8. Lay, Lady, Lay

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead
I long to see you in the morning light
I long to reach for you in the night
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead

Lay, Lady, Lay -Bob Dylan

I woke up a half hour after I sent her the text. When I first opened my eyes I hoped she’d be lying next to me and I could watch her sleep. But the bed was cold and I felt alone. Plus I had to look at Clarks ugly mug first the AM. Not a pretty sight!

This is not me; I need to get my shit together, I sound like a broad. It’s kind of always like this at first isn’t it though? You meet someone new and want to know more about them. I don’t even know her. But I miss her being in my arms. I must really be lonely here to be so clingy.

I got up, took a 5 minute shower, ate breakfast and had to be in the lobby by 8:30 to catch the bus for practice. It’s long today but not as grueling as yesterday. When it finishes, I start my usual game day routine; lunch, take a long nap, eat my pre-game meal, shower, shave and put on my suit, go to the arena for our pre-game meeting, warm-up, play the game. It takes about 12 hours to complete.

The game was a tough, it always is in Montreal. I played okay but didn’t perform the way I would have liked, especially since I hoped she was watching tonight. After the game the locker room is overflowing with excitement after the 5-4 win. We have been winning the battles finally; things are starting to look up for us. It’s easier when we win. Yes, you beat yourself up if you play sub-par, but it’s not as bad as when we lose and I don’t show up in a game, then I just feel like shit, like I’ve let the whole team down.

The biggest difference I’ve had to adjust to in Toronto is the media coverage. It is insane here. At first it was exciting and fun and I felt like a proud peacock doing interviews. But in the short time I’ve been here it has become monotonous and annoying. I now understand how frustrated Dion get’s, they just ask the same 5 questions over and over again. I mean, I don’t know what they think will change from yesterday to today, or from this morning ‘til now.

Thankfully, we have to rush to get out of there and get home, we have to catch a redeye back to Toronto and no one wants to be late.

I message Michele on the bus on the way to the airport and ask her if I can see her tomorrow. After about 15mins of waiting for a reply, I get nothing back. I start to get a little irritated that she hasn’t responded yet. Come to think of it…… she hasn’t replied to anything I’ve sent her over the past two days. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think she has to stop her life to answer me but a little acknowledgment that I’m contacting her would be nice.

I try not to think about it but I’m bored and my mind starts to race. Maybe I look desperate, maybe I’ve crossed the line…when I get home I’m going to call her and see what’s up. I mean I’m not going to chase someone who doesn’t want to get caught. I’m cool if it was a one night thing, I’m king of no string attached, but don’t brush me off!

The entire flight home I think of reasons why she hasn’t replied. It’s eating me up, I mean I had a great time the other night and I know she had a good time too. I fall asleep to my own self torture. Clarke wakes me abruptly to inform me that we’ve landed.

Freezing doesn’t even begin to express just how cold it is when we leave the airport. I’m used to the cold, but I’ve been spoiled the last couple of years in Cali and freezing my boys off is not my idea of a good time.

Its 1am by the time I get home and take off my suit. I throw on some shorts and a t-shirt, grab a beer and sit on the couch. I turn on TSN, lower the volume while the nights highlight’s play out across the screen. I grab my cell and call her.

“He-llo??” I know as soon as I hear her nervous, groggy voice that I’ve woken her and I immediately feel like an ass.

“Sorry to call so late” I blurt out.

“Joffrey?” Well at least she knows who I am and didn’t say someone else’s name. This thought pisses me off.

“Yes” I bite back at her.

“ ……..Are you Okay?” I can hear the worry in her voice and it’s hard to be pissed at someone when they sound like they care.

“I’m okay, I’m sorry….I’ll just call you later”

“Please don’t call me later….I’ll hopefully be sleeping later” she says with a sleepy giggle. “What can I do for you at 1:12am?”

“I just wanted to talk to you” I say before continuing “why didn’t you text me back?” finally getting the question off my chest.

“I can’t text a number I don’t know”

I’m officially an idiot. “I forgot that I didn’t give it to you and this new number is unlisted”

“Just for the record Joffrey, had I had it, I would have text you back.”

“What r u doing tomorrow?”

“Nothing. I took the day off” Well that is good news.

“What r u doing tonight?”

“Umm…laying in bed in my P.J.’s” My mind automatically flashes of her in some lingerie, a sexy little number laying across a big bed. Isn’t that how all women sleep? If it isn’t it should be put to law.

“Want some company?” Please say yes…..

“Umm….. Sure, I mean….. I guess. Sorry I’m half asleep here. You want to come over now?”

“Yes now, I want to see you”

She gives me her address and I quickly hop out of bed, grab a hoodie and toss some track pants over my shorts. I brush my teeth, pull on a cap and head out to my car.

Her condo isn’t far from mine at all, only 10 minutes by car. I pull up to the address she’d provided me with and I’m impressed. It’s a well kept, ritzy looking place and the concierge gives me a questioning look as I walk to the door. I text her to let her know that I’m here, she buzzes me in and the concierge waves me over.

“Please fill out the information for your vehicle parking” You’ve got to be kidding me right?

I fill out the info and go to turn away, “Will you be spending the night?” Seriously….who does this guy think he is?

He’s looking at me with this expectant look on his face and I can’t help what comes out of my mouth when I answer him. “I hope so, but I really don’t know yet” He smiles at me.

“Let’s put you down for the overnight permit just in case.” He says with a knowing glance.

“Thanks”

“Miss Welsch is expecting you in the penthouse.” I guess she called down to tell him it was ok for me to come up. I nod at him and I’m finally free to go and see her.

She told me she lived in the Penthouse. I pressed the button while my hands started to sweat. Here I am in the middle of the night, having invited myself over to a stranger’s house. She could be some kind of psycho for all I know, and trust me I’ve dated my fair share of crazy broads.

All my fears are put to rest as I walk out of the elevator only to be met by her standing in her doorway in the cutest gray, white and pink plaid pajamas, with bare feet and a plain white “Pink” brand hoodie folded tightly across her breasts. Not the scantily clad image I had envisioned, but it was just as good, maybe better.

“Hi Beautiful”

“Hi yourself” She’s so hot right now with her hair up in a messy high pony tail and no makeup on, looking all cozy and I want to just scoop her up and lay with her forever.

I can’t keep my hands to myself; I hug her and deliver a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Ohhh, you’re so cold” she states as I pull away from my greeting.

“Sorry, it’s freezing out there”

I follow her into her apartment and it is huge, I mean it’s like a whole house in the sky. I’m nervous and try a lame attempt to make small talk with her. “Nice place you’ve got here. Been here long?”

“Thanks. I love it here. I’ve been here about 2 years now, I guess.”

She tells me she’s making herself a tea and offers me one or something else to drink. I take the tea.

While she’s busying herself in the kitchen making our drinks I walk around her apartment stopping to look at pictures she has staged neatly in frames of all sizes. Her place is not a cluttered space but not sterile either, it’s homey and comforting.

“Here you go” she says softly from behind me, offering the mug cupped in both hands. “Should warm you up quickly, be careful it’s hot” I want her to warm me up quickly.

I reach for the mug making sure to touch her as much as appropriately possible while taking a tea from someone. “Thanks” I take a small sip “Umm, better already”

I hear her giggle softly as she grabs hers from the counter.

We sit on opposite sides on her over sized couch and chat casually, getting reacquainted.

“Congratulations on the win tonight. You had a good game” she said between sips of her tea.

“I thought you didn’t follow the Leafs?”

“You know, I never used too, but then I met some guy who told me that he played for them, and that I should check them out”

“Some guy huh? So is the guy good looking?”

“You know, funny thing is, I can’t seem to remember what he looks like. It’s a little fuzzy. It was dark...” She looks off thoughtfully like she’s really trying to remember this lost face, a smile threatening to betray her lips any second.

I get up from the sofa place my cup on the coffee table and take the cup from her hands. I pull her to her feet and flush across my chest. I can’t feel her chest heaving against mine as I look in her eyes.

“Maybe I need to remind you what this guys looks like” I say before softly placing my lips against hers.

“Umm, it’s slowly coming back to me. I seem to remember that he had dark hair”

I kiss her a little harder this time.

“And these sexy blue eyes."

My mouth crashes against hers and I knot my fingers in the back of her up swept hair. She opened her mouth and I happily obliged her request. I broke it off as she pressed her body tightly against mine.

She looked at me in disbelief. I smiled “Sorry, you were saying”

With a lust filled look on her face she replied. “He was hot, incredibly hot” With that I continued our kiss before pulling away and placing my forehead against hers.

“It’s getting late” I state simply. “I should go”

“Do you have practice in the morning?’

“Optional”

“Stay tonight?”

I couldn’t help the smile that slipped across my lips. “I’ll have you know I’m not that type of guy” I tease.

“Neither am I, so if you decide to stay tonight things will be strictly PG-13”

We’ll see about that, I grab her hand. “Which way to your room?”

She takes the lead and guides me down the hall.