Chapter 23

I just wanted to let you all know that it will be at least a few days before I update again - I'm moving tomorrow (for grad school) and I don't know yet when my internet will be working or when I will have time to update. Hopefully, I'll be able to update by the weekend (I'll go crazy if I don't have internet before then) but I just wanted to warn you all. Hope you like this chapter - let me know what you think! :)


Chapter 23
Lauren didn’t have any final exams, so finals week was pretty relaxing for her. She spent it packing her apartment and hanging out with friends. On Wednesday, a package showed up at Lauren’s apartment. She tore open the box and found a note on top.
Hey gorgeous – I’m not going to lie, Leanna helped me pick this out, but I thought you might like it. Can’t wait to see you tonight, birthday girl.
Love you always, Sidney
She smiled. Sidney was always doing cute things to surprise her. She opened the box and pulled out a beautiful little black dress. It was simple and elegant, which fit Lauren’s style to a tee. It had a light blue silk ribbon that tied around the middle.
Later that evening, Lauren showered and dried her hair, did her makeup and put on the dress from Sidney. It fit her perfectly and she couldn’t wait for him to see her in it. Around 6:30 he called to say he was downstairs. She walked out the back door of her apartment and found him parked in the back parking lot, leaning against his SUV. He looked gorgeous in his dark grey suit. He was wearing a white shirt underneath and his tie matched the silk ribbon on Lauren’s dress. He held a pink rose in his hand and his eyes grew wide with satisfaction when he saw her.
“Looking for me?” She asked as she walked towards him.
“Well, actually, I was looking for my girlfriend, but she seems to have gotten even more beautiful since the last time I saw her. I didn’t think that was even possible.” Sidney said, looking her up and down.
“You look pretty dapper, yourself, mister.” Lauren said, putting her hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her sweetly at first, but then deepened it.
Sidney took her to her favorite restaurant. There was an atrium in the back that they usually only used for private parties and events, but tonight it was reserved just for the two of them. They enjoyed a long dinner with a lot of laughter and talking. After dinner, he nodded his head toward the waiter and a moment later, Lauren heard the opening chords of her favorite song playing. She smiled at him and he stood up next to her and extended his hand out to her. May I have this dance, Miss Somers?”
She smiled and put her hand in his. “You may, Mr. Crosby.” He pulled her into his arms and held her close. Neither Sidney or Lauren could stop smiling, nor could they take their eyes off each other. Lauren started singing along and Sidney’s smile grew even more as she sang to him. Only to him.
It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may, I could never explain
What I hear when you don’t say a thing

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There’s a truth in your eyes saying you’ll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What’s being said between your heart and mine

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There’s a truth in your eyes saying you’ll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you nothing at all

(AN: This really is my favorite song in the whole world! Here’s Allison Krauss singing it.)

When the music ended, both just stood there, wrapped up in each other’s arms. “You amaze me. Every day, every little thing that you do, it just makes me fall even more in love with you.” Sidney said, staring into Lauren’s eyes.
“I love you too, Sidney. More than anything. More than any song could express to you.” She kissed him gently on the lips.
The waiter cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but dessert is ready.”
“Mmmmm dessert.” Lauren said, licking her lips playfully.
They split a piece of cheesecake with strawberries on top and then they headed to the hotel for the night.
When they got to the room, Lauren quickly closed the door and pushed Sidney against the wall and kissed him passionately. “Thank you for a wonderful birthday present. I loved tonight.”
“I still have something else for you.” Sidney said, leading her into the room. He went over to his suitcase and pulled out a wrapped box and handed it to her. “I hope you like it.”
She opened it and found a framed picture of the Montreal skyline at night. She looked over at him with an expression of pure joy and love. “Sidney, this is beautiful. I love it.” She whispered.
“I just wanted you to have something from that trip. It was in Montreal that I knew I was falling in love with you.”
“That’s when I fell in love with you too, Sidney. And now every time I look at this picture, I’ll get to fall in love with you all over again.” She set the picture down on the table and kissed him passionately. She gently pushed him towards the bed, not breaking the kiss. He gently laid her down on the bed and continued kissing her, working his way down to her neck.
She started to loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt when he stopped and looked her in the eyes. “Are you sure about this?” he asked breathlessly. She just looked at him and smiled.

Chapter 22

Chapter 22
The rest of Lauren’s semester seemed to drag on. She hated being away from Sidney, and was anxious to be done with school. Finally, it was the last week of classes. Sidney and the team were doing great in the playoffs, and it was looking like they would go all the way to the finals. On her way home from her last day of school, she called Sidney.
“Hey beautiful! I was just thinking about you. How was your last day?”
“It was good. The kids made me cards and we had a little party at the end of the day. I’m glad to be done, though. I can’t wait to just relax tonight.”
“About tonight, I have a surprise for you. Talk to Beth when you get home.”
“Sidney, what did you do?” She said, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’ll see. I’ll call you later tonight. I love you, Lauren.”
“I love you too, Sidney. Talk to you later – bye.”
When Lauren got home, she dropped her bag by the door, kicked off her heels, and ran into Beth’s room.
“Okay, spill it. What’s going on?”
“What are you talking about?” Beth asked innocently.
“Sidney told me to talk to you when I got home about some surprise. What’s he talking about?”
“Here.” Beth said, handing her an envelope.
Lauren pulled out a note and began to read.
Dear Lauren,
Congratulations! You’re finally done with student teaching! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you tonight, but hopefully you’ll have some fun with what I’ve got planned. Beth has all the details – hope you two have fun tonight! Call me when you get back home. I love you more than anything. Miss you. –Sid
Lauren looked up at Beth and Beth handed her another sheet of paper. It was a reservation confirmation for a spa nearby. Sidney had arranged for both of them to get massages, pedicures, and facials. Beth just grinned. “I think I like your boyfriend better than I like my own. At least today, anyways.”
“Me too.” Lauren beamed. “I love that man beyond words.”
After they had their massages and facials, Lauren and Beth were getting their pedicures when Lauren’s phone rang. She smiled when she saw the caller ID.
“Have I ever told you that I have the most amazing boyfriend in the whole world?” she said.
“He must be pretty lucky if he’s with a girl like you.” Sidney replied. “Do you like your surprise?”
“I love it! Thank you so much! Beth says thanks too. The only thing that would have made it better is if you were here with me.”
“Oh, trust me. Next time, I will be the one giving you the massage. A full body massage.” He said seductively, causing Lauren to blush.
“I think I like the sound of that, Mr. Crosby.”
Sidney chuckled. “I like it, too. Enjoy the rest of your night, babe. I love you!”
Lauren and Beth picked up a pizza on their way home from the spa and spent the rest of the night curled up in the living room watching movies, eating popcorn, talking about how great Sidney was (well, Lauren did most of the talking) and just relaxing. Around midnight, Lauren stood up and announced she was going to bed. “Oh, one more thing.” Beth said, reaching towards a stack of her books that were sitting on the coffee table. She retrieved a small envelope and handed it to Lauren.
“What now?” Lauren said smiling.
“I don’t know what this one’s about. He just said to give it to you when you were going to bed. Good night!”
Lauren walked down the hall to her room while the opened the envelope. She curled up in her bed and started to read.
Bet you weren’t expecting this note, huh? Hope you had a good day today – you deserve it. Sweet dreams, tonight. I wish I was there with you – I miss holding you in my arms. I love you, Lauren. I can’t tell you how much joy you have brought into my life. It might sound cheesy, but I really didn’t know what I was missing until you came along. You are my heart and soul. Love you always, Sidney
P.S. Don’t make plans for Wednesday night. I know your birthday isn’t until Thursday, but since your family is also coming up on your birthday, I wanted you all to myself for an evening. :-)
Lauren wore a content smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 21

Sorry it's short, but here's a little update!

Chapter 21
That Thursday, Lauren’s mom, dad, 15-year-old brother Jake, 24-year-old sister Leanna, and Leanna’s husband Jeff, went to the Penguins game. Sidney had reserved seats for them.
“I can’t believe that’s really my little sister’s boyfriend.” Leanna said as she watched Sidney land his second assist of the game. He had scored a goal earlier in the period as well.
“I know! That’s like, Sidney Crosby.” Jeff said.
“No, it is Sidney Crosby.” Lauren’s mom said, laughing.
Leanna’s sent Lauren a text message.
Your boyfriend is tearin’ it up out there! Is he really that great in person, too?
A moment later, Lauren responded.
Haha, even better. And after the game he’s having tonight, he’ll be especially wound up when you meet him.
After the game, an usher came and escorted Lauren’s family down to the media lounge. After a little while, Sidney came over to them. “Hello!” he said, giving her mom a hug and shaking her dad’s hand. “It’s so good to see you again!”
“Hi, Sidney. Great game tonight. This is our son Jake, our daughter Leanna, and her husband Jeff.” Sidney shook hands with each of them.
“It’s so nice to finally meet all of you. Lauren always talks about how much she loves you guys.”
“She speaks pretty highly of you too.” Leanna said, causing Sidney to blush.
Sidney signed some autographs for Jake and Jeff, and posed for a picture with Leanna. Leanna had Jeff take a picture of her and Sidney on her phone, and she quickly sent it to Lauren.
I officially approve of him now, little sis. He’s wonderful!
Lauren smiled when she saw the picture of Sidney and her sister.
Thanks, Le. He is pretty wonderful. I wish was there with you guys. I love you both.
Leanna showed Sidney the text message that Lauren sent her and his eyes lit up. He couldn’t wait until he got out of the rink and he could call Lauren. Seeing her family made him miss her even more and he desperately wanted to hear her voice. He said goodbye to her family and headed out towards his car. He signed autographs for about 45 minutes before security came and disbursed the crowd. The minute Sidney got into his car, he dialed Lauren’s number. He knew she would probably be in bed, but he wanted to talk to her, at least for a few minutes.
“Hey there, superstar. Good game tonight.” Her voice was groggy, so he could tell she had been asleep.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up baby, I just wanted to call and say goodnight.”
“Sid, I will never mind being woken up by you. Granted, you’re the only person that can get away with that, but still, I love hearing your voice. I miss you, though.”
“I miss you, too. I loved meeting your siblings tonight, but it just made me wish you were here.”
“You certainly made quite the impression on Leanna. She raved about you for almost half an hour on their way home.”
“I like her, too. She adores you just about as much as I do, so I think her and I will get along well. I’ll let you get back to sleep. I love you and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Chapter 20

Chapter 20
They lay in bed flipping channels for a while but then Sidney flipped the TV off. “Lauren, will you do something for me?”
“I think I’d do just about anything for you, Sidney.” She said, resting her chin on his chest and looking up at him.
“Will you sing for me?”
She thought for a moment before answering. “Sure.” She sat up and turned around so she was facing him. And then she began to sing.
Lying here with you
Listening to the rain
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

Looking in your eyes
Seeing all I need
Everything you are is everything in me
These are the moments
I know heaven must exist
These are the moments
I know all I need is this
I've found all I've waited for, yeah
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
And every prayer has been answered
Every dream I've had's come true
Yeah, right here in this moment
Is right where I'm meant to be
Here with you here with me
Yeah

These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
And every prayer has been answered
Every dream I've had's come true
Yeah, right here in this moment
Is right where I'm meant to be
Oh, here with you here with me
No, I could not ask for more
Than this love you gave me
Cause it's all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more
No, yeah
No, I could not ask for more
(AN: Here’s the song, as performed by Sara Evans)
While she was singing, Sidney had just laid there watching her in complete awe. But when she finished, he sat up and kissed her sweetly on the lips. “That was beautiful and I loved it. Thank you for singing for me.” He stared into her eyes.
“You know something? That’s the first time I’ve ever sang for someone when they asked me to. I mean, I used to sing in choir and stuff, and even did a few solos on occasion, but anytime someone would just ask me to sing out of the blue, I would always get shy and say no. I like singing for you, though. And that song reminds me of you.” She said, grinning at him.
“I love you, Lauren Elizabeth.”
She kissed him again and curled up in his arms, resting her head on his chest. “I love you, too, Sidney Patrick.”
The next morning, they woke up around 10. “Good morning, sunshine.” Lauren said, leaning up to accept Sidney’s kiss.
“Morning, baby. Wanna order room service for breakfast?”
“Actually, Beth is making breakfast for all of us.” Lauren said.
“Oh, cool. I’ve been waiting to meet the infamous Beth. What’s she making?”
“Peanut butter and chocolate chip pancakes, my favorite.”
He stared at her, shocked. “Peanut butter and chocolate chip pancakes are my favorite!”
“Really? That’s so weird. She told me she got vanilla drizzle too. Mmm. I don’t really like syrup that much.” She said.
“Now that might be a deal breaker.” He said seriously. “I don’t know if any respectable Canadian can associate with anyone who doesn’t like maple syrup.” His face was stern for a moment, and she stared at him blankly until he broke out into a devilish grin. “On second thought, I definitely think I can make an exception for you.” He said, kissing her nose.
“Gee thanks, Mr. Maple Leaf.” She said sarcastically, tossing a pillow at him as he got out of bed. They packed up their stuff and drove to Lauren’s apartment.
Beth was in the kitchen mixing up the pancake batter. “Beth! We’re here!” Lauren called as they walked in the door.
“Hey!” She smiled, taking a look at Sidney.
“Beth, this is Sidney. Sidney, this is my most favorite roommate in the whole world, Beth.” Sidney shook Beth’s hand and smiled.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. Lauren talks about you a lot.”
Beth chuckled. “She talks about you a lot too. And my boyfriend, Kevin, talks a lot about you too, actually. He’s a big Penguins fan.” Beth rolled her eyes.
“I take it you’re not?” Sidney said with a chuckle.
“Well, I’m not really a big fan of hockey, but Kevin and Lauren have both made it very clear that I am indeed a Penguins fan, whether I like it or not.”
Sidney laughed and Lauren shrugged her shoulders and grinned at him. At that moment, Kevin entered the kitchen. He looked like he’d just woken up. He saw Lauren first and said hello but then when he saw Sidney standing behind her, he nearly fell over onto the stove. “Woah.”
Lauren giggled and Beth rolled her eyes. “See? I told you he was a fan.”
Sidney smiled and extended his hand to Kevin. “Hey man, I’m Sidney.”
“Uhhh, yeah. It’s awesome to meet you. I’m Kevin.” He struggled to find his words and the other three were highly amused.
Beth shook her head and smiled at Kevin. “Breakfast will be ready in like 15 minutes.”
“Okay, thanks Bethy. I’m going to show Sidney around the apartment.” Lauren said, taking Sidney’s hand and leading him into the hallway. As they were walking down the hall, they could hear Beth and Kevin talking in the kitchen.
“Was Sidney Crosby seriously just standing in your kitchen?” Kevin asked.
Beth laughed. “Lauren told you she was dating him. And that he was coming to visit this weekend.”
“I know, but it’s like it wasn’t really real until just know. Like, I believed her, of course, and I saw her pictures, which should have been enough proof, but now it’s like really real.”
Sidney and Lauren couldn’t see, but Beth rolled her eyes. “You are so goofy sometimes.”
Sidney and Lauren stifled their laughing and continued the tour. She showed him all around her apartment, ending in her room.
“Wow. It’s really neat and clean. It reminds me of my room.” Sidney said, looking around her room at the pictures she had in frames all around the room. His gaze stopped and he smiled when he saw a picture of the two of them on her nightstand. It had been taken at breakfast with his family on their last day in Montreal. “I love that picture. I already knew I was in love with you then. You looked so pretty. But then again, you always look pretty.” He leaned over and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. She put her arms around his neck and he gently pushed her down onto her bed. He continued kissing her and worked his way down to her neck, letting his hands roam all over her body.
“Breakfast is ready!” Beth yelled loudly from the kitchen. They broke the kiss and laughed. Sidney rested his head on her chest and she ran her fingers through his dark brown hair.
“Come on let’s eat!” Lauren said. She tried to sit up, but the weight of Sidney’s body held her in place.
He groaned. “The only reason I am getting up is because there’s food involved. Lauren giggled at him.
He got up and pulled her up with him. As she stood up, he put his hand on the small of her back and pulled her close. He leaned down and kissed her cheek and whispered, “I love you.” His breath was hot on her ear and sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.
She put her hand on his cheek and smiled. “Love you too, handsome.”
After breakfast, Lauren and Sidney went for a walk around campus. She showed him where she had classes, where she worked, where her sorority house was, and all her other favorite spots, including her favorite Starbucks, where they stopped for coffee on the way back. They sat there for a while just watching people. “I should probably get going.” He said sadly, looking at his watch.
Her eyes fell. “I wish you didn’t have to leave. But I know you have to.”
He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as they walked back towards her apartment. “I wish I didn’t have to leave either. But you’re coming home in a few weeks right?”
She smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, I’ll be home in two weeks.”
“And your family is coming to the game this Thursday, aren’t they?”
“Yeah. I think it’s so weird that the first time you will be meeting my siblings, I won’t even be there.” She laughed. “Hopefully they won’t act too ridiculous.” Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19
Even though they were in different cities, each busy with their own lives, Sidney and Lauren continued to get even closer. They talked on the phone every day, usually more than once, and were constantly texting each other. They would play games like 20 questions, and got to know each other inside and out. They learned each other’s likes, dislikes, favorites, and most importantly, what they looked for in a relationship.
Like he usually did, Sidney sent Lauren a text message mid-morning one Thursday morning. During her lunch break, she saw it.
What are you doing this weekend? Xoxo – Sid.
They hadn’t seen each other since that weekend in Montreal, which was over a month ago. She responded quickly.
I have an event here on campus on Friday, and then Saturday I’m going to watch the Pens game on TV. You should watch – their captain is HOT!
She smiled as she clicked send. They were always joking around with each other like that.
I think I’ve heard of him. Isn’t he the one with the amazing girlfriend?

Yeah, I think that’s the one. He’s a pretty lucky guy, huh?

The luckiest, babe. The luckiest.
Before she could respond, he sent another message.
So you’re free Saturday night and Sunday then?

Yep, I have a few lessons to write, but I’m hoping I get those done tonight and tomorrow night. Why?

Don’t make plans. I’m coming up after the game on Saturday!
After reading this, Lauren squealed with delight and then remembered she was still in her empty classroom, and the students would be coming back up from lunch at any moment.
Really?! I can’t wait to see you, Sid. I’ll call you after school.

Can’t wait. And yes, really. Go teach those kids about something really important. Like hockey. :) Miss you babe – xoxoxo
The rest of the day went painfully slow. Lauren was desperate to talk to Sidney about the weekend. At the end of the day, instead of staying to correct some papers like she usually did, Lauren threw them in her bag and practically skipped out the door, phone in hand.
“Hey! I was hoping you’d call soon!” Sidney’s said cheerfully when he picked up the phone.
“You better not be messing around with me, Crosby. Are you really coming up this weekend?”
He laughed. “Trust me; I would not joke about something like this. I am definitely coming to see you. I already made a hotel reservation and everything.” He knew that Lauren only had a twin bed at her apartment.
“You’re the best. This week has been so crazy, and it’s going to continue to be crazy, but now I have something really amazing to look forward to.
Luckily the rest of the week went pretty fast. Pretty soon, Lauren was curled up on the couch, wearing Sidney’s sweatshirt (from the night in Montreal – he’d let her keep it) and watching the game on TV. She had cleaned the apartment from top-to-bottom about three times (Lauren was a neat freak, however Beth was not). She didn’t really have to clean her room at all since it was always neat anyways. She was screaming at refs when they made bad calls or anytime someone checked Sidney, which was pretty often. Lauren swore the Canes specifically had two men on him anytime he was on the ice. At one point, Sidney took a hard check into the boards and she yelled so loud that the guys who lived across the hall, Tom and Chris, came over to see what the racket was about. She opened the door and when they saw she had the game on, they asked if they could hang out and watch it with her. “Umm, sure.” She said. Beth was usually the only one around when Lauren was watching the games, so she could speak as freely as she wanted about her status with Sidney. The guys however, didn’t pick up on her hesitation, and plopped down on the couch next to where she was sitting.
After the game, one of her neighbors, Tom, looked at her. “So, no offense or anything, but you really know a lot about hockey for a girl.”
She smiled, thinking of all the conversations she had had with Sidney about hockey. “Well, I’ve always been a big Pittsburgh Penguins fan, but my boyfriend is a HUGE hockey fan, so we’re always talking about it.”
“Who’s your boyfriend? I’ve seen Kevin (AN: Beth’s boyfriend) in and out of here, but no one else.” Tom said.
“Well, he’s from Pittsburgh, not too far from where I live. We met over Spring break.” Lauren explained. She really hoped Tom wouldn’t press for any more details, and luckily, he didn’t.
After the game was over and Tom and Chris had gone back to their apartment, Lauren started pacing around the apartment. She knew it would be 3 or 4 hours before Sidney would get there, but she couldn’t wait to see him. She watched the post-game interviews and maybe she was imagining things, but he seemed like he was particularly anxious to get away from the reporters. She grinned, knowing it was because he was coming to see her.
About 4 hours later, her cell phone rang. “Hey beautiful! I’m outside your apartment building. Are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready for since the game was over! I’ll be down in like 2 seconds!” She had already grabbed her overnight bag and was already out the door and practically jumping down each set of stairs. She ran out the front door and her face lit up when she saw Sidney leaning against the front of his silver Range Rover, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. She through her bag down and ran over to him and flung herself in his arms. He held her tightly around the waist and buried his head in her neck, losing his hat in the process. They both had huge grins on their faces. He looked into her green eyes and kissed her passionately. After a minute or so, Lauren broke away and smiled at him. “Let’s get out of here before you cause a scene.”
He laughed and opened the passenger door and helped her in. He grabbed her bag and threw it in the back before getting in the driver’s door. He started to put the car in gear when she stopped him. He looked at her puzzled.
Lauren leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Now we can go.” He laughed at her and put the car in gear. As they drove down the street, he took her hand and kissed it. They drove down to the shore of the lake and found a secluded beach. He grabbed a blanket from the back of his car and they sat down and watched the water for a while.
They were laughing and joking around and then they just held each other and watching the water. All of a sudden, Sidney jumped up. “I’ll be right back.” And then he ran back to the car.
He returned a moment later and instructed Lauren to close her eyes.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I have something for you.” So she obliged and closed her eyes. Then she felt his lips on hers. He gave her a sweet, short kiss. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Okay, so that wasn’t what I brought you, but I couldn’t resist. Close your eyes again.”
Lauren just giggled and closed her eyes again. He took her hand and placed something on it and told her to open her eyes. In her hand was a small jewelry box. She looked up at him wide-eyed. “Relax.” he said, reading her mind. “I’m not proposing…well, I mean, someday I plan to, but not today.” She smiled and relaxed and opened the box. In it were two silver rings, with small diamonds all the way around. He took them out of the box and took her right hand in his hands. “This one,” he said, placing one ring on her finger, “is because you have my heart. And this one,” he said, sliding the second ring down so it stacked on top of the first, “Is because you are my soul.”
She just smiled at him, unable to find the words to say. He continued, “Lauren, you are my heart and soul. I love every second with you, and hate every moment that we’re apart. Seeing you smile just makes all the stress in my life just melt away. I love you, Lauren.”
“I love you, too, Sidney. More than anything in the world.” He kissed her deeply, and like always, Lauren saw fireworks. They lay on the blanket for a little while longer, just holding each other. Lauren held her hand out in front of her, admiring her rings. “They’re beautiful, Sidney. Thank you.”
“I just wanted to give you something special, something different. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before. And I love you for it.”
“I love you, too.”
“And I love hearing you say that. And with that, I’m ending this before it gets too cheesy.” They both laughed. Sidney helped Lauren fold up the blanket and then he carried her on his back to the car and they went to the hotel.
(AN: To see what the rings look like, click here. You may have to disable your pop-up blocker. Just picture two of them stacked on each other.)

Chapter 18

Sorry there was no update yesterday - I had to go finish moving out of my college apartment and then I was just exhausted last night :( I should have Chapter 19 posted by tonight though, so hopefully that makes up for it! :)

Chapter 18
The next morning, they woke up, packed up their rooms, and headed to the lobby to have breakfast with his family and then they all went to the airport. At the main terminal, they parted ways.
“Sidney, I’ll see you in Pittsburgh in a few days.” Troy said.
“Okay Dad.” Sidney replied, shaking his dad’s hand. “Bye mom.” He said, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Sidney.” Trina replied.
Sidney picked Taylor up and spun her around. “I’m going to miss you most of all, kiddo.”
Taylor giggled. “Sidney, Mom and I are coming down for a game in a few weeks!”
“I know, but in the mean time, who’s going to be there to keep all your boyfriends in line?”
“I don’t have any boyfriends, Sidney.”
“Exactly. That’s the way it should be.” Sidney said, looking satisfied.
Taylor giggled and Sidney put her down. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “By squirt, see you soon.”
“Bye, Lauren. It was so nice meeting you and I hope we get to see you again very soon. “ Trina said, wrapping Lauren in a tight hug.
“Likewise. I loved meeting you all. I can see where Sidney gets his good nature from.”
“Sidney, this goes without saying, but don’t mess things up with her. She’s a keeper.” Troy said, winking at Lauren. Trina and Taylor both nodded their head in agreement.
“See? I told you my family likes you more than they like me.” Sidney said to Lauren. They all laughed and Sidney and Lauren headed towards their gate.
“Thanks for the best spring break trip I ever had.” Lauren said, smiling at Sidney. He was wearing a plain (AN: Not RBK, lol) baseball cap and had the hood of his sweatshirt up.
“No, thank you for the best road trip I ever had. And thanks for being so great with my family. They really like you. A lot. As in, more than they like me.”
She laughed. “I really like them too. I just felt right at home with them. And your teammates were great too. You all seem like good friends.”
“They’re the best. And they love you too. Jordan texted me again this morning to tell me how cool you are and how he wants us all to hang out next time you are in Pittsburgh.” Sidney said.
“Tell him we will definitely hang out next time I’m home. Which will hopefully be soon.”
The flight home was uneventful. Lauren and Sidney both slept most of the flight and pretty soon they were home in Pittsburgh. Because the airport was crowded, Sidney and Lauren headed straight to the car and the driver picked up their luggage in baggage claim. The driver took them to Mario’s house in Sewickley and from there, Sidney drove Lauren home. They said their good-byes and she drove back to school.
When she got back to school, she sent Sidney a text message.
Hey handsome – I’m back at school. Is it too early to tell you I miss you?
A moment later, she received a text.
I’ve been missing you since I pulled out of your driveway. Pittsburgh is boring without you.
She laughed and responded.
You live with four kids. Go find one of them to play video games with.
A minute later, her phone beeped again, signaling a new message.
Okay, but only if you promise to call me before you go to bed so I can say goodnight.
I promise. I’ll call you in like an hour or so. xoxo
Lauren wandered down the hall and found that her roommate Beth was in the living room. Since Beth was from Erie, she never really went home for breaks. “Beth, I met someone.” Lauren gushed, unable to keep from smiling.
“Ooooooo! Tell me about him!”
“Well, he’s sort of well-known in Pittsburgh. Hell, he’s sort of well-known everywhere.” Lauren began.
“Who is he? What’s his name?” Beth asked excitedly.
“Sidney Crosby.”
“Umm, well that name sounds sort of familiar, but I don’t know why.”
“Since you’re from a town that doesn’t have an NHL team, and you’re not really a hockey fan otherwise, I guess I will let that slide. He plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.”
“Wow, that’s really cool. How did you meet him?”
Lauren proceeded to tell her the whole story of that day at the rink (AN: Read Chapter 1 if you need a refresher). Beth laughed and said, “Wow, he’s definitely special.”
“Yeah, it’s so different with him. I mean, you know me. I’d never do something like this. But it just felt right. I had such a good time with him. And I just can’t believe that the guy I like actually likes me back. It never works out like that with me. They either don’t like me, or they like me after I stop liking them.”
“When do I get to meet this guy? Do you have a picture of him?”
Lauren laughed at all of Beth’s questions. “Well, he’s going to try and come up for a day or something soon, but it’s the middle of the season, and after that will be the playoffs, so I’m not sure if he’ll actually get a whole day off. But I’m going to see him whenever I go home, as long as he’s not out of town too. And as for the pictures, I do have some pictures on my camera.”
Beth flipped through the pictures on Lauren’s camera. “Wow. He’s cute.”
“Yeah.” Lauren gushed.
“You guys look like you belong together.”
“Thanks. I think so too.”
“Oooh!” Beth squealed as she got to a picture of them out on the balcony one night. At the last minute, Sidney had turned and kissed Lauren’s cheek. “How adorable is that?”
“It’s one of my favorites.” Lauren said, smiling. After talking with Beth a little while longer, Lauren went back to her room to unpack the rest of her things. Around 10:30, she was in her pajamas and watching TV in bed when she called Sidney.
On the second ring, Sidney answered. “Hello?” he said breathlessly. She could hear someone cheering in the background.
“Hey! Are you okay? You sound like you’re out of breath.”
“Yeah, Austin and Stephanie and I were just playing Guitar Hero, and it got a little intense.”
She laughed. “See? I told you that you would find something to do. It sounds like someone is a little excited.”
He laughed too, that adorable little giggle. “Yeah, Stephanie kicked both of our butts.” He admitted. “Hold on a minute. Let me go to the other room where it’s quieter.”
“I just called to say goodnight. I’m sad my spring break is over.”
“I’m sad too. When can I call you tomorrow?”
“I have student teaching all day, but I usually check messages at lunch time, and then I usually leave around 4:00 or 4:30.”
“Ok, sounds good. Sweet dreams, Lauren. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. And sweet dreams to you, too, Sidney.”

Chapter 17

Chapter 17
The next morning, Lauren felt Sidney crawl out of bed. He was trying as hard as he could not to wake her, so she just kept her eyes closed. She didn’t want to get up that early anyways. She heard him go into the bathroom and brush his teeth, and a few minutes later she heard him quietly open and close the door. After he left, she snuggled into his pillow and went back to sleep.
A few hours later, around 10 or so, she woke up and saw a note sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. She smiled as she read Sidney’s handwriting.
Good morning, gorgeous. Hope you slept well – I definitely did. I went to the gym and then to morning skate. I’ll be back around 12:30 so we can get some lunch. There are snacks in the kitchenette in case you get hungry before then.
-Sidney
She wandered over to the kitchenette, which was really just a cupboard, a small sink, and a mini-fridge. She found a granola bar and grabbed a bottle of water. After she ate, she went to the hotel gym to work out. She went for a long run and then went back to her room to shower.
As promised, Sidney returned from the morning skate around 12:30 and they had a quiet lunch in the hotel restaurant. Around 2, Sidney took a nap and Lauren spent some time in her room checking her email and reading the news. She also called Liz and Maria and told them how the trip was going, and reminding them that her relationship with Sidney was very private.
Around 3:45, Sidney knocked on her door. “I’m heading over to the rink now. You have Vero’s number, right?”
“Yeah, I have it. She’s going to come up here around 5:30 to go to the game.” Lauren replied, noticing he was holding something behind his back.
“Well, I got you something. Actually, I already had it, but I want you to have it. He pulled his hands around in front of him to reveal a neatly folded jersey. She could the see the “C” on the top left corner and instantly knew it was one of his game sweaters.
“Sidney! You didn’t have to do this! Thank you!” She said, unfolding it in front of her so she could look at it.
“Well, this sweater is kind of special. You see, it was the one I was wearing when I scored my first goal after my high ankle sprain earlier this year. Scoring that goal was proof to me that I had overcome a huge obstacle. I think you overcome huge obstacles every day without batting an eye, and I wanted you to have this.” He explained.
Tears welled up her eyes as he said all this. “I don’t know what to say. No one has ever done anything this special for me before.”
“Well, like I said before, you are very special to me. I am so happy when I’m with you and I just want to make you happy too.” He kissed her sweetly on the lips and gently wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb.
“You do, Sidney. You make me happier than I think I’ve ever been. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Just getting to be near you is thanks enough.”
“I’m even more excited for the game now. I can’t wait to wear the same number as the hottest man on the ice.” She said, looking him up and down.
He laughed and kissed her nose, then her lips. “See you after the game?” He asked.
“Yep.” She said, nodding her head towards the access pass he had given her at lunch. It would grant her entrance to the locker room and the media room.
Vero and Lauren easily found their seats, about 6 rows behind the visitor’s bench. The team was warming up on the ice when a group of girls approached them. “Excuse me, but aren’t you Marc-Andre Fleury’s girlfriend?” One of them asked Vero.
She gave a small smile and nodded her head. “Oh my gosh! I thought it was you! You are like the luckiest girl ever!”
Her friend, who was wearing a Crosby jersey, spoke up. “Yeah you are! I, personally, have a huge crush on Sidney Crosby. I think I would pass out if he I was his girlfriend!”
Lauren’s eyes widened when she heard mention of Sidney’s girlfriend, but Vero spoke up. “Yeah, I’m a very lucky girl.”
“Are you her friend?” Another girl asked Lauren, eyeing her suspiciously.
“Yes. We are friends.” Vero said. She smiled at Lauren. The girls asked for a picture with Vero and Lauren and then left them alone.
“Thanks Vero. I wasn’t quite sure how to answer that one.” Lauren said.
Vero smiled. “No problem. You did great. And besides, it’s not like we lied. You are definitely my friend.” She said in a thick French accent.
“I consider you a friend, too.”
Sidney scored a goal that night and when he did, he immediately found her in the stands and pointed at her and winked, as if to say that was for you, babe. People all around them were looking around trying to figure out who he had pointed at, but she just smiled and cheered. He also had an assist that night, and the Penguins won 3-1.
After the stands had cleared out a little bit, Vero and Lauren made their way towards the locker room. When they got to the room, Lauren saw that Sidney was sitting at his stall, still in his gear, surrounded by reporters. She shuddered at the thought of that many people sticking microphones right up in her face like that. She followed Vero over to Marc-Andre’s stall, where he was straightening his tie. Vero kissed his cheek and whispered something in French in his ear. He smiled and responded, “Merci, mon cheri.”
“Vero!” A man said, playfully wrapping his arm around Vero’s shoulder. “Who is this beautiful friend of yours?” He asked, nodding at Lauren with a flirtatious grin.
“Max, this is Lauren Somers. Lauren, this is Maxime Talbot.”
“Hello.” He said, taking her hand and kissing it.
Marc laughed and said, “She’s off limits, Max.” Max looked at him, confused. Marc nodded towards Sidney, who was answering a question. “She’s Sidney’s girlfriend.” He explained quietly, aware of the reporters who were milling around everywhere.
“Ahh, so you are the one that has stolen the Kid’s heart? He mentions you a lot, and he always has a cheesy grin on his face. I can see why now. He is a lucky guy.” Max said, smiling warmly at Lauren.
“Thank you.” She replied.
Sidney’s parents and sister came into the dressing room and smiled when they saw her. “Hello!” They said as they approached the Lauren, Vero, and Marc. Max had gone back over to his stall and a reporter had approached him.
“Did you enjoy the game?” Troy asked.
“Of course! It was really good game!” Lauren said.
“Sidney played very well tonight.” Vero added. “He seemed even more energetic than usual, if that is possible.
Troy chuckled, and it reminded Lauren of Sidney’s infectious laugh. “Well, I think Lauren might have something to do with that.” Sidney approached them.
“Hey dear, we were just talking about you.” Trina said, hugging him. “Great game tonight.”
“Thanks Mom. I can only imagine what you were all talking about.” Sidney laughed, pointing towards Max. Max looked over at him, then nodded towards Lauren and gave him the thumbs up sign. Sidney rolled his eyes. “I see that you met Max.”
“Yeah, he seems very friendly.” Lauren laughed.
Sidney rolled his eyes and laughed too. “Oh, that’s Max alright. But he’s a really a good guy. Can I introduce you to some of my other teammates?”
“Of course!” Lauren said.
At that point, all of the media personnel had been asked to leave the locker room and had moved into the media room, so Sidney took her hand and led her around the room, introducing her to his teammates. They were all really nice to her and they all shared a laugh about recalling how Sidney and Lauren met. They all seemed shocked that Sidney had a girlfriend so Lauren asked him about it. “Sidney, why was it so surprising to all of them that you have a girlfriend?”
He kind of smiled. “Well, this is the first time I’ve introduced a girl to these teammates as my girlfriend.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Really?”
“Well, it’s not like I’ve never introduced them to girls I’ve dated before, but the last time I had a serious girlfriend was when I was back in Rimouski. Even then, we were only together for about 6 months.”
“Sidney, we’re going to go grab a bite to eat? Do you guys want to come?” Jordan (AN: Staal, duh.) asked. Sidney looked at Lauren and she smiled and nodded.
Sidney, Lauren, Jordan, Marc, Vero, Whit, and Max all headed to a diner nearby.
Lauren watched the pleasant chatter and joking between the teammates with a smile. Sidney noticed she was being kind of quiet, so he put his hand on her leg and whispered in her ear, “Are you okay? You seem kind of quiet. We can go if you want.”
“Oh, no. I’m having a lot of fun. I like watching you guys together. I just get a little shy around people I don’t know sometimes.” She said, smiling at him.
He laced his fingers with hers. “Believe me, if these guys have anything to say about it, you’ll know them pretty well in no time. Jordan already texted me to tell me how cool you are.” She looked across the table to where Jordan was talking to Max about something. When he caught her eye, he winked and she giggled. Sidney squeezed her hand. “See? Now I’ve just got to make sure that he doesn’t start liking you too much. I couldn’t bear to lose you to him.”
She laughed. “I don’t think you have to worry about me liking Jordan. I’ve got my eye on one of his teammates.”
Sidney was about to respond when a guy’s voice behind them interrupted. “Sidney Crosby? Is that really you?”
Thinking it was a fan, Sidney smiled as he turned around to face the man. However, when he saw his face, Sidney’s eyes grew wide with recognition. “Jimmy? Jimmy Peters?”
“Sidney! How the heck are you, man? It’s been what, like nine years or something?” Lauren had remained silent during this conversation, and looked around the table at his teammates with a confused look on her face as if to say, should I know this person? Each shrugged their shoulders and looked just as confused as she did.
“Yeah, it had to have been back when we played each other in PeeWee.”
“Those were some good times, weren’t they? So who are your friends? I recognize some of them.” Jimmy said.
“This is Lauren, Max, Whit, Vero, Marc, and Jordan.” Pointing to each of them as he said their names. “Guys, this is Jimmy Peters. We played against each other in PeeWee back when I played for the Cole Harbour Red Wings.” They all smiled and waved at him. Lauren didn’t know why, but she didn’t like this guy. It was like he was trying way too hard to be nice, and for whatever reason, she couldn’t help but think that he was a slime ball. But since he appeared to be a friend of Sidney’s, she acted pleasant.
“So is this your girlfriend?” Jimmy asked, pointing towards Lauren.
Sidney avoided giving a direct answer by saying, “We met at the rink recently. A fan showed up to an open practice and sort of vomited on her.”
Jimmy smiled. “Well that’s really interesting, but it still doesn’t answer my question. Has the ‘phenom’ finally found himself a girlfriend?”
Sidney didn’t like the way he had asked that question, but before he had a chance to respond, Max spoke up. “Sidney, I hate to ruin this reunion, but it’s getting late, and we have an early flight tomorrow. We should probably be getting back.”
Grateful that Max had changed the subject, Sidney agreed. “Jimmy, it was great to see you. Are you living here in Montreal now?”
“I do a lot of traveling, so I’m really not in one place for a long period of time. It was great to see you though.” Jimmy shook Sidney’s hand and turned to leave. As he passed Lauren, he gave her an intent stare and a weird grin spread across his face, but he said nothing. Lauren shuddered involuntarily and wrapped his arm around her as they all left the diner and went back to the hotel.
When they got back to their rooms, Lauren gently pulled Sidney towards her door. “Stay with me?” She asked, in a pleading tone.
He smiled, but looked concerned. “Of course. Are you okay? You sort of tensed up back there at the diner?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. For some reason that Jimmy guys just rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t know. I’m sure it’s nothing.” She explained, squeezing his hand.
“It was really weird seeing him tonight. I figured he’d be back in Nova Scotia, working or something.” Sidney said.
Lauren changed into shorts and a t-shirt and Sidney stripped down to his boxers. They crawled into bed and Sidney wrapped his arm around her.
“I wish we didn’t have to go home tomorrow. Well, today.” Sidney said, pointing at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning.
“Me too. Especially since I have to go back to school tomorrow.” She responded with a heavy sigh.
“But you only have a few more months of school, and then the season will be over, and we’ll have the whole summer together. Besides, I want to come visit you at school anyways. And I’m hoping that maybe you’ll come and visit me once or twice too.” He said, crossing his fingers.
She giggled. “Of course I will! And I would love it if you came to visit me.”
“Good.” He said, kissing the top of her head. They laid there in silence for a while, and after a while, Sidney could feel Lauren’s steady breathing on his chest and he figured she had fallen asleep. He kissed her hair softly so he didn’t disturb her. “You mean the world to me.” He whispered softly. Pretty soon, he, too, drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 16

As promised, here is the next chapter! :)

Chapter 16
They went down to the lobby and Marc was there with his arm around a beautiful brunette. “Lauren! It’s so good to see you again!” he said, in an adorable French accent. He came over and hugged her and shook Sidney’s hand. “Lauren, this is my girlfriend, Vero.” The women smiled at each other and shook hands.
“And Vero, this is my girlfriend, Lauren.” Sidney said, grinning at Marc-Andre.
“Ahh, so it’s official now, then?” Marc inquired.
“Yes, but that’s classified information.” Sidney said. Marc nodded his head in understanding and winked at Lauren.
On the way to the restaurant, Lauren and Vero sat in the back, and the guys sat up front. Lauren told the story of how her and Sidney met, with Sidney and Marc adding details as she went on. By the time Lauren was done, Vero was laughing hysterically. “Wow, that’s quite a story to tell the grandchildren someday.” She said. Vero then realized that it was probably too soon to be talking about Lauren and Sidney having children, let alone grandchildren. She quickly fell silent, but Sidney looked at Lauren in the rearview mirror and just winked at her.
Lauren had a wonderful time at dinner. She loved listening to Marc and Sidney tell stories about their teammates, and her and Vero really hit it off as well. Vero invited her to sit with her when at the game the next day, and Lauren was glad to have a new friend.
“Sidney, I have no idea what this girl sees in you, but I like her.” Marc said.
“Geez, why does everyone keep saying that?” Sidney said with mock exasperation.
“He’s only teasing.” Vero said, hitting Marc on the arm. “Lauren, Sidney is a gem. I’m glad he finally found a girl even more wonderful than he is.”
“Thank you, Vero.” Sidney said, glaring at Marc.
“Yeah, he’s okay.” Marc said. They all laughed.
After dinner, they drove back to the hotel. They said goodnight and Sidney and Lauren walked hand in hand up to their rooms. When they stood outside their rooms, Sidney said, “Finally.”
“What? Was the elevator ride too exhausting for you or something?” Lauren laughed.
“No, it’s not that. I missed you all day today, and then I had to share you tonight. Now I finally get to have you all to myself.” He said with a smile.
Lauren laughed. “I’d kiss you right now for being so damn cute, but we’re still in the middle of the hallway.”
“Stay with me tonight?” Sidney asked, swiping his key in his door.
Lauren smiled warmly. “I’d love to. But I don’t want to mess up any night-before-a-game rituals you have.” She giggled, thinking of the strict routine he followed before a game.
He laughed. “You definitely won’t. Besides, I think sleeping with you in my arms should become a new ritual for me.” He grinned wickedly.
“I wouldn’t say that just yet. You never know how you’ll play tomorrow night. I take no blame for any of it.” Lauren said, holding her hands up. “But give me like ten minutes to wash my face and take out my contacts?”
“Okay, but hurry!” Sidney said. She laughed and went into her room.
Lauren knocked on his door exactly eight minutes later. He opened his door wearing only a pair of boxers. “I’m here a whole two minutes before I said I would be!” She exclaimed, giggling. “Nice outfit, by the way.” She said, looking him up and down.
He laughed and pulled her into the room. He finished folding his shirt and putting it in his suitcase and she plopped down on his bed. He came over and crawled into bed next to her. He was lying on his side so he could face her.
“Lauren,” he said, looking into her green eyes, “I just wanted to tell you that you’re really special. And I love being around you. And I want to be around you for a very, very long time.”
“Sidney, I still can’t believe that I’m even here. This is so out of character for me to do something as crazy as going on a trip with someone I just met, but yet with you, it feels perfectly normal. And I want to be around you for a very, very long time.” She replied, as he nuzzled her neck.
“So we’re stuck with each other then, eh?” he said with a grin.
“Looks like it. But I’d say it’s a pretty damn good place to get stuck.” She smiled.

Chapter 15

Chapter 15
When Lauren got back to her hotel room, she took a nap for a little while and woke up to the ringing of her cell phone. At first, she silently cursed whoever called and woke her up, but all her negative feelings vanished when she saw that it was Sidney. “Hello?” she said.
“Hey! How are you? How was your day today?” Sidney said.
“It was actually a lot of fun! I really enjoyed spending time with your family and getting a chance to talk with them. I hope they like me as much as I like them.”
“You’re joking, right? All three of them have already called me and left voicemails asking why I didn’t meet you sooner! If they could, I’m pretty sure they would kick me out of the family and take you instead!” Sidney said cheerfully.
“I don’t know about that – they all love you a lot. And they certainly made me feel like family, whether or not I actually am.”
“Well maybe someday you’ll actually be part of the family.” Sidney said, and then instantly panicked. He couldn’t believe he just said that out loud. He’d only asked her to be his girlfriend the day before, and now he was talking about making her part of the family! He definitely didn’t want to freak her out. Before he could say anything else though, Lauren spoke up.
“Someday…I’d like that.” She replied wistfully. “So how was your day?” She asked.
“It was okay, I suppose. Practice went pretty well, as you saw, and then the rest of the day wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary. I missed you, though. I’m pretty jealous that my family got to spend a whole fun day with you.” He said.
“Aww I missed you too!” she gushed. “Where are you, anyways?”
“I have two more quick interviews and then I’m coming back to the hotel. Marc wants to know if you and I would like to go out to dinner with him and his girlfriend, Vero?” Sidney asked.
“Sure!”
“That’s good, because he told me he already made a reservation.” Sidney admitted with a chuckle. “It’s for 7:30. So I’ll come over to your room around 7:15 or so?” He asked.
“Yeah that sounds great! See you then!”
A few minutes later, Lauren got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Just as she was drying off, she heard someone knocking on the hotel room door. “Just a minute!” She yelled. She quickly threw on the t-shirt and shorts she had been wearing later. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Sidney standing there. “Umm, I thought you weren’t coming until 7:15.” She said, turning around to look at the clock. “It’s only 6:45. And as you can see,” she said, pointing to her wet hair, “I’m not quite ready yet.”
“Oh, I know. I still have to get a shower and change my clothes. I just couldn’t wait that long to see you.” He said, handing her the pink rose he had been holding in his hand. She smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. He stepped towards her and deepened the kiss. She put her arms around his neck and he ran his fingers through her wet hair. When their lips broke apart, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “I’ve been thinking kissing you all day.” He said, satisfied.
She smiled up at him and traced his lips with her finger. “Was it worth the wait?” she asked him playfully.
He pretended to contemplate his answer and she opened her mouth in mock disbelief. “Yes, it was definitely worth it.” He flashed her that famous toothy grin. He gave her another short kiss on the lips and then went over to his own room to shower and change.
As she finished getting ready, Lauren smiled as she looked at the rose that was sitting next to the sink. She wondered how she could be so lucky.
At about 7:10, Lauren was ready to go and so she went over to Sidney’s door and knocked. He answered a moment later, wearing a pair of dress slacks and a towel wrapped around his neck, exposing his bare, muscular chest and abs. A smile formed on his lips when he saw how beautiful she looked. He whistled at her. “Damn.” He said, taking her hand and twirling her around.
She giggled as he pulled her into his arms. “I take it you approve?”
He answered by kissing her passionately on the lips. “Oh yeah. You look amazing.” He kissed her again and worked his way down her neck as she ran her fingers through his hair, which was still wet from his shower. He could smell her perfume and it was driving him wild. “What perfume are you wearing? It smells phenomenal.” He asked her.
“It’s Love Spell, from Victoria’s Secret.” She replied.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m already under one.” He said huskily.
They both smiled and she kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “Me too babe.”

Chapter 14

Chapter 14
Towards the end of brunch, Troy said, “Lauren, Sidney has practice today, and then some press stuff, so he’ll be tied up most of the day. But I was wondering if you’d like to come to practice with me for a little while.”
“And then Taylor and I are going shopping for downtown, and we’d love for you to join us for a little girls only outing.” Trina said, smiling at Lauren.
“That sounds wonderful! I was kind of afraid I would have to spend the whole day alone.” Lauren said truthfully.
“Nonsense! We would love to spend some more time with you!” Trina exclaimed.
“Yeah, and besides, I have a lot more stories to tell you about Sidney!” Taylor grinned.
Sidney rolled his eyes at her. “Nothing can be worse than the stories you told last night.”
“I think you’re wrong. Remember that one summer when we took that family trip to Los Angeles so you could play for some scouts and then we went to the beach? You were learning to surf and—“
“Yes I remember Taylor! And there is really no reason to share their awful story with anyone, ever again.” Sidney said, glaring at Taylor, his cheeks blushing.
“Wait a minute, I kind of what to hear this story.” Lauren spoke up, giving Sidney a devilish grin.
“Trust me, you don’t.” Sidney said, groaning.
“I’ll tell you later. When HE’s not here to ruin the fun.” Taylor said, pointing at Sidney.
After brunch, Sidney headed to the rink, Trina and Taylor headed to the hotel pool for a little bit, and Troy and Lauren stopped for coffee and then headed to the rink. When they got to the rink, Troy and Lauren found some seats a few rows behind the bench and sat down.
“So, I have to ask, has Sidney talked to you at all about the media and fans?” Troy asked her.
“Well, we’ve sort of talked about it, but we both kind of want to just live each day as it comes. I’ve thought about it though.” Lauren replied.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt. The gossip mill is a pretty nasty place and Sidney has been the victim of it on more than one occasion, and they won’t hesitate to drag you in too.” Troy explained.
“Hopefully they won’t prove me wrong later, but I’m pretty strong-willed. And I’m a pretty private person too, so I won’t be going out of my way to make anything more public than it has to be.” Lauren said.
“Sidney mentioned you were pretty tough. He’s really taken with you, you know that?” Troy smiled.
She smiled. “I’m sure I’m the not the first person to tell you this, but you have a very special son. I really enjoy being around him. And you should be proud of the way you raised him – he is such a gentleman.”
“We are very proud of him. He has a good head on his shoulders. He always makes good choices. And you just might be one of the best he’s ever made.” He smiled warmly at her.
“Thanks Troy. It means a lot to have your stamp of approval.”
“I’m just glad to see my son so happy. And seeing him this worked up is kind of amusing too – you certainly give him a run for his money!” Troy laughed.
“I do what I can.” Lauren laughed.
“Oh, and don’t let Pat bother you. Don’t take it personally if he’s not friendly – that’s how all agents are. Besides, I’m pretty sure if Sidney catches him being anything less-than-nice to you he’ll cut his head off.” Troy said. They both laughed.
They spent the rest of the practice talking about the rest of the season, and Sidney’s home in Nova Scotia. At one point, Sidney looked up at them and waved, and he winked. She blushed a little and Troy laughed.
“I definitely don’t think he was winking at me.” He said.
Lauren laughed too. “No, probably not.”
After practice, Troy dropped Lauren back off at the hotel “Well, thank you for coming with me. I’m glad we had the chance to sit down and talk. I can see why Sidney likes you so much.”
“I had a lot of fun. And I can definitely see that Sidney takes after his dad.” Lauren said. As he pulled away from the hotel, Lauren went inside and up to the room his family was staying in. She knocked on the door and Taylor greeted her, still wearing her swimsuit.
“Lauren!” She said, pulling her into the room and closing the door behind them.
“Hey Taylor! Did you have fun at the pool?” she asked.
“Yes. How was Sidney’s practice?” Taylor replied.
“It was good. Your dad is pretty cool.”
“Taylor why don’t you go get dressed so we can get some lunch and go shopping!” Trina said. Taylor disappeared into the bathroom with her clothes.
“I hope Pat didn’t scare you away or anything this morning. He means well, but sometimes he tries to control Sidney’s personal life too much.” Trina said.
“That’s what Troy said this morning. I just don’t want to make life difficult for Sidney.” Lauren replied.
“Oh, Lauren. I’ve seen the way my son looks at you. I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time.” Trina confided. “And I’m glad he has you near him in Pittsburgh. I worry about him sometimes.”
“Well, unfortunately, I’ll only be home in Pittsburgh for the summer, and then I’m going to Cleveland for grad school.” Lauren said in a sad voice.
“Cleveland’s not too far from Pittsburgh, right?” Trina asked.
“No, only about two hours. But between his busy schedule and mine, I don’t know if our free time will coincide.”
“You two will figure it out. I know my son, and he’s one of the most perseverant people I know. He’s happy when he’s around you and he’ll find ways to see you.”
“Thanks Trina. This is all so new, but I’m already worried about what the fall is going to bring.”
“Try not to worry about it too much now. After all, you guys have all summer yet.” Trina said reassuringly.
“Ready!” Taylor exclaimed, emerging from the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie. The three women headed off to the mall. A few hours later, they were starving, so they stopped for lunch at a little café in the mall. Taylor loved telling Lauren stories about Sidney, and Lauren loved seeing how much she adored her big brother.
“Lauren, will you come and visit us this summer?” Taylor asked.
Lauren looked and Trina briefly and Trina smiled. “Well, if Sidney invites me, then I will try and make the trip.” Lauren replied.
“Oh, he’ll definitely invite you. He hasn’t stopped talking about you since he met you.” Taylor grinned.
“I agree. We would love to have you come to visit this summer. And I can guarantee my son won’t object either.” Trina said, winking at Lauren.
“Yes!!! I can’t wait!” Taylor said excitedly. Lauren laughed. She loved his family. And they seemed to like her too. A little while later, they headed back to the hotel.

Chapter 13

Sorry there was no update last night. I've been working a lot of long hours this week and last night, I could hear the clean sheets on my bed calling my name, so I watched some stupid summertime TV for a while then went to bed. No fears, though! Here is chapter 13 and chapter 14 is 90% ready to post, so look for it *hopefully* later tonight! Enjoy!

Chapter 13
When they arrived in the lobby, Sidney was surprised to see Pat there, pacing the floor. “There you are! I’ve been trying to reach you all morning! I knocked on your door, but no one answered.” He said, obviously annoyed. It was then that Sidney remembered he had turned his phone off after Pat called the night before. He glared at Lauren, and Sidney quickly whispered in her ear, “Give me a few minutes to talk to him. Hopefully he’ll calm down.” He smiled warmly at her before guiding Pat over towards the side of the lobby to talk privately.
Sidney and Pat had only been talking for a moment when Sidney’s family came into the lobby. “Lauren! Good morning – hope you slept well!” Trina greeted her warmly.
Lauren’s lips curled into a half-smile as she remembered falling asleep in Sidney’s arms. “I did, thank you.” Trina gave her an odd smile. It was almost as if she knew that Lauren’s smile had something to do with Sidney.
“Have you seen Sidney yet this morning?” Troy asked, but then glanced around the room and spotted him in the corner talking with Pat, who didn’t appear to have calmed down at all. “Oh. I found him. Excuse me for just a moment.” Troy walked over to Pat and Sidney.
“Good morning Pat, Sid.” Both men looked over at him briefly before continuing their heated discussion.
“Who is that?” Pat asked, furiously waving his hand in the direction where Lauren was talking with Taylor and Trina.
“She,” Sidney said, “is my girlfriend, Lauren.”
“Sidney, there’s no room in your life for a girlfriend right now. The media would have a field day with this. Please tell me that you haven’t been seen in public anywhere with that girl.” Pat said. Sidney didn’t like the way he had used the term that girl. Lauren was different from any girl he’d ever met before, and he wasn’t about to let his agent do anything to jeopardize his new relationship with her.
“Pat, that’s such bullshit. I have plenty of room in my life for hockey and my family and my friends and Lauren. Last time I checked, I was an adult, capable of making my own decisions. And my decision is made. Lauren is part of my life now and you will just have to learn to deal with it. In fact, I hope someday you’ll be happy for me.” Sidney said in a very angry, yet still hushed tone.
“Sidney,” Troy spoke up quietly. “Maybe Pat has a point. After all, you just met her what? A week ago? I’m not saying you can’t be friends, but maybe you should just take things slow and keep it casual.”
“Dad, I’m 20 years old! You can’t keep me locked away forever. And Lauren is definitely more than a friend. I can’t change the way I feel about her and I don’t want to.” Sidney said, his eyes blazing with anger and frustration. He sighed and spoke again, more calmly. “It’s different with her. She’s different. I can’t explain it. She’s just really special and I don’t want ‘Sidney Crosby the hockey phenom’ to screw anything up.”
Troy’s expression softened and he looked at his son with a glimmer of pride in his eyes. Sidney had never spoken about a girl like that before. In fact, hockey was the only thing that he had ever been that passionate about before. “Hmm.” He said, smiling at Sidney.
“What?” Sidney asked him blanking, with a hint of frustration still evident.
“She must really be something special. I’ve never seen you so worked up about a girl before.”
“She is special, Dad. I mean, look at her.” Sidney replied, looking over to where Lauren was laughing with Taylor about something Trina had said. Troy raised his eyebrows and smirked at Sidney.
“No, that’s not what I meant, Dad. Well, I did, I mean, she’s beautiful. But she also has this awe-inspiring inner strength. And look at the way she is with Taylor. And look at how much fun we had at dinner last night. She fit right in, telling stories, laughing with all of us. I just feel really good whenever I’m with her.” Sidney said all of this without taking his eyes off Lauren’s smile. She caught his eye, and he blushed, even though she couldn’t possibly have heard what he said. She gave him a worried look, and he gave her a reassuring smile.
“Well, I guess that’s that then.” Pat spoke up, pulling Sidney from his thoughts.
“Look, Pat, I know that it’s better for your marketing plan that I remain single, but if my fans can be happy for me, and they can’t accept that she makes me very happy, then I’m not sure they’re really my fans after all. But if it makes you feel any better, we’re not ready to go public with our relationship yet anyways. Yesterday I introduced her as my friend. We talked about it, and we agree that when the time is right, we’ll tell people. But for now, only our families and closest friends now.” Sidney explained.
“Sidney, I’m sorry if I come off as harsh. It’s just my job as your agent to look out for what’s best for your career. And sometimes that means I forget to look out for what’s best for you as a person. But I would like it if you two kept things private for a while. At least until the season is over. Then we’ll have the summer to figure things out.” Pat said.
With that, the three men walked back over to wear the three women were standing. Sidney immediately went to Lauren’s side and grabbed her hand and held it tightly.
“Is everything okay, gentlemen?” Trina asked, obviously worried about what had transpired in their conversation.
“Yeah, mom, everything is great.” Sidney said, smiling at Lauren. She smiled back at him. Lauren just hoped that she hadn’t caused Sidney any grief with Pat, or with his Dad.
Brunch was fairly uneventful. Pat grilled Lauren about herself, her parents, her career plans, etc. He trusted Sidney, but he wanted to get to know Lauren for himself and to understand exactly what her intentions were. He knew that Sidney was a genuinely kind person, and he wanted to make sure Lauren’s intentions were just as genuine. She answered all of his questions honestly and patiently. She seemed to understand that he was just looking out for his client.

Chapter 12

Chapter 12
The next morning, Lauren woke up and smiled when she realized she was still in Sidney’s arms. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was a little after eight. They were meeting the Crosby’s for brunch at ten.
“Sidney…” she said softly, rubbing his chest. He moaned but didn’t open his eyes. She starting placing small kisses up his neck and worked her way up to his jaw line. When she reached his mouth, he surprised her by kissing her back.
“Mmmm. Best wake-up call ever.” He grinned, fluttering his hazel eyes open.
“Well, I could have kept sleeping like this all day, but I need to shower and get ready if we’re going to meet your family for brunch at ten.” She said.
“Me too.” He grinned.” And if I didn’t know how much it would disappoint Taylor, I would totally call and tell them we’re not coming.”
“I couldn’t let you do that to her. I want your family to like me, not curse me for keeping you away, remember?”
“Baby, if anything, they’d get mad at me for keeping you away.” He laughed.
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know that I need a shower. And so do you.” She kissed him quickly and got up out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. “You, mister, had better not still be in bed when I get out of the shower. I expect you to be in your own shower by then.”
“But-“ he started to protest but she leaned down and kissed him again.
“No buts, it’s time to get up sleepy-head.” She said ruffling his hair before she went into the bathroom and closed the door. A moment later, Sidney heard the water come on and he got up out of bed to go back over to his own room. He had just put his hand on the door handle to open it when he heard her start to sing. She had the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. He sat back down on the bed and listened to her sing. Sidney was sure she thought he had already left, and felt guilty for staying, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Before he realized it, she was done in the shower and she opened the bathroom door and walked out into the bedroom wearing only a towel.
“Sidney!” she shrieked when she saw he was still there. “I thought you left! You better go get ready.”
“How come you never mentioned that you could sing?”
Her cheeks turned bright red. “You heard me?” She asked, obviously embarrassed.
“It was quite possibly the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.” He responded, staring into her eyes.
“Umm Sidney, I need to get dressed.” She said, pointing to her towel. “And you need to get a shower.”
“Well, I’d be lying if I let you think that I didn’t like what you are wearing right now.” He smirked. “But I probably should get a shower so I can smell half as good as you.” He said, kissing her neck before he went back to his own room.
About 45 minutes later, Sidney emerged from his hotel room, showered and dressed. He knocked on Lauren’s door and a moment later, she opened the door. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. “You clean up well.” She joked.
“Ha ha. And you, my dear, look beautiful, as always. But I really liked what you were wearing earlier better.” He grinned, remembering her standing there in only a towel.
“If you play your cards right, I just might wear that ‘outfit’ again for you sometime.” She laughed.
“To be perfectly honest, I’d like to see you wearing a whole lot less than that towel.” He smirked, winking at her.
Her face blushed a deep red. “Sidney!” she exclaimed.
“What? It’s not my fault you’re so damn hot.” He replied, kissing each of her ever-blushing cheeks. “And besides, you’re pretty cute when you blush.”
She blushed again, as if that were possible. “You’re quite the charmer, you know that, Crosby?” She said, kissing him gently on the lips.
“I have my moments.” He replied, kissing her neck. He took her face in his hands and looked her intently in the eyes. “At the risk of pushing you too far, seriously, how come you didn’t tell me that you could sing?” He asked her.
“It’s no big deal. It’s just something I’ve always loved to do, but I’ve always been kind of shy about it. I usually don’t sing for people, and I certainly didn’t think you were still in the room this morning.” She shifted nervously, trying to avoid his gaze.
“It is a big deal. And I’m sorry that I was listening in – it probably wasn’t the most polite thing to do. But I couldn’t help it. You just sounded so sweet.” Sidney said, giving her sad, puppy-dog eyes.
“Surprisingly, I don’t really mind that you heard me. I don’t know why, I just don’t care. It’s weird; everything just seems so different with you.” She smiled at him.
He kissed her gently on the forehead and laced his fingers with hers as they walked down to the lobby to meet his family for brunch.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11
When she got back to her room, she changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and put Sidney’s sweatshirt back on. She unpacked her toiletries bag in the bathroom and washed her face, took her contacts out, and brushed her teeth. She had just pulled the sheets back on the bed and turned the TV on when she heard a knock at the door. Confused about who could be at the door so late, she looked through the peephole. When she saw who it was, she immediately opened the door. She just smiled at him and he smiled back, looking a little sheepish. He had changed out of his clothes and had a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on. “Are you okay?” she asked him when he still didn’t say anything.
“Oh, I’m fine. I just wanted to say goodnight.” He didn’t give her a chance to say anything before his pressed his lips against hers and kissed her hard. He tasted minty and delicious as she kissed him back. She grabbed his hands and pulled him towards her room, refusing to break the kiss. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, looking uncertain.
“Well, Sidney, I’m not ready to go any further than what we’ve already done, but if you’re okay with it, I would love it if stayed the night with me. I like being close to you.” She said, pulling him into a hug. He kissed her forehead and looked into her deep green eyes.
“I like being close to you, too. And it’s way more than okay. I don’t want to pressure you into anything too soon, so we can go as slow or as fast as you want. Don’t get me wrong, I want you. Bad.” She raised her eyebrow and smirked, but he continued. “But just like I feel like we’re supposed to be together, I think things will happen when they’re supposed to. But for now, I need a good night’s rest. And I can’t think of a better way to do that than by holding you in my arms.”
“Wow.” That was the only word Lauren could muster.
“What?” Sidney said, concerned that he had something that upset her.
“You. That was like the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me.”
“Well, it’s like you said earlier, I can be pretty charming.” He grinned wickedly at her and she smacked him playfully on the arm.
She laid down on the bed and he crawled in beside her, pulling her into his arms. She snuggled up against him and put her head on his chest. The gentle beat of his heart quickly lulled her to sleep.

Chapter 10

Surprise! I said I probably wouldn't be updating since I'm at Virginia Beach with some friends, but we decided just to stay in and hang out tonight, so here's Chapter 10!

Chapter 10
When they got to the doors of their hotel rooms (their rooms were directly across the hall from each other), they stopped. Sidney fidgeted with his hands. “Ummm, do you want to come hang out for a while?” he asked her.
“Sure.” She smiled, grabbing his hand and following him into his room.
“Come here. I want to show you something.” He led her out onto the balcony. From there, they could see the whole skyline of Montreal.
“Wow. This is beautiful. I’m pretty sure my room has a view of the parking lot.” She laughed. “I think you definitely win the prize for having the better view.”
“Oh, I definitely agree.” He responded, staring intently into her eyes. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
“Not in the last hour or so.” She grinned, standing on her tip-toes in order to kiss the tip of his nose. He kissed her gently on the lips, and then she turned around to look out at the city. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“Thanks for coming with me. I’m really glad you’re here.” He said.
“You know, two weeks ago, I probably would have laughed in someone’s face if they had told me that I’d leave the country with some guy I just met. Especially if they said that guy is a professional athlete. But with you, everything is just so different. This just seems so natural, like it’s supposed to be this way.” She said, leaning back into his chest. He held her tighter.
“I know exactly what you mean. I’ve never invited a girl to come on a road trip with me, but with you, I knew I didn’t want to go away without you.” He said. Just then, she shivered as a gust of wind passed through the cool night air. “Are you cold?” he asked her. She nodded and he disappeared inside. He reappeared a moment later with one of his sweatshirts.
“Thanks” she said, slipping the sweatshirt over her head. She inhaled and smiled when she realized it smelled like him. He stood behind her again, holding her close. They were standing there in silence looking out at the skyline. They couldn’t see each other’s faces, but each wore a content smile. They both snapped out of their daydreaming at the sound of Sidney’s cell phone ringing in his pocket.
“Ugh.” He groaned. “Hello?” he said, answering the call. The person on the other end of the line started talking. He covered the phone with his hand and whispered in her ear. “I’ll be right back.” And he disappeared inside again.
The door was still open, and through the curtains she could see him laying on the bed listening to whoever he was talking to. He looked really bored and he was pouting his bottom lip. Lauren couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he looked. She kept watching him and a few minutes later, she saw him set the phone down on the nightstand. “Lauren?” he called to her. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her. “Sorry about that. That was Pat. He wants to run through the schedule for tomorrow. He’ll be here in a few minutes.” He rolled his eyes.
Sidney could see the disappointment in her eyes, but she smiled. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I’m kind of tired, so I think I’ll head to bed.” He followed her to the door. “I had a lot of fun with your family tonight. They obviously love you a lot.” She said, turning to face him.
“Uhh, I’m pretty sure after tonight, they love you even more than they love me.” He laughed. “My parents couldn’t get enough of you. And frankly, neither can I.” he told her. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. She responded by putting her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. He held her face in his hands. When their lips parted, they said goodnight and she went across the hall to her room.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9
When they got to the hotel lobby, Sidney’s parents and sister were already there waiting. Taylor’s eyes lit up when she saw Sidney. She ran over to him and he picked her up and spun her around. “I missed you.” he told her. It had been over a month since he had last seen her. He put her down and she grinned up at Lauren. He hugged his mom and dad and then grabbed Lauren’s hand. “Mom, Dad, Taylor, this is my girlfriend, Lauren Somers. Lauren, this is my family.”
“It’s very nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Crosby, and Taylor.” Said, smiling warmly at each of them as she shook their hands.
“Oh, please call me Trina.” His mom said.
“And call me Troy.” His dad said, smiling.
“And you can call me Taylor.” Taylor joked. Sidney rolled his eyes at her.
Dinner went very well. Sidney and Lauren had his family nearly in tears they were laughing so hard at the story of how they met. Trina and Troy asked Lauren a lot of questions about her family and college and her future plans. Troy asked her what she thought about hockey and she surprised him with her knowledge of hockey, specifically about the Pittsburgh Penguins. After all, she had been a fan since she was a little girl. She told them stories about going to Penguins games as a child, when Mario Lemieux was at the peak of his career, and he was playing with great wings like Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis, among others. Taylor told Lauren stories about growing up with Sidney and about a few embarrassing moments he had in his younger days. This caused Sidney to blush like mad and he quickly shut her up. “Well, as fun as this is,” he said sarcastically, “I think we’d better be getting back. It’s been a long day.”
When they got back to the hotel, Sidney and Lauren parted ways with his family. “Lauren, it was so lovely meeting you. I hope we will be spending a lot more time together very soon.” Trina said, smiling warmly at Lauren and then winking at Sidney.
“I agree, Lauren. It was delightful talking with you. Now, I’m not sure what you see in my son, but I’d say he’s pretty lucky to have found such a charming young woman.” Troy joked, elbowing Sidney in the ribs.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. He’s pretty charming himself.” Lauren said with a grin, giving Sidney’s hand a squeeze. “Goodnight Trina and Troy and Taylor.” She said. Sidney shook his dad’s hand, kissed his mom’s cheek and ruffled Taylor’s head and they walked towards the elevators.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8
They go to the hotel and Sidney helped Lauren take her bags up to her room. He had just set her suitcase on the luggage rack when he turned around to find her just standing there smiling at him and giving him an odd look.
“What?” he said, trying to figure out why she was looking at him that way.
“Nothing.” She said, coming over to him. “I just realized that this is the first time we’ve ever been completely alone, without someone else in the room or nearby.” Even when they had been on the trail in the park that night, other people had been out walking and were never too far away. He grinned when she said this, and pulled her into his arms. He put one hand on the small of her back and used the other to lift her chin up until she made his gaze. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment until his lips came crashing down on hers. She deepened the kiss by wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through the little curls of dark hair that formed at the base of his neck. The kiss continued, and was more passionate than any of their previous kisses had been. When their lips finally broke apart, she looked up at him and smiled. “We should probably get going. Aren’t we supposed to meet your family downstairs to go to dinner?” she said. He kissed her forehead and then pouted.
“Fiiiiiiiine.” He said in an exasperated tone. “But I can guarantee you that dinner with my family is not going to be as fun as kissing you is.” He leaned down and kissed her again.
“I don’t know what would be more fun than standing here kissing you, but we really should get going.” She said, laughing.
He pulled her body close to his and leaned down and whispered in her ear in a very husky tone that made Lauren go weak in the knees. “Oh, I can think of a lot of things I could do with you that would be more fun than just kissing.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, is that so? Well, I might ask for further elaboration on that…later. But now, let’s go eat.” He groaned, but followed her out the door as she dragged him by the hand.

Chapter 7

So I didn't think Chapter 6 was overly exciting, so I figured I'd post Chapter 7 for all of you too! :)

Chapter 7
Lauren’s flight arrived on time in Montreal on Thursday, and a driver was waiting for her at baggage claim. He pulled her bag off the conveyer belt and directed her out to the short-term parking. They took the elevator to the appropriate level of the parking garage. As he led her towards a row of similar looking black cars, she noticed a familiar figure leaning against one of the cars. She would have recognized him anywhere. Sidney had a hoodie and jeans on, and of course, a dark grey toque covered most of his dark brown hair. In his hand was a pink rose. He smiled when she saw him and she ran ahead of the driver and threw her arms around Sidney’s neck. He pulled her into his arms and lifted her up. She nuzzled into his neck and said, “You sneak! I thought you had interviews all day!”
“I do, but I told them I needed a lunch break. And then I decided I needed to stop by the airport on my way to lunch.” He grinned from ear to ear. He handed her the rose as they climbed into the back of the car. “So are you hungry?” he asked her.
“I’m starving! Where are you taking me?” she winked at him.
They had lunch at a pizza place near one of the locations he was appearing at that afternoon. It was pretty busy, being lunch time and all, and he warned her as they sat down at a booth in the back of the restaurant. “Today will probably be pretty crazy. The people here take their hockey very seriously, and these appearances are going to be packed. You’re welcome to come with me today, or you can go back to the hotel and relax.”
“Well if you don’t mind, I think I’ll come with you. I want to see what your life is like.” She smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
“Well, just so you know, I can have someone take you the hotel anytime you’re ready to leave.” As he said that, a group of fans approached the booth.
“Can I get your autograph, Mr. Crosby?” one of them asked.
“Sure.” He smiled and signed the jersey she had handed him.
“Is this your girlfriend?” another asked, pointing at Lauren.
Lauren thought to herself: Oh shit. We’ve only known each other a week. We haven’t even talked whether or not we were going to tell people. I hope he knows I’ll be okay with it if he says I’m just a friend.
Sidney looked over at Lauren and grinned. “This is a good friend of mine. I definitely don’t think I’m lucky enough to be her boyfriend.” He said. She smiled back at him.
“Umm, would you mind getting a picture with us?” the fan asked Sidney.
“Not at all.” He replied, sliding over in the booth so the fan could sit down next to him. Lauren leaned back so she wouldn’t be in the picture, but the fan spoke up.
“No, you should be in the picture too. If you’re important to Sidney, you’re important to me.” She said, smiling at Lauren. Sidney grinned at her and they posed for the picture. “Thank you so much! Sorry for interrupting your lunch.”
After the group of fans walked away, Lauren said, “I wasn’t sure how you would answer that. But I think you handled it well. Except for that last part was a complete lie.”
Sidney looked at her blankly. “What do you mean?”
“When you said you weren’t lucky enough to be my boyfriend, that’s a complete lie. If anything, I’m the one who’s out of my league here. No pun intended.” He chuckled at the last part.
He grabbed her hand under the table. “That’s because you are in a league all your own. I’ve never met anyone quite like you before. With all the girls I’ve dated in the past, I would have laughed if a fan had asked if they were my girlfriend after only a week. But today, I had to fight the urge to say “Yes! She’s my amazing girlfriend!” She smiled at him. “The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I hadn’t actually asked you to be my girlfriend yet. Well, that, and my parents would KILL me if a fan found out I had a girlfriend before they did.” She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment and he couldn’t read what she was thinking. “Umm, please say something. Anything.” He pleaded.
“Actually, I think it is you that needs to say something. I feel as though you should ask me a question. And I think that my answer will be yes.” She grinned wickedly at him. He smiled when he realized what she meant.
“Lauren, will you be my girlfriend?” he asked, staring intently into her green eyes.
“Hmm, I don’t know, we just met and all. And you know what they say about hockey players…” she trailed off. When she saw the look of panic and disappointment beginning to form on his face, a huge smile appeared on her face. “Gotcha! Of course I will be your girlfriend. That officially makes me the luckiest girl on the planet.” He grinned at her.
“If there weren’t like, fifty people staring at us right now, I would totally kiss you.” He said.
“I’ll remind you of that later, when there aren’t fifty people staring at us.” She laughed.
After lunch, when they were back in the privacy of the car, she reminded him of his earlier statement. He grinned and kissed her passionately. A moment later he pulled away and looked at her seriously.
“I don’t know how to say this without looking like a jerk.” He said nervously.
“I don’t think it’s possible for you to look like a jerk. But what’s on your mind?” she said, running her finger along his jawline.
“Well, I plan to tell my parents and sister that you are my girlfriend, and of course Pat (AN: his agent, Pat Brisson) will have to know, and feel free to tell your family, and even Liz and Maria if you want, but I’m not ready to tell the world about us yet. Are you okay with that?”
She smiled when she saw how much this was stressing him out. “Of course! Sidney, I understand how difficult it is for you to maintain your privacy. Besides, I doubt your fans will all like me as much as the ones today did.” She responded.
Sidney rubbed his thumb on her hand. “Well, they will just have to learn to live with the fact that I have a girlfriend who makes me incredibly happy. But you’re probably right, they won’t all be that nice. You’ll do great, though.” He said reassuringly.
“Thanks. And when the time is right, we’ll tell who we want to tell. Until then, I’m okay with it just you and me that know.” She said.
“Lauren, I want to tell the whole world how great you are. I mean, I know we’ve only known each other a week, and that’s not really a long time, but things just seem different with you than they’ve been with any other girl.” Lauren jokingly raised her eyebrow at the mention of other girls, but Sidney kept talking. “I just feel so comfortable around you, like I’m supposed to be with you. And like I’m supposed to kiss you.” He said, kissing her forehead. Her eyes grew wide in shock.
“I swear you know how to read my mind, Crosby. I pretty much told Liz the exact same thing about you the other day.” They both laughed and he kissed her lips.
They spent the rest of the day visiting sporting goods stores, with Sidney giving interviews (and seemingly answering the same questions over and over again) and Lauren watching from the crowd and smiling every time his eyes found hers. Oddly, the girlfriend question was not asked. Pretty soon, they were on their way to the hotel to get ready for dinner. During the car ride, Sidney was a little fidgety, and Lauren could tell something was up. “Sidney, are you alright?” she looked up at him with a warm smile.
“Yeah, I just uhhh, well, I knew this conversation would be awkward, and I didn’t know what to say.” He said, his cheeks blushing a pale pink.
“Well, how about you just tell me, and then we can both be awkward?” she said, lightening the mood. He smiled at her and seemed to relax.
“I guess it’s not really that awkward, but I just wanted to tell you that I reserved you your own room. I didn’t want to freak you out or anything by assuming that we’d share a room.” He said, nervous about her reaction.
“Sidney, you are the most considerate guy I have ever dated. Most guys would assume that we were sharing a room.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Don’t get me wrong, I am very attracted to you, but I love that you respect me enough to think about things like that.” She rested her head on his shoulder, and they rode the rest of the way to the hotel in silence, each with a smile on their face.
As they were approaching the hotel, Lauren realized the conversation had been left pretty open-ended. She hadn’t told him that she didn’t need her own room because she didn’t want to seem too eager to hop into bed with the hockey phenom. On the other hand, she wondered what it would be like to fall asleep in his arms. After all, she was his girlfriend now, even if no one else knew yet. She figured she would just see where the night led to.