by Kat Obie
Scott smiled at how his logo cupped her boobs and the jersey hugged her body rather than hiding it all. She turned around and asked, “Better?”
“Mm-hmm.” Scott picked her up. His voice got lusty as he said, “I love that on you.” He wanted to kiss her, but it felt like it was too soon.
He knew their time would be limited. “We should probably get going. We really don’t have enough time tonight.”
“Well, whose fault is that?” While that comment could seem negative, there was no malice in her voice. It was understanding and teasing. She grabbed her Flyers jersey, folded it, and put it in the same bag she’d pulled the Sound one out of. “I’m ready.”
Scott grabbed her hand and led her out of the arena to his favorite post-game haunt. He loved how well her hand seemed to fit into his. “I didn’t make you wait too long, did I?”
“Nope. I figured that was going to happen. You did just return to play. Of course, the local media wants to talk to you post game. It’s why I made sure my Kindle app had something good to read.”
“You might have to get used to that. I never get out super early like some of the guys.”
“That’s what happens when you are one of the best. I get it. At least, for media purposes. It would be far worse if you were late if you got hurt again.”
“Yeah. But I’m not always a fan of the media. It was easier when I came into the league. I didn’t have to worry about managing the accent or accidentally going into French.” He pulled her into the little bar’s door with a slight pivot.
Alice surprised him by saying, “Ici?”
Most of the girls he’d seen in the states didn’t speak his native language. “Tu parles français?”
“Un peu. J'ai étudié français aux universités. But I’m not that good.”
“You are better than most, but you need to practice.” He smiled and was pleased with her speaking some French. It wasn’t forced, although her accent sounded horrendous. “I can help you with that.”
Alice smiled sweetly and giggled. “Why do I think this is becoming a theme?”
Scott led the way to a little two-top that was close to the bar. Janet, his usual bartender, came up to the table. “Tough one tonight. So, do you want your usual?”
That made Scott feel uncomfortable. He wished she hadn’t mentioned the loss and had at least acknowledged that Alice was there. But he said, “Yeah.”
He looked towards Alice for her order. She was taking a hard look at the beer list. Then her face lit up and he wasn’t quite sure why. “I’ll have the bourbon barrel-aged Black Star Dies.”
Janet nodded and let them be.
Alice said, “Why are you staring at me so intently? Did I grow an extra head or something?”
Scott laughed. “No, it’s more that I’ve never seen someone get so excited over a beer list before. Your face literally lit up when you saw that beer.”
“I like my beers. What can I say? Besides, my favorite beer podcast just highlighted it and it sounded so good, but I didn’t think the brewery distributed here in Ohio. Even though I’m supposed to take a trip out to Philly next month, there is a good chance it will be gone. So I’m excited that I can actually get to try it.”
“So, what makes it so special?”
“Besides the name? It’s a bourbon barrel-aged stout, and the aging both mellows out the stout while strengthening the adjunct notes. The stout itself is a dark cherry oatmeal which is an amazing combo with a nice heavy mouthfeel. It’s like a meal in your mouth. I can’t wait to see how it tastes with the aging process. The Beer Busters loved it, and I love the brewery in general.”
She scrunched her nose up as she realized he wasn’t fully following what she was saying. It actually made her look cuter.
He was trying to keep up, but it was almost like she was speaking a foreign language. He could see she was passionate about what she was saying. Before Scott could say anything, Janet dropped off two pints of beer. His looked downright pale compared to hers.
She picked up her glass right away and seemed to subtly smell it. “Skoal,” she said, staring at him.
He lifted his glass and nodded.
Scott just loved watching her drink that first sip. It seemed like she was in heaven. He definitely never felt that way from his usual Yuengling. It was always reliable. But he never thought about it as being unique.
“Do you want to try it?” She passed the glass his way.
Why not? He was curious. He was immediately confronted with a lot of flavors at once. It was sweet but heavy in his mouth. Now he understood what she’d initially meant. He was actually really enjoying it.
“Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. There’s a lot going on in there. But I like it.”
“Yeah, me too. It’s exactly how I was hoping it would be.” Alice leaned on the table so they could talk a little easier. She surprised him by saying, “May I?” as she took a sip from his glass. She smiled and said, “That’s pretty much what I thought it was.”
“What?”
“A Lager. If I’m not mistaken, Yuengling. From one of America’s oldest breweries. A drink that’s synonymous with the term ‘lager’ in Philly.”
Scott rolled his eyes in mock frustration. He was actually charmed by her. She didn’t ridicule his choice of beer for being boring, like many of the guys on the team.
Instead, she seemed to embrace it. He only rolled his eyes due to the Philly mention. “So, what’s with all the Philly love? Are you from there or something?”
“I am.”
“So, why Cleveland, then?”
“Got a job at one of the universities. Not all that different from why you came here. Okay, I wasn’t drafted, but I was offered the ideal job.”
The conservation flowed as the evening went on. While they had some different interests, they got along well.
They had a second round of drinks. He let Alice choose for both of them. He trusted her to pick out something that he would like but was different from his usual. It was another stout, while she got something, she called a saison.
Suddenly, Scott’s phone blew up with a few dozen messages. He knew that wasn’t a good sign. He dug out the phone from his pants pocket and realized why—he was late getting back to the arena for their flight.
Alice seemed to pick up on it and said, “I take it that you are late.”
Scott nodded in disappointment and fumbled for his wallet. He searched for Janet who of course was nowhere to be seen. Alice said, “Go. I got this. Don’t get in trouble over me.”
She gave him a pointed look that came from a parent or a coach. He put his suit jacket on and then his coat. But he did give her a quick kiss. The moment he touched her lips, he knew he wanted more.
He pulled away. “I still feel bad. Besides, how are you getting home?”
“Either the red line or Uber. Don’t worry. You are going to miss your flight if you don’t go.”
She was right. He headed towards the door and said, “Text me when you get home.”
Once he left the bar, he ran the two blocks back to the arena. He saw the charter bus in the parking lot. He grabbed the wheelie bag from his car and ran onto the bus.
As he entered the bus, the coach screamed, “You’re late, Scotty!”
“Sorry.” He ducked his head so he wouldn’t see how pissed the coach was. He quickly sat down in his usual seat.
By the time they got to the airport, Alice had texted him saying how she’d had fun and shared the link to her Uber. He made sure to screenshot the address, so he knew where she lived. They exchanged a few texts before he took off.
While Scott felt guilty for leaving Alice and not paying for their drinks, he liked how she was completely understanding of the situation. He couldn’t remember the last time a girl offered to pay for the drinks or even when he’d had such an easy conversation. It was why he kissed her.
Scotty was ready for an easy, quick flight to DC. He knew the coaches would make them do a tough practice
and be extra rough on him as a form of punishment. It was totally justified, but he hoped for a peaceful flight to DC. Unfortunately for him, Doc sat down next to him.
In a very pointed tone, Doc said, “If you think you can hide another concussion from me, you've got another think coming. And pulling that late crap isn’t helping.”
“Whoa. I’m fine. Honest. I met a girl and lost track of time.”
“A girl?”
“Yeah. We were having drinks at Mel's. Trust me, I learned from the last time. I’ll take any test you want to prove it.”
“What about that hit in the game? Any aftereffects?”
“My hip hurts, not my head. But that was all that really rammed into the boards. Nothing more than a nasty stinger and a couple of bruises.”
“You sure?”
“Yup.” He was tempted to throw in that he would remember if he’d hit his head. But that probably wasn’t a good idea.
“So, what were you drinking with this girl?”
Scotty looked confused and couldn’t tell if Doc was interested or testing him.
Doc was looking at him intently, just like he did when it was a physical. So it was a test. “Well, we kind of shared a couple drinks. I ordered a Yuengling and she had the Black Star Goes Boom or something like that. It was a bourbon aged something. Then it was a Great Lakes Oatmeal Stout and some sort of saison.”
“Wait, you actually drank something other than your usual? What made you change it up?”
“Alice.” Scott smiled just thinking of her taking that first sip. “She got way too excited by that Black Star one and she let me have a taste. I got curious about what kind of beer could make someone get nearly orgasmic. Then I had a taste and kinda drank over half her glass.”
“So there really is a girl.”
“Of course there is. Why would I make something like that up?”
“You should see some of the crazy things people do with a concussion.”
“I have the text messages if that makes you feel better. Are we good? You aren’t threatening to take away my health clearances.”
“You are good with me. But Berman could still bench you if you keep pissing him off.”
Scott nodded. He was glad to hear that he could still play. He knew he should start to get ready for the next game, so he pulled out his iPad and watched some of the videos. He wanted to get back into the win column.
Studying up for the next game would keep his mind busy until they touched down and he could possibly have another exchange with Alice. Hopefully, she wasn’t asleep when they landed.
3
Alice
Alice was amazed at how quickly her relationship with Scott developed over the next four days. Even though he was on the road, they constantly texted and did the occasional Facetime call. She looked forward to the next day when he would be back in town for a nice long home stand.
She was home watching the Flyers game when her phone went off. One of her favorite photos of Scott popped up on the screen.
“Hey you—did you make it back okay? Son of a Bitch. Sorry, I really need to have a warning label at times. Watching hockey. Swearing can and will happen based on gameplay.”
He chuckled. She loved to hear his throaty laugh, even if it was because he enjoyed the fact that a rival wasn’t playing well.
“I take it you didn’t like that last play, then.”
“No . . . Who likes going two men down thanks to ticky-tack sashing call?” Alice said, not noticing how he didn’t answer her previous question.
“The other team,” Scott said in a deadpan voice, the perfect straight man for the situation. Then his voice switched to a much lighter note. “So, I think I’m close to your place. That’s if the Uber map from the other night is correct. Do you have parking and where is your actual place?”
“Wait, what?” Alice sputtered for a moment, not believing what she was hearing. He was coming over right then. It seemed too be good to be true.
“I figured instead of waiting until tomorrow, I would stop by tonight. The flight got in early, and I was hoping to see you. That is, if that’s okay?” He transitioned to a more doubting tone.
Alice was caught off guard and wasn’t exactly ready for any visitors. She was in her favorite t-shirt which had a cut-out in the back that celebrated one of her favorite former Flyer’s foundations and an old pair of black leggings she was planning on wearing to bed later. It wasn’t something she couldn’t be seen in. She was glad that at least her hair was still in decent shape since she hadn’t taken down her work braids.
“Um, Alice, are you still there? Did I do something wrong?”
“Yeah, sorry. I just got distracted for a moment by the Flyers game.” She cursed at herself for the lame excuse, especially since he might have heard the horn announcing the end of the first period a moment earlier. She didn’t want to admit that she was trying to figure out her embarrassment level at him seeing her so bummy.
Screw it. He saw me after hockey and then I looked like a bum and was sweaty. At least I’m just comfy.
“I’m at 2660 Bay St. But it’s only street parking at night. My neighbors get cranky if you use their parking space.”
“Okay.” Alice heard the classic beeping sound to indicate that he was locking the car. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he was close. She grabbed her keys and went towards the security door. “I’ll meet you at the door.”
Alice walked out of her living room to see Scott was at the security door already. He was still pretty dressed up in suit pants and a dress shirt, meaning he must have come straight to her place. He’d ditched his tie and suit jacket. He looked so yummy like that, but it made her realize just how truly dressed down she was.
She opened the security door, and he scooped her up. This kiss was passionate, with a lot of tongue. She moved her hands around his neck and through his long shaggy hair. He moved her into the apartment with a few quick steps. Once they were inside, she kicked the door shut with her foot. They continued to kiss up against the wall in the dark room.
“I’ve missed you and been waiting too long to do that,” he said impishly.
Then he seemed to notice that the TV sitting next to them was currently turned off. “I thought you said you were watching the Flyers game.”
“I missed you too. But that’s not the only TV in my place. I actually don’t spend much time in this room.”
She kissed him again and ran her hand against his chin and jaw where she could feel a little bit of stubble trying to creep through. She was having fun and didn’t care that the game was going to be returning. She had easy access to kiss his lips, and she wanted to take advantage of that since the moment he lowered her down, she wouldn’t be able to reach, being practically a foot shorter than him.
“Easy there. We have all night,” he said in an amused fashion as he lowered her to the ground.
She did a mock pout, but he was right. They shouldn’t have sex in the hallway and not have anything left in the tank for later.
He continued, “Besides, I was hoping to see what it’s like to watch a hockey game with you.”
Alice smiled and said, “Ok. But two conditions. No cracks about my setup. I’m weird and I like watching it this way. I know this. And no rooting for the Flames.”
Scotty laughed at that. He kissed her again, but it was more of a nip than a lusty, passionate one. “But what if I want to see Johnny Hockey’s team win and have them continue to help me in the standings?”
Alice lifted an eyebrow. “You are seriously concerned about the Flyers chance of catching you in the standings?”
“Not really. I just wanted to rile you up and see what you would say.”
Alice swatted at his arm. “Asshole.”
She led the way into her main living area. She glanced at the score on the iPad and saw that the Flyers had tied it up while they were in the other room kissing. “Do you want anything to drink? I’m a little limited in my selection. I got beer, water, and
tea on hand.”
“What are you drinking?” Scotty peered at the dark brown beer on the desk.
“New Phone, Who Dis? A caramel macchiato porter by Evil Genius. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more of that cold. I do have a pineapple cider, a donut IPA, a vanilla snowdrift porter, a milkshake IPA, and two holiday beers that have been aged in either maple or bourbon barrels.”
“You gotta be pulling my leg. Half of what you listed can’t be real ingredients.”
“They are, and I think they’re good. Besides I’ve tried some stuff at a brewery that is much weirder than that, including a cucumber beer. I would never bring it home unless I liked it. Although I will have a taste of almost anything just out of curiosity.”
“What would you recommend?” Scott still sounded a little skeptical.
She was pushing him out of his comfort zone with beers, but she didn’t have any lagers in stock. It was winter time and she tended to stock up on the darkest beers possible. She had planned to pick up some Yuengling for him but didn’t get a chance.
“Do you want something that’s light or dark?”
“Um, dark, I guess.”
“Okay. Just grab a chair. I can swap the view to the main computer. If you want to try mine, feel free.” As Alice walked into the kitchen area, she called out, “Do you want a t-shirt or a jersey to wear? I got stuff that would fit you that was given as promos. I just can’t promise it won’t be Flyers-related.”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Suddenly, she could hear the Flyers game commentators much clearer, which meant he must have pulled the game on her main computer. She peeked in from the kitchen once she heard that the Flyers were on a breakaway. Her “Go, Go, Go,” was immediately followed by a “Damnit” as the puck got smothered by the goalie. Scott laughed.
She went back to get his drink. The bottle popped open like champagne, and she poured the dark liquid into a glass. She capped the bottle and put it back into the fridge.