Apologies...Kind Of

I let out a groan as I heard loud knocks outside of the hotel room door, forcing me to push myself off of the couch and make my way towards the door, mumbling to myself the entire way.

I pulled the door open tiredly, glancing briefly at Max and Marc before I turned and headed back towards the couch, leaving the door open. “What do you two want?”

“We’re here to apologize,” Marc explained, shutting the door before he and Max made their way over to the couch, Marc choosing to sit on the chair next to it and Max perching himself on the arm rest.

“Even though none of this is actually our fault,” Max added, shooting Marc a look.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s fine, guys. If Sidney likes Peyton, and she likes him, then good for them. I need to just accept these things.”

“That is very mature of you,” Marc admired.

“But also very stupid,” Max said, earning my attention as I craned my neck to look at him. “Look, I probably know Sid better then the rest of the guys, believe it or not,” he began, moving off of the arm rest and pushing me until I gave in and sat up, making room for him on the couch. “Sidney doesn’t like Peyton. I think he’s just too nice to say no to her.”

“That would make him a pansy,” I decided.

“No, it makes him nice!” Marc corrected. “Look, I’m sorry that I meddled and tried to have girl talk with Sidney. And Max is sorry that he lied and told Sidney that you had a thing for Jordan.”

“I don’t see why that is so bad,” Max began, “The Jordan thing, I mean. Not that my lying is okay, but I think you and Staal would be a fabulous couple.”

“He has a girlfriend,” I reminded him.

Max made a face. “Does he? I guess I forgot that. My bad.”

“Well, you two have certainly made me feel better,” I told them sarcastically.

“No, we can make you feel better!” Max yelled, startling me. “Come on, no more sulking in here. Let’s go out somewhere.”

“I don’t want to change out of my pyjamas,” I whined, pointing down to my very stylish green flannel pants with moose heads hiding in every other square.

“Those are certainly something,” Marc mumbled.

“You don’t have to change,” Max decided, earning a quizzical look from me. “Marc and I will go put on our pyjamas, and we will run up down the streets together.”

I frowned. “I don’t like that idea.”

“That’s too bad, because now it’s in my head and I am excited,” Max grinned, leaping off of the couch and heading back towards the door, turning to signal for Marc to follow him as he tugged the door open and began to awkwardly dance his way back into the hallway.

Marc let out a sigh, standing up from the chair eh was sitting in. “Well, I’ll see you in a few minutes. And we’ll both be hating our lives.”

I laughed, watching him begrudgingly follow Max’s lead.

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“You know, now that I’m standing next to you, I’m not as embarrassed,” I told Max as he and I waited in the breakfast line downstairs in the hotel dining room.

He grinned, moving his hips a bit in a way that made me all kinds of uncomfortable. “These are great. I thought about just wearing my boxers, but I don’t like it when people can see my knees-”

“Really? I never look at people’s knees,” I mumbled.

“Well, I do, and I’m very insecure about it,” Max said. “Anyways, I went to the gift shop and bought this sexy number. But the lady behind the counter laughed at me.”

“That’s probably because those are made for ladies,” Marc told him.

Max frowned, looking down at his pyjama pants, which were a dark purple, almost a plumb, and made of a very comfortable looking silk material. The fabric shone in the bright lights of the dining room, and with the way Max was continuously dancing in them, the pants were swishing around his legs in an almost disturbing matter. “I don’t think these are for girls. They’re far too masculine.” Max decided.

I laughed, grabbing a scoopful of scrambled eggs and flopping them unto my plate. “There are so many moments where you scare me, Max.”

Max only wagged his eyebrows at me, grabbing a handful of bacon and popping two strips into his mouth before moving on to the sausage. “See? You’re feeling better already.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing a few strips of bacon for myself. “I wasn’t depressed or anything. You two are acting like my entire world had ended.”

“Well, Sidney Crosby is on a date with your best friend. That has to be hard to take,” Marc said, smiling shyly at me as I shot him a look.

“I just met Sidney,” I reminded them. “I wasn’t even entirely sure that I liked him in that way, anyways. If anything, you two are more disappointed. You’ve been trying to set something up since we were in Vancouver.”

Max chewed on a piece of sausage, a little loudly, before speaking. “Well, considering the way you huffed into the bus after Peyton told you about her date with Sid, I’d say you might like him a little.”

“Huffed my way?” I repeated. “That sounds like a hooker term.”

Again, he wagged his eyebrows.

I made my way over to an empty table, grabbing a glass of juice on my way, and tried to ignore the mass amount of media hanging just outside of the dining hall, probably waiting for Sidney’s return. Max and Marc soon joined me, both of them pretending not to notice the odd looks being shot their way. While Max had raced into the gift shop to buy himself some “Sexy” pants, Marc had merely put on his normal PJ pants; A very unflattering baby blue number with different characters from the Mario Brother’s games splattered around. It made me feel pretty smug about my moose pants.

“So, what would you like to do after this?” Max asked me, shovelling a heap of eggs into his mouth.

I shrugged, pushing around the pancake I had grabbed, even though I don’t like pancakes. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind grabbing a book to read or something.”

Marc nodded, chewing whatever was in his mouth before talking. “We could do that. There’s a bookstore about a block from here. We could walk, or we could drive, whichever you would prefer.”

“I’d rather be driven,” I admitted. “Just because these pants aren’t that warm, so I’d be really cold walking down the street.”

“Understandable,” Fleury said, glancing down at his watch and then over to the lobby. “Uhm, maybe we should get going soon?”

Max looked up from his plate of food, a piece of bacon half chewed and hanging from his mouth as he cut up the pancakes on his plate. He tugged the bacon out of his mouth. “Are you crazy? We just started to eat!” He wiped his mouth with his napkin before he looked at me, “Hey, did you see what Peyton wore on her date with Sidney?”

I sighed, “No. She was already gone when I woke up. I guess they had to go early so Sidney could avoid the flood of fans.”

Max nodded. “Well, I know Sid was very casual, so this date must not have meant much to him.”

“It was coffee date, of course he dressed casually,” I pointed out. “I don’t want to talk about what they wore anymore. I just hope they had a nice time.”

Marc smirked at me. “That’s a lie.”

I ignored the comment, stuffing a forkful of eggs into my mouth.

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Even though I knew that at some point Peyton would be returning to our hotel room, I was still surprised to see her waltz in the door, a bag in her hand and a small smile on her face. I was still in my pyjamas, attempting to get into the book Max had convinced me to buy(it was Guy Lafleur’s autobiography, and I didn’t even know who that guy was when he handed it to me), sitting on the couch, completely shocked to find her back.

Peyton kicked off her shoes and walked over to me, sitting in the chair and giving me a cautious smile. “Hi.”

I eyed her outfit for a moment, a dress/casual look that consisted of dark skinny jeans and a flowy, flowery top with a questionably stylish leather jacket over top. “Hi. How was the date.”

Peyton ignored the question, instead reaching into the bag she had with her and pulling out a wrapped box. “I bought you something.”

I eyed the present, setting the book down and carefully taking it from her hands. “Thanks, I guess.” I rolled the present around a few times, still unsure as to why Peyton bought me this. “Is this your way of telling me that you had a really great date?”
She sighed, “Hanna, just open the damn thing, will you?”

“Fine, fine.” I set the box down on my lap, ripping the paper off of it at an impressively fast pace, paying more attention to Peyton’s face then the actual present. She kept a vacant look on her face, probably aware of the fact that I was watching for any indication of why she bought me this. I finally gave in and glanced down at the now unwrapped box, bursting into a fit of laughter as I did so. “You bought me a snuggie?”

Peyton grinned, relieved by my reaction. “Not just any Snuggie, a leopard print one. It’s the wild addition.”

I read the front of the box. “And it’s a deluxe version! What does that even mean?”

“It means I paid an extra ten dollars so you could have a pocket on your backwards bath robe,” She informed me, settling back into the chair. “It’s an apology present. I shouldn’t have gone after Sidney.”

I set the Snuggie down beside me, letting out a small sigh. “Look, I shouldn’t have been so bothered by it. If you like him-”

“I don’t like him,” She said, earning a completely confused reaction from me. “I thought I might, which is why I asked him out. I wanted to get to know him away from everyone,” she tried to explain. “But once I was alone with him he was just so…” she pursed her lips, trying to find the right word before shrugging, “Logical.”

I had to laugh. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“Well, it kind of is, when you’re as logical as him,” She replied. “I thought hockey players would be wild and unpredictable. I mean, I barely spent anytime with Sidney, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I just saw how fun he was when you and Jordan and him crammed into that photo booth, and then when we went bowling, and I figured I’d give it a shot. But he’s all smart and rational, doesn’t go out partying, doesn’t really drink, he doesn’t even have a favourite movie! And I can’t handle it.”

I eyed her for a moment before smirking. “You’re lying. You loved it.”

She sighed, “I did. I don’t think I could date him, but I’m very impressed by him,” She explained. She licked her lips. “I wasn’t a fan of him bringing Jordan along today, though.”

I had to bit the inside of my lip to hold back the laughter that wanted to escape, taking a moment to make sure my amusement was well hidden before I asked. “He brought Jordan to your date?”

Peyton glared at me, my attempt at hiding the amusement clearly having failed. “Yes. I guess he either didn’t know it was a date, or wanted me to know that he wasn’t considering it a date.”

“So, you dressed up to meet him, and then he walked in with Jordan?” I asked.

“Yes. He told me that Jordan always goes out for a cup of coffee in the morning anyways, so he figured he could join us,” She told me.

I was still trying not to laugh. “Well, that was considerate of him.”

“Oh, could you at least pretend you’re not enjoying this so much?” Peyton whined, letting her head fall back. “I can’t believe that guy. Why would you agree to go on a date with a girl if you don’t want to date her?”

“Because Sidney’s too nice to say no?” I suggested, earning a glare from Peyton.

The door to our hotel room burst open, causing both Peyton and I to jump in our seats and turn around to see Marc come running in through the door.

“Hanna! Sidney doesn’t want to date Peyton! He brought Jordan just to make sure she-” He stopped, noticing Peyton’s unimpressed look being sent his way. “Oh. Hi Peyton, how are you?”

Peyton groaned, standing up from the chair and grabbing the wrapping paper that was littering the floor. “I’m going to have a nap. I woke up really early to get ready for the date that wasn’t actually a date.” She made sure to punch Marc in the arm as she passed him, making him pout.

Marc scurried over to sit next to me. “Is that a snuggie? Can I wear it?”

“How much do you make a year? Go buy your own!” I grabbed the box and held it protectively in my hands.

He laughed. “Anyways, Sidney brought Jordan with him to make sure Peyton knew that he didn’t want this to be considered a date, and that he wasn’t looking at her that way.”

“Why didn’t he just tell her that himself?” I questioned.

“Because he’s Sidney and he has a hard time saying not to people or telling them what they don’t like to hear. Unless they are a Flyers fan,” He grinned at me. “So there was no need to worry! Sidney is not interested in Peyton.”

“You’re acting like now he and I are going to run off and get married,” I laughed.

“Well, no. That would be silly,” He said. “You have to get married here, so we can all come and I can be a Brides Maid.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Don’t you guys have a practice to go to?”

“Yes. Actually, Sidney is waiting downstairs for me since I am his ride, so I should probably get going,” He said standing up. He only took two steps before he turned to grin at me. “You know what? You should go change and come to the practice.”

I made a face at him. “Are you serious? I haven’t showered yet and I’m not wearing any make up.”

“Then wear a hat and put some make-up on. Come on!” He reached out to grab my arm, pulling me to my feet. “You’ve never been to an NHL practice before. And it’ll just be you and the girlfriends that are here. Which are none. So it will just be you!”

I laughed. “Fine. How much time do I have.”

His cell phone started to ring, causing him to look down at the Caller ID. “Well, since Sid is calling me right now, none. Hurry! I’ll distract him with my charm.”

I raced out of the living room and into my own room, changing as fast as I could before racing into the bathroom, pulling my hair up into a ponytail and putting on a but of mascara before I bolted back out into the living room. “Wait!” I yelled as Marc opened his mouth, “I have to put on some body spray.”

He sighed. “How about you just meet Sid and I downstairs within five minutes?”

I nodded, thanking him before I headed back into the bathroom.

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When I finally made my way downstairs, I couldn’t even see Marc and Sidney. The swarm of media in the lobby made me just about have a panic attack. I stepped out of the elevator and stood there, basically frozen, looking for any sign of the two.

“Hanna!”

I twisted to the side, seeing Marc standing by one of the side doors, waving to me. I let out a sigh of relief, heading over to where he was and making sure no one was following me. Clearly, this was how Sidney avoided the media.

“Is it always this bad?” I asked.

“No. It’s just because our next game is against New Jersey, and for some reason, that’s a big deal, so they all want to try and interview Sid on his thoughts about the upcoming game,” He explained, leading me out the side door and out to where his car, a very sleek black sports car of some sort, was waiting. “Sidney is letting you have the front,” He told me, walking around the car to get to the driver’s side.

I opened the passenger door, climbing in before I turned in my seat to look back at Sidney, who was texting someone on his blackberry. He glanced up at the sound of me pulling the door shut and smiled. “Hey, Hanna. Excited to see a practice?”

I shrugged. “I guess. I’m more excited to see who loses in the shoot out contest. I’m hoping for Malkin.”

“He can’t grow a moustache,” Marc reminded me.

I grinned, strapping in my seatbelt. “I know. I’d like to see him try.”

Sidney laughed from behind me, making me turn around to glance at him once more. He gave me one more small smile before returning his attention to his blackberry.

Marc was smirking, clearly watching me out of the corner of his eye and Sidney in the rear-view mirror. He cleared his throat. “Hey, Sid? Did you know that Hanna is single?”

I could already feel my face heat up as Sidney let out a small chuckle. “I had no idea, Flower.”

Marc nodded. “I just wasn’t sure if you knew that or not.”

I shook my head, sinking down in my seat with embarrassment.

“Hey, how was your date?” Marc asked.

I could see half of Sidney’s face in the side mirror, allowing me to see the way he kind of made a face at the question, since he had probably already told Marc about it. “It wasn’t a date.”

“Oh, that’s odd. Peyton told Hanna you two were dating,” Marc told him.

“No, she said you were going on a date. Just one,” I corrected.

Sidney sort of smirked. “Oh. Well…no. I don’t think Peyton and I would be able to date.”

“No. She’s too in your face and probably couldn’t handle all your traveling,” Marc agreed. “Hey, Hanna? How needy are you?”

I turned to look at Marc, letting out a sigh. “I’m going to hit you. Seriously, I will bash your face into that steering wheel.”
Marc grinned. “Okay, I’ll stop. I’m just bugging you two.”

The car fell into a brief lapse of silence before Marc spoke again. “Your babies would be so cute.”

I let my head fall against the window as both he and Sidney burst into a fit of laughter.