Page 43 of Let It Be Me
“So I think I finally have a grip on hockey.” She says, taking my offered hand as we walk out into the hallway.
“Oh yeah?” I ask and press the door for the elevator. “Was I in the sin-bin?”
“I saidthink, smartass. I still have a long way to go interms of being fluent. But I’m hoping that sitting with your parents will help me learn the sport better.”
The elevator opens and we file inside. Sarah takes one side and I take the other after pressing the button for the ground floor. I finally get to take a look at her without my parents in the vicinity. Starting at her thigh high black stiletto boots, to the Blue Jays shirt dress that stops a couple of inches above her boots, and to the black purse that hangs off her shoulder and her softly curled hair. She plays the role of a WAG perfectly. And I thank divine intervention that the guys weren’t up in the box with me.
“I wanna take you somewhere,” I tell her as the elevator descends to the ground floor.
“Do I need to change?”
“Nope. But we are going to drop your car off at my apartment.” I push off the wall and hold my hand out to her as the doors open. Sarah takes my offering and weaves her fingers in between mine like she’s done it for months. Whether it’s for anyone from the game who’s still lingering or if holding my hand is as natural as breathing, I don’t question it. Turns out our PDA is more for the lingering team and puck bunnies. Murmurs follow us as we walk out to the parking lot and I have no doubt a picture of us will end up online.
“Where’s your car?” I ask Sarah as we near mine in the lot.
“About that. I maybe, kind of, sort of Uber’ed here.” She tells me and swings our arms back and forth.
“Oh, did you now?”
“Uh huh. How weird would it look if we drove home separately? I just saved us both the rumors.”
We make it to my car and I open the door for her. “Get in ya goof.”
She sneaks a kiss on my lips before she steps onto the running boards and I smack her on the butt as she’s sliding in. I leave her with a parting wink and head around to the back to toss my duffle bag in. I slide in the driver's seat and start up my car. The sun is just setting as I peel out of the parking lot and head east towards the lake.
About halfway through the drive, we stop and pick up chopped salads before continuing on our trek.
“Favorite food?” I ask, when I get off on the exit towards the lake.
“Easy. French fries,” Sarah answers with no hesitation.
I quickly look over at her and turn back to the road with a smile on my face. “Okay. What kind of french fries?”
“Brace yourself, Riley. Because this is one of my favorite topics.”
I shrug my shoulders and roll my head around like I’m preparing to head into a boxing ring. “Alright I’m ready,” I say through our mutual laughter.
“I love bar fries. You know the ones with the sort of flaky outside? I love those the most. Waffle fries hold a lot of dip, so I don’t count those out. A crinkle cut fry that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside is so good,” she stops when she sees me looking at her for the tenth time in the last four minutes of her rambling. “What?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just nice to find you have flaws,” I state jokingly.
“Take that back!” She lightly swats at me.
“Look, I’m not judging. But I think it’s cute.”
“Cute,” she scoffs. “So, I like french fries. I’m sure you like something that’s at an almost unhealthy level.”
I think hard about something that isn’t hockey related. “Hmm. Do cats count?”
“Riley, I’ve seen that cat room. So I know your obsession is strong. But no. That doesn’t count.”
I flip the lever for the turn signal and pull into the lakes parking lot. Several other cars are parked out here so I’m glad I wasn’t the only one with this idea. I find a spot that’s got the best view of the horizon and shift the car into park.
“Hmm. I can’t say I have any unhealthy obsession like you do. Although, fries, I could obsess over them with you.”
“Paws off, buddy,” she jokes and dishes out our food. “What are we doing here anyways?”
“Have you ever seen the Northern Lights?” I ask and shake my salad container to distribute the dressing evenly.
