Chapter 50

The boys won tonight! I managed to catch the last few minutes on an online broadcast from a Tampa radio station (man, the announcer was annoying!) and it was weird to hear them talking about Malone - I miss him! I love that in his interview with Phil Bourque, he said that when his contract is up in Tampa, he'd love to come back to the Burgh to finish his career!

Chapter 50

A few days later, they flew to Chicago for the Winter Classic game. Lauren and Sidney were very excited, and neither of them could stop grinning at one another. When they arrived, a car picked them up and took them to the hotel. As soon as they put their luggage in the room, Sidney grabbed Lauren’s hand. “Ready to go?” he asked in a very excited tone.

“Already? We just got here.” She laughed at him.

“Yeah, but we have somewhere very important to be.” He grinned even wider.

“Somewhere to be? Sidney, what are you talking about?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

“It’s a surprise.” He said, kissing her full lips. He lead her out of the room and down the hall. When they got to the elevator, she stopped, but he kept going, pulling her along behind him.

“Uh, Sid? We’re on the 16th floor. I’m not walking down all those steps.” She said. He just looked over his shoulder and grinned at her and kept walking, so she reluctantly followed. “Sidney, seriously, where are we going?”

He stopped outside a room. “We’re here.”

“Who’s room is this?” she said, her eyes narrow as she looked at him.

“Knock on the door and find out.” He said, grinning. Lauren gave him a small smile and knocked on the door. A moment later, the door opened and Lauren’s eyes lit up.

“Hey beautiful!” Colby said, smiling.

“Colby!” Lauren screamed with delight as he pulled her into a hug and twirled her around. When he set her back down, Lauren turned towards Sidney.

“Surprise.” He said with a wink as he hugged Colby. Colby’s girlfriend, Mel, who had been standing behind Colby, pushed him out of the way as she hugged Sidney.

“Lauren, this is my girlfriend Mel. Mel, this Lauren.” The two women shook hands and Mel gave Lauren a warm smile.

“It’s so great to finally meet you. Colby’s told me so much about you and I couldn’t wait to finally meet the girl who won Sidney’s heart.” Sidney just grinned at them as Lauren took his hand and squeezed it.

“It’s really good to see you guys.” Sidney said, and Colby and Mel both nodded their head in agreement.

“I agree. And it’s good to see you so happy too.” Mel smiled at him as they headed towards the elevator.

Sidney squeezed Lauren’s hand. “Well, I have a lot to be happy about these days.” Lauren leaned up and kissed his neck.

“Eww gross!” Colby said, scrunching up his nose. Mel hit him playfully on the chest and rolled her eyes.

“So, Lauren, Colby told me you’re in grad school.” Mel said.

“Yeah, it’s going well so far, but I wish now that I had picked a school in Pittsburgh.” She said, smiling at Sidney as he walked a few steps ahead of them, laughing with Colby about something.

“Yeah, I’ll bet. But it’ll definitely get you a lot more respect in the wives and girlfriend circle.” Lauren gave her a questioning glance. “I mean, you have your own identity, your own goals, your own career, your own life. Sometimes I feel like my only identity is ‘Colby Armstrong’s girlfriend’.” Mel explained with sigh.

“I never thought of it like that. And I know you’re more than that, otherwise Colby wouldn’t be with you.” Lauren said with a warm smile.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. His attention span is so short sometimes, I’m sure he would have gotten bored with me by now.” Mel said with a laugh. “But seriously, we all wondered about what the girl Sidney finally chose to date would be like. You know, other than that girl he dated for a few months in Juniors, you’re the first long-term relationship he’s ever had.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty much the first serious relationship I’ve ever had, too. I mean, I dated in high school and in college, but nothing like this. I’d never been in love until I met Sidney.” Lauren said shyly.

“Aww! That’s adorable.” Mel said, causing Colby and Sidney to turn around and stare. Lauren blushed as Sidney raised his eyebrow at her.

“We were just talking about how great my boyfriend is.” Lauren explained.

“Awwwwww!” Colby crooned in a high-pitched voice, causing Sidney to blush. “Hey Mel, why don’t you talk about how great your boyfriend is?” Colby asked, pretending to look hurt.

“Because he already knows how amazing he is, and if I talk about it, his head will just get even bigger.” Mel grinned, leaning up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek.

They went to dinner together at a steakhouse in downtown Chicago. Sidney had reserved a private room, and when they arrived, Lauren noticed there were six seats at the table. “Who are the other chairs for?” Lauren asked, smiling at Sidney.

“Surprise!” Marc shouted as he and Vero entered the room.

“Hey guys!” Lauren said cheerfully, giving each of them a hug.

The six of them enjoyed a long dinner, full of laughter. Lauren loved hearing Colby tell stories about being on the road with Sidney, and Vero and Mel kept remembering funny things the guys had done or said. Lauren loved the way all of them had made her feel like a part of their little family from the very beginning. They ordered dessert, and while they were waiting for it to arrive, Sidney stood up and held his hand out to Lauren. “Dance with me?”

A chorus of “Awwww” rang out from the other four as Lauren stood up and followed Sidney to an open space in the room. He wrapped one arm tightly around her waist and she rested one hand on his shoulder and put her other hand gently in his bigger one. “You are just full of surprises this evening, Mr. Crosby.” She said, smiling up at him with pure adoration.

“You gave me such a wonderful Christmas present this year, so I had to do something special for you too.” Sidney said.

“Well I love it.” She said, accepting his warm kiss.

“Ahem. May I cut in?” Colby asked.

Sidney smiled and kissed Lauren again. “Sure.” He said, releasing her from his embrace.

“It’s good to see you again, Lauren.”

“It’s good to see you too, Colby. I wish we got to see you and Mel more often.”

“Me too.” Colby said with a heavy sigh. “Mel and I really miss Pittsburgh a lot. Mario and Ray and the rest of management all know that, so maybe someday I’ll get to come back.”

“Sidney and I would love that. I know he misses you a lot.” Lauren said.

Colby chuckled. “I miss him too, even his bad taste in television. But he’s got you taking good care of him now, so I’m not too worried about him.”

“Colby, can I ask you something?” Lauren said hesitantly.

“Shoot.”

“Do you think I fit into Sidney’s world? I mean, you and Mel and Marc and Vero and Jordan and everyone are great, but sometimes I just wonder if I’m really the type of girl that Sidney should be with. I mean, I live in another city, and I have my own goals and plans. I love him more than words could ever say, but my whole life doesn’t revolve around him.” Lauren explained, a lump developing in her throat.

Colby laughed. “Are you serious? You’re exactly the kind of girl Sidney should be with. And the fact that you have your own life is awesome. In fact, I think that’s something Sidney loves about you. He always said that the woman he chose to be with would have to be pretty independent, and I think you fill that description perfectly. And Sidney is crazy about you, so who gives a shit what anyone else thinks about you and Sidney?” Colby said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Seriously, you’re perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better woman to love my best friend.”

“Thanks Colby. That means a lot.” They saw dessert being served, so they joined the others at the table.

Sidney leaned over to Lauren and whispered in her ear. “Everything okay, babe? It looked like you and Colby were having a pretty serious conversation and you were biting your lip like you do when you’re nervous.” She looked at him and smiled. She loved the way he noticed little things about her – she did the same with him.

“I’m doing great. I was just being silly, having an ‘insecure girl’ moment, but Colby snapped me out of it. I love you.” She said kissing his cheek.

He smiled at her, that famous toothy grin she adored. “I love you more.”

As Sidney dove into the chocolate cake him and Lauren were splitting, Lauren looked at Colby across the table and mouthed ‘thank you’. He just grinned and winked at her.