The snow began to come down harder and you could tell the guys were getting a little frustrated. I huddled underneath a blanket with Max next to the Pens bench. "Hey, hey let me in on this," Flower shouted as he snuck under the blanket next to me. "Hey asshole, no hogging," Max yelled at him. "Oh, here comes the zamboni, yet again," I said very disappointed. This game was taking forever, thanks to the snow. I wasn't complaining though, the stadium was packed to see the Penguins play against the Sabres outdoors on New Years Day. Every time someone shot the puck, it would skip down the ice before coming to a dead stop instead of sliding around, the snow was really building up and it seemed impossible to play a true game. "I think this is heading to overtime," Flower said as we watch the clock tick down and the puck was barely moving around. A gust of wind came up and I pulled the blanket up over my head. "I am not use this cold weather!" I shouted trying to shield my eyes of the falling snow. Flower and Max just laughed at me. When I began to shiver, they both wrapped their arms around me. "Body warmth, it's what you have to do to survive," Flower laughed. His french accent was addicting in a very funny way. He reminds me of Peppy-le-Peu. The zamboni cleared the ice once more and we watched a very boring overtime period, you couldn't get the puck down the ice without picking it up and carrying it yourself. "Ah shootout! We must take our shirts off!" Max shouted. I turned and looked at him, "what the hell?" "Hey it was worth a try," he laughed wrapping his arms back around me.
The shootout came down to Sidney, he was the sixth and final shooter, if he scored the Pens would win the game and if he missed it would go to another round. "Here we go, kid wonder," Flower said as we watched Sidney start to make his way to the goal. I didn't even see where the puck went, but Sidney was jumping up and down skating toward the bench. I threw the blanket off and began hugging Max and Flower. We won the game! Max picked me up in his arms and carried me over to where the players would be leaving the ice. I stood off to the side and waiting for the boys to leave. Once Sidney got off the ice he caught sight of me and motioned for me to walk up to him. I leaped into his arms and gave him a big kiss. "You and the boys can head to the hotel, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be pretty late, this is going to be a media frenzy," he laughed setting me back down on the ground. I nodded and headed back over to Max and Flower.
I relaxed in the hotel lobby next to the giant fireplace. "So a little birdie tells me you're going to be 25 in two days," Max said looking at me with one eyebrow raised. "Yes I am, don't remind me. You guys have a game that night though, should be fun, very low key." Max began to laugh, "there's nothing low key when it comes to us. I get to watch the game with you, so I'm sure Sid will put me up to something, but of course I can't tell you," he winked. Oh great. Just when I start to hate birthdays and want to get rid of them, these guys are going to bring them back to life. "How old are you?" "I'll be 24 next month, on the 11th, ha-ha! You thought I was older huh?" Max began to laugh uncontrollably. Damn you. My eyes latched onto Sidney as he walked through the front door, even though they won the game he looked like he was in a bad mood, which was very, very odd. He walked up and sat down on the arm of the chair I was in. "What's wrong babe?" I asked as he put his head in his hands. "Oh they just hound, and hound, and hound and never give up. 'Sid who's the girl?' 'Are you living with her Sid?' 'Are you engaged Sid?' 'She looked pretty cozy with Max and Marc-Andre, what do you have to say about that?' I wanted to stab all of them. All I could say was that this was a great day for hockey, we got the two points and if we were able to, I would love to play another outdoor game." He took a deep breath and slid into the chair next to me, lying his head on my lap and his feet up over the edge. "They brought my name up?" Max asked with a chuckle.
It was a quick trip back to Pittsburgh, but we still got home pretty late. I checked my email only to see pictures of Sidney and I posted nearly everywhere. There were two pictures that were all over, one of me in Sidney's arms after he left the ice and the other of Max, Flower and I cuddling to keep warm. I couldn't help but laugh, they didn't have my name, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before they did. "Come to bed!" I heard Sidney yell from the bedroom. Yes sir, right away sir. I walked into the bedroom and crawled under the covers with him. "What do you want to do for your birthday?" he asked wrapping an arm around me. "I want to wake up early, watch the sunrise while eating chocolate chip pancakes, maybe get a hair cut or some highlights while you'll be at the morning skate. I want to snuggle up next to you for your afternoon nap, then when we wake up I want to make some smoothies, get all sexed up and go to your game. Then of course you will win the game and we can come home, watch a movie and maybe fool around a bit," I laughed playing out the day in my mind. He tightened his grip around me and we quickly fell asleep.
What the hell? I squirmed around in my bed, but he kept shaking me. "Wake up Avery." I opened my eyes and glared him down. "What the hell Sid? It's 7 AM, why are you waking me up so early?" "I'm making breakfast, you have about twenty minutes to get out to the kitchen," he explained before walking away. The thought of Sidney cooking in my kitchen frightened me and I quickly jumped up out of bed and went into the bathroom. I walked out to the kitchen to see that he was making chocolate chip pancakes. "Happy birthday baby," he smiled leaning down to kiss me. "Sid, why are you making breakfast so early?" "You wanted to eat chocolate chip pancakes while watching the sunrise." I was very impressed, I was sure he would have forgotten all of that garbage I threw out there the other night. "Well the sun will be rising in about twenty minutes, I would get bundled up if I were you, it's pretty cold out," he smiled tossing the pancakes into a plastic container. I went into the bedroom and bundled up and Sidney took me out to his car. He drove me to the edge of the city up on a hill, he pulled the pancakes out along with butter and syrup. The sun began to rise and we were enjoying his surprisingly good pancakes. "It's beautiful up here," I smiled before taking another bite. "So you have a hair appointment at ten, I thought I would drop you off on my way to the arena," he explained. "Wow Crosby, you're scoring major brownie points today. What did you tell the salon I wanted?" "You are booked for a full body massage, pedicure, manicure, a hair trim, and full foil highlights, I think that's what they called it." Holy crap. "Sid, you're spoiling me today," I smiled before leaning over and giving him a kiss. "It's my birthday present to you, and don't worry it only gets better as the night goes on."
The best thing in my eyes when getting your hair done is when they massage your scalp. Sure the body massage was amazing, but when they rub their fingers into your skull it feels amazing. I sent Sidney a text message letting him know that they were blow drying my hair and that I would be ready to be picked up soon. I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't believe how fresh and healthy my hair looked. Just a few highlights and low lights placed here and there and a trim made my hair look at least seven years younger than I was. My dirty blond hair now had shades of red and a very bright blond in them. It looked fantastic. I stepped outside of the salon to see Sidney patiently waiting for me. "Damn girl, you look good. Ready for your nap?" he leaned over and kissed me. We headed back to the house and took our pregame nap. This day isn't turning out half bad.
I woke up to hear the blender going off in the kitchen, I crawled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. "Smoothies!" I shouted with the joy of an eight-year-old. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he pour the smoothie into two cups. "So I'm having Max come pick you up around 5:45 for the game, is that okay?" "Yeah that's fine, are you leaving soon?" "Yeah I need to leave in about twenty minutes, but don't worry, you will see plenty of me later," he smiled and I leaned up and gave him a kiss. A few minutes after Sidney left my phone began to ring. "Hi mom." "Happy birthday Avery, how is your day going?" my mom asked with a little extra hop in her voice. "Oh this is turning out to be one of the best days ever, Sid made me breakfast, we watched the sunrise. Then he took me to get my hair done. It's perfect mom," I smiled into the phone. "That's lovely dear, has your brother called you?" Please don't ruin this day for me! "No he hasn't, why would he? We haven't talked in years mom." "He just said he would, to wish you a happy birthday, that's all." I didn't say anything back. "Well, we'll be watching the game tonight, I'm sure we'll see you on the TV, just like everything other game that you're at. Love ya." I quickly hung up the phone. He better not call.
The shootout came down to Sidney, he was the sixth and final shooter, if he scored the Pens would win the game and if he missed it would go to another round. "Here we go, kid wonder," Flower said as we watched Sidney start to make his way to the goal. I didn't even see where the puck went, but Sidney was jumping up and down skating toward the bench. I threw the blanket off and began hugging Max and Flower. We won the game! Max picked me up in his arms and carried me over to where the players would be leaving the ice. I stood off to the side and waiting for the boys to leave. Once Sidney got off the ice he caught sight of me and motioned for me to walk up to him. I leaped into his arms and gave him a big kiss. "You and the boys can head to the hotel, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be pretty late, this is going to be a media frenzy," he laughed setting me back down on the ground. I nodded and headed back over to Max and Flower.
I relaxed in the hotel lobby next to the giant fireplace. "So a little birdie tells me you're going to be 25 in two days," Max said looking at me with one eyebrow raised. "Yes I am, don't remind me. You guys have a game that night though, should be fun, very low key." Max began to laugh, "there's nothing low key when it comes to us. I get to watch the game with you, so I'm sure Sid will put me up to something, but of course I can't tell you," he winked. Oh great. Just when I start to hate birthdays and want to get rid of them, these guys are going to bring them back to life. "How old are you?" "I'll be 24 next month, on the 11th, ha-ha! You thought I was older huh?" Max began to laugh uncontrollably. Damn you. My eyes latched onto Sidney as he walked through the front door, even though they won the game he looked like he was in a bad mood, which was very, very odd. He walked up and sat down on the arm of the chair I was in. "What's wrong babe?" I asked as he put his head in his hands. "Oh they just hound, and hound, and hound and never give up. 'Sid who's the girl?' 'Are you living with her Sid?' 'Are you engaged Sid?' 'She looked pretty cozy with Max and Marc-Andre, what do you have to say about that?' I wanted to stab all of them. All I could say was that this was a great day for hockey, we got the two points and if we were able to, I would love to play another outdoor game." He took a deep breath and slid into the chair next to me, lying his head on my lap and his feet up over the edge. "They brought my name up?" Max asked with a chuckle.
It was a quick trip back to Pittsburgh, but we still got home pretty late. I checked my email only to see pictures of Sidney and I posted nearly everywhere. There were two pictures that were all over, one of me in Sidney's arms after he left the ice and the other of Max, Flower and I cuddling to keep warm. I couldn't help but laugh, they didn't have my name, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before they did. "Come to bed!" I heard Sidney yell from the bedroom. Yes sir, right away sir. I walked into the bedroom and crawled under the covers with him. "What do you want to do for your birthday?" he asked wrapping an arm around me. "I want to wake up early, watch the sunrise while eating chocolate chip pancakes, maybe get a hair cut or some highlights while you'll be at the morning skate. I want to snuggle up next to you for your afternoon nap, then when we wake up I want to make some smoothies, get all sexed up and go to your game. Then of course you will win the game and we can come home, watch a movie and maybe fool around a bit," I laughed playing out the day in my mind. He tightened his grip around me and we quickly fell asleep.
What the hell? I squirmed around in my bed, but he kept shaking me. "Wake up Avery." I opened my eyes and glared him down. "What the hell Sid? It's 7 AM, why are you waking me up so early?" "I'm making breakfast, you have about twenty minutes to get out to the kitchen," he explained before walking away. The thought of Sidney cooking in my kitchen frightened me and I quickly jumped up out of bed and went into the bathroom. I walked out to the kitchen to see that he was making chocolate chip pancakes. "Happy birthday baby," he smiled leaning down to kiss me. "Sid, why are you making breakfast so early?" "You wanted to eat chocolate chip pancakes while watching the sunrise." I was very impressed, I was sure he would have forgotten all of that garbage I threw out there the other night. "Well the sun will be rising in about twenty minutes, I would get bundled up if I were you, it's pretty cold out," he smiled tossing the pancakes into a plastic container. I went into the bedroom and bundled up and Sidney took me out to his car. He drove me to the edge of the city up on a hill, he pulled the pancakes out along with butter and syrup. The sun began to rise and we were enjoying his surprisingly good pancakes. "It's beautiful up here," I smiled before taking another bite. "So you have a hair appointment at ten, I thought I would drop you off on my way to the arena," he explained. "Wow Crosby, you're scoring major brownie points today. What did you tell the salon I wanted?" "You are booked for a full body massage, pedicure, manicure, a hair trim, and full foil highlights, I think that's what they called it." Holy crap. "Sid, you're spoiling me today," I smiled before leaning over and giving him a kiss. "It's my birthday present to you, and don't worry it only gets better as the night goes on."
The best thing in my eyes when getting your hair done is when they massage your scalp. Sure the body massage was amazing, but when they rub their fingers into your skull it feels amazing. I sent Sidney a text message letting him know that they were blow drying my hair and that I would be ready to be picked up soon. I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't believe how fresh and healthy my hair looked. Just a few highlights and low lights placed here and there and a trim made my hair look at least seven years younger than I was. My dirty blond hair now had shades of red and a very bright blond in them. It looked fantastic. I stepped outside of the salon to see Sidney patiently waiting for me. "Damn girl, you look good. Ready for your nap?" he leaned over and kissed me. We headed back to the house and took our pregame nap. This day isn't turning out half bad.
I woke up to hear the blender going off in the kitchen, I crawled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. "Smoothies!" I shouted with the joy of an eight-year-old. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he pour the smoothie into two cups. "So I'm having Max come pick you up around 5:45 for the game, is that okay?" "Yeah that's fine, are you leaving soon?" "Yeah I need to leave in about twenty minutes, but don't worry, you will see plenty of me later," he smiled and I leaned up and gave him a kiss. A few minutes after Sidney left my phone began to ring. "Hi mom." "Happy birthday Avery, how is your day going?" my mom asked with a little extra hop in her voice. "Oh this is turning out to be one of the best days ever, Sid made me breakfast, we watched the sunrise. Then he took me to get my hair done. It's perfect mom," I smiled into the phone. "That's lovely dear, has your brother called you?" Please don't ruin this day for me! "No he hasn't, why would he? We haven't talked in years mom." "He just said he would, to wish you a happy birthday, that's all." I didn't say anything back. "Well, we'll be watching the game tonight, I'm sure we'll see you on the TV, just like everything other game that you're at. Love ya." I quickly hung up the phone. He better not call.
Max picked me up right on the dot. "Damn girl, you look good for being so old." I looked down at myself and I agreed. Yeah I do look good. "Thanks Max, I'm just scared this skirt might be a little short." He gave me a good look from head to toe, "there's no such thing as too short, you're wearing nylons anyways so it doesn't matter. Let's just hope you don't get piss drunk tonight and end up upside down." I checked myself in the mirror one last time, I was wearing a wool grey skirt that bubbled out just a tad, black nylons with my brand new grey knee-high boots. The boots were my new favorite pair, they looked very loose, almost sloppy, but a huge buckle on the bottom pulled it all together. I paired it with the same white top I wore to dinner with Marty Turco and than a black pea coat that hung just below the skirt. "I can totally see your bra right now," Max laughed as I tugged my coat on. "That's kind of the point, don't get all excited on me now."
At the end of the first period Toronto was leading one to nothing and I already had a few beers in me, courtesy of the guys in the suite. Max and I managed to start a dance party in the suite during the first intermission, but we were the only ones dancing. The Penguins got on the board early in the second with a goal from Erik. During the TV timeout ten minutes into the period Max directed my attention to the scoreboard where I saw myself sipping on my beer. I quickly set my beer down and tried to cover my blushing. "Why am I on the big screen?" I asked laughing. "On behalf of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization we would like to wish Avery Winters a very happy 25th birthday!" My eyes grew wide and then a video came up on the screen. "To my best friend for the past six years, happy birthday Avery," Colby's grinny smiled popped up. "Happy birthday Avery, and to think you thought I was older than you! HA!" I starred over at Max who was laughing at himself. A bunch of other guys came up wishing me happy birthday and then they showed Sidney. "Avery Winters you are a beautiful human being, even after I broke your nose. You bring so much sunshine to my life, to everyones actually and I can only hope that this will be an amazing birthday for you. You only deserve the best, happy birthday baby." I continued to blush as the camera was put back on me and the players clanked their sticks on the boards. The reporters are going to have a field day with this one.
The Penguins went on to win the game six to two, and I knew the party was just about to get started. I waited outside of the locker room with Max patiently waiting for Sidney to come out, but I figured he would be awhile with all the interviews he has to do. To my surprise he was the first one out. "How did you manage that?" I asked him before giving him a big kiss. "I kind of snuck out," he laughed. "We're going to wait out in the car for the rest of the guys then we're heading out, that okay?" "You almost made it a perfect day, I thought the last thing was to go home?" I asked laughing as we made our way to the car. "We are going home, this is just a pit stop, everybody wants to buy you a drink, I couldn't say no." About twenty minutes later all the players piled into their cars and we were on our way. "I need you to put this on," he handed me my eye mask. I didn't say anything because I knew he wouldn't give me any answers so I just went along with it. After a few right turns I began to laugh, "why are you driving in a circle?" "To throw you off a little bit, okay, we're almost there." He parked the car and I took my seatbelt off and stayed in my seat. He opened my door, grabbed my hand and helped me out. He walked me into a building and I could hear Jason Mraz playing in the background. "Okay, take the mask off," Sidney whispered into my ear.
The Penguins went on to win the game six to two, and I knew the party was just about to get started. I waited outside of the locker room with Max patiently waiting for Sidney to come out, but I figured he would be awhile with all the interviews he has to do. To my surprise he was the first one out. "How did you manage that?" I asked him before giving him a big kiss. "I kind of snuck out," he laughed. "We're going to wait out in the car for the rest of the guys then we're heading out, that okay?" "You almost made it a perfect day, I thought the last thing was to go home?" I asked laughing as we made our way to the car. "We are going home, this is just a pit stop, everybody wants to buy you a drink, I couldn't say no." About twenty minutes later all the players piled into their cars and we were on our way. "I need you to put this on," he handed me my eye mask. I didn't say anything because I knew he wouldn't give me any answers so I just went along with it. After a few right turns I began to laugh, "why are you driving in a circle?" "To throw you off a little bit, okay, we're almost there." He parked the car and I took my seatbelt off and stayed in my seat. He opened my door, grabbed my hand and helped me out. He walked me into a building and I could hear Jason Mraz playing in the background. "Okay, take the mask off," Sidney whispered into my ear.
2 comments:
Wow!!! I love your story...Can't wait for an update!
My current ringtone for when I get a text message is Jason Mraz and I sing along every time it starts playing! :)
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