Alive : Hockey Fan Fiction

Chapter 2 : Tyler Crosses the Line

Jamie and I have been preparing for this pool party all morning. He is getting the liquor situated and I am working on snacks. For the main food part of the party we are ordering food to be delivered. I am not the best chef in the world, I'd be the first to tell you that. I can pour a mean salsa into a bowl though. Deep down inside I know I am nervous about Tyler being here but I am trying to keep my mind occupied with other things. The whole team and their families are going to be here so I have to make sure there is enough food for everybody. AnnMarie is here helping me get it all organized which is a big help.

I catch a glimpse of Jamie out in the backyard setting up the music from where I am standing in the kitchen at our counter island. His eye looks worse today than it did yesterday. It is still swollen and the bruise is much more noticeable. I walk to the freezer to get some ice and I put it in a bag, wrap it in a towel, and walk outside to where he is standing. He smiles once he looks up and sees me walking towards him and I smile back. "Put this on your eye, relax a bit," I say as I put the bag over his eye. He puts his hand on mind and holds the bag in place with me for a few seconds. He leans down to kiss me and I let go of the bag to put my arms around him and kiss him back.

I am lost in the kiss until there are sounds of whistling followed by, "I didn't know it was that kind of party."

We break the kiss and I turn around to see Tyler walking towards us with a big goofy smile on his face, bag in hand, and I am assuming a towel and other pool necessities are in there. Jamie lets me go and shakes hands with Tyler. "Hey, Segs," he says as they walk away talking about who knows what. I watch them until Tyler turns to look at me. I pretend to clean the bar top with no towel. I am just doing the motions hoping he doesn't realize. I sneak a look up and he is still looking at me. He winks and I give him the finger. He laughs as Jamie walks him into the pool house.

My eyes are so fixated on the pool house that I don't realize anyone else is out there with me and I am still pretending to clean the bar top. "What exactly are you doing?" AnnMarie says and breaks my concentration. I quickly stop the cleaning motion I was doing with my arm.

"Just wiping off the bar. No big deal."

"Right. Well more people are starting to show up. I'll put the rest of the food out and you can go greet them."

I walk inside to greet the players and their families as they start showing up one by one. It's a good distraction. I give the wives and girlfriends a tour of the house and show them where they can change and the guys head out to the pool house to join Jamie and Tyler. The pool house is a new addition to the yard and Jamie is really proud of it so he loves to show it off. It's almost like an apartment in there. It has everything. There are a few rooms for changing, a shower, a room for all the pool supplies, couches, and of course he had to put a TV in there. The weather in March in Dallas could be hit or miss so it's actually a surprise we are having this party but it has been pretty hot the last few weeks and it is perfect weather today. It is mid 80's without a cloud in the sky.

Once all of the guests arrive I walk up the stairs to our bedroom to get changed into my bathing suit. I stand with both hands resting on my dresser looking into the mirror and take a deep breath. There is going to be a lot of temptation out there today and I have to be strong. I have to keep focused. I can't let my thoughts get clouded and my brain scrambled. It would be such an embarrassment for Jamie if I got out of hand. I have gotten through plenty of pool parties with no problem before but with Tyler being here it raises the stakes. It raises the possibility of something going wrong. "You can do this," I say to my reflection out loud, "stick by Jamie and you'll be fine."

"Oh there you are," Jamie says sticking his head into the doorway. "Is that new?" He says, referring to my bathing suit. Ever since I started dating Jamie I have become a lot more fit. We work out all of the time together and I have lost a good amount of weight. This is the first time in my life I have been comfortable enough with myself to buy a two piece bathing suit that shows off my stomach.