than the short tenure in Toronto. Jeff and Mike had taken her under their wings, showing her all the best clubs, bars, and restaurants while Daniel made the nights not seem as lonely. Briere, on the other hand, was friendly in passing, especially when she occupied her time with Claude. Since she, Giroux, and Kris were all the same age, the trio easily bonded.

That Thursday night when Kris awoke from his usual pregame nap, he found Bristol standing at the stove, ladling soup into plastic containers. In addition to whipping up Kris’s pregame meal of spaghetti and red sauce, she put a big pot of soup on as the flu was making its way through the Flyers locker room.

“You’re not eating with me?” Kris settled down at the table.

She took a sip of her red wine and shook her head. “I’ll eat later.”

Bristol knew Kris was slightly disappointed with her choice to skip the game and hang out with Carcillo. It was the first time he was facing his old team since the trade and Kris wanted her there, cheering him on as he kicked Maple Leaf ass.

“What happened to bros before hoes?”

With the last container of soup filled, Bristol packed them up. Jeff and Daniel were scratched for the game as it was their turn to endure the hellish symptoms of the flu.

She looked at her watch. “It’s still early so if I get the soup dropped off at Carter’s and Carcillo’s in a decent time frame, I should be able to be there by the second period.”

“Promise?”

To answer Kris’s question, Bristol held out her little finger to him. Never once has she broken a pinky promise to Kris.

Bristol didn’t stay long at Jeff’s as he was much sicker than she thought. In a groggy haze of NyQuil, he almost fell asleep before he could finish the first bowl of soup Bristol heated up for him.

By the time Bristol made it to Daniel’s apartment, it was pouring rain. After finding a parking spot she dashed to the door, pressing the buzzer and anxious for him to let her in. When she did get in, her hair was soaked, along with her jeans and coat. Suddenly heating up a bowl of soup for herself didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Daniel looked like hell when he opened the door but he was nowhere near as sick as Jeff. With how many penalties he has been wracking up and with his style of play becoming chippy, Bristol guessed Laviolette was looking for any reason to keep Dan off the bench.

“How are you feeling?”

Bristol shed her coat and immediately brought the back of her hand to his forehead. No fever, thankfully but he was suffering from the congestion. Without a girlfriend in his life at the moment he was grateful she was taking time out of her day to take care of him.

“Okay,” he stopped to sneeze. “Should be ready to go for the game on Saturday.”

The pair walked into the kitchen where Bristol got right to work popping a container of soup into the microwave. He was a bit wary of her being around him as the last thing he wanted was to get her sick but he had to have her in his arms. Grabbing her wrist, Dan pulled her close to him and held her tight and close.

He kissed her forehead before nuzzling the top of her head. There were hints of warm vanilla in her hair and he loved how easily it glided through his fingers. Over the last week the couple had become rather close; sans actual dates and sex. Two nights after Bristol had slept over at his place, they had stayed up until almost 2 am talking on the phone. Dan made her feel like she was fifteen again.

“I really appreciate you bringing food over.” They pulled away when the microwave beeped. “Takeout gets old after awhile.”

Bristol rolled her eyes as she divided the chicken tortellini soup into two bowls. They were both curled on the couch with the game on the television in no time. She realized this would be the first time she would break a pinky promise to Kris. There was no way she was making it to the game, not when she was beyond comfortable curled up with Dan under a cozy blanket.

“48? Really?” Dan moved her long wavy locks off her shoulder to reveal the white numbers ironed on to her orange sweatshirt.

Bristol gave Daniel the side eye. “What? He’s an iconic player.”

Setting his bowl on the coffee table, Dan got up from the couch and disappeared for a second, reemerging with a wrapped box in his hand. He handed it to Bristol, who held her eyes on his as she tore through the paper. Once the top portion of the box was discarded, she pushed back the tissue paper to reveal a brand-new Flyers sweater. As Bristol turned it around, her suspicions were confirmed.

“Is this your way of marking your territory?” Bristol ran her fingers over the stitched letters which formed the name ‘Carcillo.’

Dan shrugged. “It’s totally up to you if you wanna wear it.”

“You’re going about this very delicately.”

“Well, it’s kind of a first date.”

Bristol was thoroughly confused. If this were a date, she was horribly underdressed but nonetheless not knowing it was a date definitely took the pressure off. “I just stopped by to give you soup.”

“No, you didn’t” He shook his head and gestured to the fact she had been snuggled under a blanket with him watching the ensuing hockey game.

She stayed quiet. Bristol knew it took balls to be honest with someone whom you’ve only known for a short time and she wanted to prove to Dan she was just as ballsy as him.

“I guess I’m here as a result of my severe sexual frustration.”

“How’s that going for ya?” He was clearly amused.

“I’m unusually comfortable with the fact I haven’t been touched in quite some time. But, I’ve been a little more…itchy, lately.”

The damn sly smile spread across his face. “Seeing as to how we have a pretty good friendship going here, I can take you to my room and take care of that itch for you.”

Bristol shook her head, as much as she wanted for him to take her back into his bedroom, toss her on his bed, and absolutely destroy her body, if she was going to make things work with Dan she wanted to do it the right way. She told him she didn’t want to ruin the friendship by rushing to bed.

“I’ve got a proposition for you then. We give it 30 days.” She furrowed her brow in confusion. Dan continued. “Adjustment period. We keep doing this—what normal couples do but without the sex.”

She asked him why he would be willing to go a month under such an arrangement. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who had a track record of messy relationships because sex was introduced far too early.

However, what Dan didn’t tell her was the truth. The truth about how there was a bet going on the locker room between a few of the guys as to whether she would put out or not. Seeing as to how reserved she had been on the first night they went out together, Dan guessed it would be about a month until he saw any action with her.

It took her a second to think about it. Where was the harm in taking that a normal pace for once? She reached out her hand to Dan to shake on the deal. It would be a hard month for not only Bristol; Dan would have to figure out how to get some quietly on the side.

Notes