Chapter 10

Sorry guys, this is a lone one, but hang in there with me, it'll be worth it!





Was he fucking kidding? Flowers? And that card. Could he be any more cheesy? I caught myself chuckling at the words on the card. Damn it! How is this guy able to slide right into my mind? Wait. How the hell did he get my address? First he knows that I have season tickets and where they are. Now, after explicitly turning down his invitation for coffee, he knows my address? This is getting a little bit creepy! How does he know my personal information? I guess there's only one way to find out. I'll have to go to the source himself. Wait, I can't do that. How am I supposed to get a hold of him? And of I try to get in touch with him, then it's going to look like I'm interested and I do NOT want to give him that impression. What a fucking mess! How the hell did I get into this predicament? Bake! I need to bake something! Whenever I am upset or stressed out I bake. It relaxes me.
3 hours later, I was covered head to toe in flour and chocolate chip cookies covered every square inch of counter space that I had. I was looking at my mountains of cookies thinking how excited the kids at the hospital would be when I brought them in for them to eat when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Is this Rebekah?"
"Yes."
"Hey, it's Sidney."
I was stunned. Actually speachless for the first time in my life.
"Uhhh, hello? Rebekah, are you still there?"
"Mmm hmm."
"Good. I was just calling to see if you recieved the flowers."
Get a grip girl. "Yes I did and they're beautiful thank you."
"You are very welcome. I was hoping..."
"Look Sidney, let's just cut to the chase ok. I think we should get something straight here."
"I would feel more comfortable if we had this conversation in person," he said.
"Well I don't see how that is going to possible since..."
"Since I'm in your neighbourhood and have some time to kill? I'll be there in 2 minutes."
Before I could protest he hung up the phone. Now I was REALLY irritated. Who did this cocky bastard think he was inviting himself to my home? OH MY GOD! My house! Sidney was coming to my house! I couldn't think. Just as I looked around at my kitchen realizing what a total disaster it was, the doorbell rang. Without thinking I opened it. Those beautiful brown eyes gave me the once over.
"Nice apron! Is that flour all over your face?" he was laughing.
"Well it's not like you gave me much notice before just showing up at my front door, which by the way is rude." I was soooo not amused.
"Hey, I called first so technically that is not classified as just showing up. What is that amazing smell?"
"Chocolate chip cookies if you must know."
"Ooooh, my favourite!" After a slight awkward silence he said, "With the risk of being called rude again, are you going to leave me standing out here or can I come in? It is a little chilly out here!"
All I could do was move to one side letting him step past me. He carefully looked at his surroundings taking note of all the photos of the boys that hung on the walls and at the far end of what he pressumed was the family room, a shelf full of medals and what appeared to be hockey trophies and one lone photograph of a boy.
"Make sure to ask her about those," he thought to himself.
"You have a beautiful home. Cozy."
"Thanks. I have cookies that need to come out of the oven, so if you want to talk you'll have to follow me into the kitchen."
I took my pan of cookies out of the oven and turned around to find Sid standing in the middle of the room, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head."
"What's the matter?" I asked him.
"Who exactly are you baking cookies for, the entire city of Pittsburgh?"
"Very funny! No actually. If you must know, when I'm upset or stressed out I bake."
"What do you have to be stressed out about?"
"Well, to be honest, you."
"Me! How do I stress you out?"
"Sidney, how exactly did Nate find me last night? And how did you get my address and my phone number? And how did you know yellow roses are my favourite?"
"Is that what's stressing you out?"
"Answer the damn question," I said alot more harshly than I meant to.
"Alright. I knew that you had been to most of our home games and that you were always in the same section. So on a hunch, I had a girl in the ticket office look you up in the season ticket subscriptions and voila! There you were. Now it was something else to get her to give me your address and phone number. I won't even tell you what I had to promise her!"
"Eeww. I really don't want to know!"
Sid was laughing. "It's nothing like that! I just have to autograph a bunch of stuff for her kids and their friends."
"Oh," I said feeling slightly embarrassed.
"As for the roses, that was a lucky guess. So was that the source of your stress and all these cookies? Wondering how I got your address and phone number?"
"Not just that."
"What else?"
"Look Sid, I appreciate you being so great with my boys, and the flowers and the effort you put into finding me, but just in case I wasn't clear enough last night I'll say it again. I'm not sure what your intension is here, but I am not interested in whatever it is. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings but there's just no other way I can say it."
"May I have one of those cookies?"
"Wh...what?"
"Cookies. May I have one please?"
"I guess. Did you hear anything I just said?"
"I sure did," he said taking a bite of the cookie I gave him. "I must say, these are the best damn cookies I have ever tasted!"
"And?"
"And...may I have another one?"
"Sidney! Focus please. I can't do this with you! You are impossible."
"Do what? Look, I have only met you a few times and each time you have been able to surprise me. That never happens. I'm intrigued. All I want to do is spend some time and get to know you. Who knows, maybe we'll even become friends."
"Friends? That's what all this is about? You want to be my friend?"
"Well, as long as we're being honest, no. But that's a good place to start don't you think?"
"No, I don't think so. I can't even begin to tell you how wrong this is on so many levels."
"Try me."
I was not expecting that.
"Well, for one thing there is the age difference."
" Age doesn't matter. My firm philosophy is that age is just a number. There is so much more to people than how many years they've been alive."
Not expecting that either.
"Just for the sake of your argument though, how many years are we talking?"
"Well, I'm 30. So yeah, that does matter. Not to mention the other little details of my children.I have 2 of them and Alex is only 6 years younger than you! You could be brothers for christ sake. Not exactly the lifestyle of an 18 year old hockey phenom with his whole life ahead of him."
"I'm not a normal 18year old," Sid replied. "And besides, I think your kids are great."
"Yeah, great as fans, but how great do you think they'll be on a daily basis when you're trying to parent them?"
"Whoa, slow down girl! I'm just talking about dating here, not getting marrried!"
"Well, that's kind of my point. I'm not an 18 year old girl that has no responsiblities and can date whoever she wants. I don't have that luxury. My reality is that I have 2 kids and every decision I make affects them. I can't just bring strange men in and out their lives which brings me to my next point."
"And that would be?"
"I don't date. Period. That's my rule and I am not about to break it. Not even for Sidney Crosby."
"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that because you have kids, you don't date? So you're just going to be alone for the rest of your life? That is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard."
I could feel my face getting redder with every word he spoke. Now I was furious.
"Well, I guess that just shows your immaturity. You are probably not even capable of putting another persons needs before your own. And I do not appreciate being called stupid!"
"I wasn't calling you stupid. I just think it's stupid to think that you need to be alone just because you have kids. Don't you think they want their mom to be happy?"
"It's not just beacuse I have kids. It's a choice I made for myself a long time ago. And who says I'm not happy? I do not need a man in my life to be happy. I have great kids, a great career and wonderful friends. I was perfectly happy until I met you."
"Ouch! That stung. What about family? I didn't hear you mention a great family?"
"This conversation has gone on long enough. I think I have made my position perfectly clear. Now if you don't mind, I think it's time for you to leave."
"I think we have a special connection here Beks, and I'm not prepared to give up on that."
I whipped my head around to face him.
"What did you just call me?"
"Umm, I don't know. Beks I think."
"Don't EVER, EVER call me that!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you but Rebekah is so long and formal."
"Bekah will do."
"Did you hear what I said before?"
"No."
"I said that I think we have something speacial here. I know you feel it too. I'm not willing to give up on that yet."
"Please Sidney, " I said softly as I looked into his eyes. " If you have any kind of feelings for me at all you will respect my wishes and leave me alone. It just has to be this way." My eyes were pleading with him.
"Bekah, I care about you very much. I still think we owe it to ourselves to see where this could go, but I will do my best to respect your wishes. I can tell you this. I will not cut you out of my life completely, but I will back off. You are a very special woman Bekah. You deserve love too."
And with that, Sidney gently cupped my face in his hands and kissed my lips ever so softly. Then he was gone.