Slap Shots @ Coffee Pots

Chapter I: you honestly have no idea who I am?

Drew.
Ice. I grew up on it. I work on it everyday. I don't love anything as much as I love ice. Well... Maybe my mommas cooking. I am from, a small town just outside of Dallas, Texas. I suppose that a formal greeting is due.
I am Andrew Donald Carol. I'm as southern as they come. Through and through I'm a true country boy. But don't be fooled, I'm no hill billy barn yard hick, I also speak six languages.
English
Spanish
Italian
Swedish
French
German
I may be a true southern boy, but I have traveled the world and studied abroad many times in college. I graduated early from high school.
And on top of all of those things... I am a professional hockey player.
I currently have no wife. No girlfriend. No kids. Problem free.
My house is basically a hockey players dream bachelor pad.

So fast forward to the present day.

It's about 11:15 am and I'm sitting casually at my favorite table at Coffee Pots. Sipping my hot vanilla latte as I read the comic strip in the news paper. Just before I read the punch line in Garfield, I hear a quite voice.

"Excuse me.. Um do you mind- "

I looked up and saw she was wearing a number ten Dallas Stallions jersey.
My jersey.
Before she finished her sentence I cut her off. I mean I get this a lot.

"Hey sweetheart can I finish my coffee first? Then I'll sign whatever you want me to" I gave her a million dollar smile, but she didn't smile back, she made a cute little confused look where she tilted her head slightly and scrunched up her nose.

"Not to be rude... but why would I want your signature?" She still had that adorable look on her face.
But I mean come on. Is she seriously playing dumb with me right now? She's wearing my god forsaken jersey. This is another thing I get a lot. Fans pretending not to know who I am so maybe I will fall in love with them. Ha! No thank you!

"Sweetheart you can't play dumb, I mean look at your shirt." She looked down at her shirt and made another look very similar to the first one.
Okay mad props to this girl.
She is actually pulling it off.
The jersey is big on her very small and delicate frame. She's probably about 5'2 maybe 115 lbs.

"I'm sorry mister but please stop calling me sweetheart. You have no idea who I am. I just wanted to ask if I could sit here because all the other seats are taken. Plus this is my usual table. I come here every morning at precisely 8:28 am." She grinned at me once she finished her little rant

"Oh of course you can! But it's okay, you don't have to be embarrassed" I slightly patted her shoulder.

"Alright buddy I don't know what the heck you have to do with this jersey and quite frankly I don't care. It's not even my shirt! I haven't watched a hockey game since the Olympics!" She huffed out.
Her bangs fell and covered the corner of eye. She blushed embarrassed because her little outburst had caused the attention of several nearby customers.
We sat in silence for a while. She read a book, and I finished my comic strip.

"Wait so let me get this straight, you honestly have no idea who I am?" I smiled in a teasing manner.

"Nope! To me you could be just any cute stranger. Oh my god. A stranger. I'm sitting with a stranger. That is legitimately the only rule you are supposed to follow. I'm so sorry for infringing upon your breakfast. Now I'm rambling. I'm sorry. I'll just go now tha-" I cut her off for the second time today.

"Wait you think I'm cute?" I huffed.

She looked puzzled as to why I wouldn't want to be called cute by a girl. A cute girl might I add.

"I guess. I mean unless you want me to call you ugly! I'm sorry I insulted you again. And here we go I almost started rambling again." She looked at her shoes and uncomfortably played with her fingers.

"This is quite adorable but I'm not upset you called me cute, well actually I am. You see I am a professional hockey player. I want to be viewed by woman as 'sexy', 'hot', or even 'manly'. Not cute." I give her a smirk and tilt my head just a tad.

"You have got to be kidding me." She laughed in my face.

She laughed. SHE actually laughed at ME. What in the world is going on?

"I beg your pardon?" Now when I said this, I raised my eyebrows and said it with a slight attitude.

"You can't be serious. You actually want women to call you all of those idiotic names? They are completely demeaning to the male gender." She looked at me with a face that showed she was very proud of her answer.

"Oh right I'm sorry, I forgot being called cute was better for the male gender then sexy is." I leaned forward in my chair eager to hear her response to my retaliation.

"You're right. I'm sorry, It just seemed that you hold yourself to a higher standard then most regular men. I mean you must be some what important. You asked if I wanted your autograph. Actually you kinda told me that I was getting an autograph but that's beside the point. If you're already and egotistical, overconfident, and  barbaric man, why would you need the approval of random women around the world? Quite frankly I don't see how that helps you at all" Her eyes had an ambrosial glint in them as she rambled on passionately.

To be honest I was getting lost in her eyes.

"Sorry love but you lost me at 'You're right. I'm sorry' But I would love to talk about this some more, perhaps over dinner?" I gave her a flirty grin and a wink.

"Are you serious, is this really happening?" She looked at me dumbfounded.

"Yes beautiful it is. Now I have somewhere I need to be, but I will give you that autograph now, then be on my way" I grabbed a pen from my bag and a napkin
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The napkin read:
My dearest fan,
I'm very glad we had our little banter this morning. Without it I would have been dateless this Saturday. 188-468-566

Sincerely,
Your "cute" stranger
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Her face flushed as I handed her the note and gave her a delicate kiss on the hand.

I walked out of Coffee Pots and got in my car, next thing I knew I was at the hockey rink gearing up for practice again.

AN:

Soooooo here we are! Coffee Pots is the place to be am I right?!