The Hot Hockey Player

Chapter 5 - Madeline 🌸

"Matthew ? Can you please come and help me for God's sake ?" I scream at my phone with a high-pitched voice. What can I say ? I enjoy annoying him.

"Coming" he roars back a bit grumpy before hanging up on me.

I am having trouble getting those big cardboard boxes up the stairs towards his apartment and my dear brother isn't really helping me, doing God knows what in his apartment. Obviously, there isn't any elevator so I am condemned to climb 4 floors in order to settle down with my big brother. I am just by the second floor when my brother deigns to appear. He laughs when he sees me all sweaty and about to collapse. First, it is way too hot. Second, I have absolutely no ounce of muscle in me. Thus, it seems very complicated for me to do any kind of hard labour. Yes, I do consider lifting boxes as an exhausting job.

"You really should start working on those inexistent muscles of yours, you know ?" he says to me laughing as if it's the funniest thing. EVER. Well maybe.

"I am on it," I grumble. He smirks and gently pushes me to the side before lifting the two boxes I tried to get to the fourth floor.

It is the last of them — for today anyway because I except some others to come — and I am finally ready to begin a new chapter of my life. Sure, I still have to put my stuff here and there but basically, the biggest part is done.

"Was that so difficult to help ?" I tease my brother a bit once he closes the door.

"Nah, just wanted you to suffer," he says shrugging his shoulders.

The little rat...    

"I am not even going to tell something because I've got a new mindset to apply," I tell him while crossing my arms and looking at the horizon. Or the wall, in that very case.

He smirks. "Please, enlighten me."

The sarcasm in his voice is present. "Stop giving importance to fools," I proudly answer.

A few seconds passed before he sighs. "Did you just made that up?"

"Yep," I say back, emphasizing on the 'p'.

He never answers and goes back to his room not without telling me to sort out my shit and to give him back his beautiful living room ; which I clearly intend to do.

But first, I go to my soon-to-be room. Matthew, which is now 28, has a beautiful apparement. He bought it one year after becoming a pediatric doctor. He has two rooms and when I told him I was accepted into the journalism program at one of Nashville's many colleges, he immediately proposed me to live with him, at least until I find my very own cocoon.

To be honest, I was a bit reluctant at first, considering how long it'd been since we two shared a home together. Yes, we used to get along well as children. But now, it is different ; he has his life, I have mine. I even tried to find out if he has a girlfriend. Apparently, yes. Even though he doesn't talk about her. I know my brother and when he goes all gibberish, it means he's nervous. So 1 + 1 equaling 2 ; that means he has a girl. That is only common sense.

I want to meet her, obviously but I am going to wait until he's ready to tell me about her. I am not in a hurry and know one day or another, I'll meet the person who's making him happy.

°°°

A few weeks pass and I am still unpacking. It has been a hell lot of time and I am not anywhere near done. Well, today will be the day I am going to end this torture. Or maybe tomorrow because it is freaking late and there is no way I am going to be done with everything. During the past few weeks, I didn't saw Matthew that much, he worked a lot and we ate pretty much every night together but well... his work doesn't left time for us to gather around and visit places...