Faceoff

Chapter 16 -What Is Love?

Natalie's P.O.V

Love was a crazy thing. It consumed your every thought. Made your heart skip a beat at the very sight of the person you loved. It was comforting, knowing you were loved by someone. It made you feel safe. Love made you invincible, it was the most incredible feeling. In all my 26 years, I'd never really felt love. Until I met him.

Until I met Deke.

The pup was absolutely breathtaking. His blue eyes were visible even in the darkest of rooms. His fur was a mix of black, brown and white. Everything about him was beautiful. I'd been purposely spending nights at Jonny's this past week. Deke and I bonded. Now that the boys were in Anaheim, Deke and I would get to hang out for 3 days alone. The only thing was, it was potty training time. Jonny had attempted to get a dog trainer, but Deke only listened to us. That left Chaunette and I  to potty train him while the boys got to enjoy California's heat. A couple other girls would be joining us later to watch the game, but she wanted to come over early to help make a couple snacks.

"So how are you and Jonny?" She asked, slicing a watermelon. I was doing the same except with cantaloupe.

"We're good, really good actually." I smiled at the thought of him. I could imagine his hair yesterday, unstyled since we'd just woken up. His playoff beard still patchy since it hadn't reached it's full potential. His eyes were narrow still, trying to block out the morning sun. His eyelashes cast a shadow across his cheek. His calloused hands were wrapped around me. I remember thinking to myself that movies even couldn't portray the feeling of waking up next to your best friend. Nothing could describe the comfort of being held, your head resting against his chest. There was no better feeling than this.

"Have you told him you love him?"

"We've only been dating for like 2 weeks! I don't even think I love him yet."

"I told Andrew on our second or third date I loved him though."

"You also knew him for years before you started dated." She just shrugged, finishing her task. We didn't talk anymore about Jonny and I. People began filing in around 1:45. The only ones here were Abby Sharp, Amanda, Chaunette, and Brandon's girlfriend, Alyssa. The game started shortly after and we were all huddled around, sipping on sangrias.

Turns out Chaunette was a die hard Senators fan. She's grown up between Toronto and Ottawa and apparently had always liked Ottawa's team better. I mean if I had to pick between them I would pick the Sens too. Her love for this team had caused a lot of stress in the beginning of her relationship. Andrew had dropped all love for the Sens when he got drafted by the Hawks, but Chaunette couldn't get over them as quick. She even admitted she mostly faked her love for Chicago's team so he wouldn't get upset. Although, by the look on her face every time they scored, I think she genuinely appreciated the team.

I'd always hated the Ducks and when they scored 9 minutes in, the hate had grown. They were a dirty team, but it was working. By the end of the second period they were up 2-1. Our only goal was from Brad Richards. In the end, we'd lost. The Ducks were just too good for us. All the girls had left, most likely to call their boyfriends so I decided I should facetime Jonny.

"Hey baby." Jonny said. His voice was deep, he was clearly just yelling.

"Hi. You played great by the way." I was lying through my teeth. The whole team wasn't playing up to their potential. None of them expected the Ducks to play as well as they did. Especially after the Wild sweep. They were too confident, but I was sure they could pull through for the next game.

"No I didn't Nat. I played terrible. I don't even deserve to be captain. Fuck, they should just give give it to Keith already." He sighed, pulling at his hair.

"Jonny you know that not true. You're the be-"

"Don't tell me I'm good. I swear to god, I'm to blame for this." He shouted. I flinched, taken back by the tone of his voice. He wasn't just mad, he was mad at me.

"It's one fucking game. Grow up and put this anger into making your team better." He didn't say anything, he wouldn't even look at me. After 5 minutes of silence I decided to hang up. If he wasn't mature enough to talk then I was going to do something productive. Dinner was the only thing I could think of that would take my mind off of him. I made pasta with some spinach and tomatoes and ate on the couch. Which may I add, Jonny hated. My phone rang from across the room. It was Patrick.

"Hola Pat."

"Hey Nat. Can you please call Jonny back? He's throwing shit around our room because he thinks you're mad at him."

"Well maybe I am mad at him." I stated, taking another bite of my pasta and handing Deke a piece of bread. Man could this dog eat.

"Then do it for me. I wanna go to sleep." He whined. The clock on the wall read 6:30.

"It's only 4:30 in California why are you going to sleep?"

"Well unlike you, I have a job that makes me tired. You could learn something from me." I could practically see Pat smirking on the other line.

"You're an ass. I'll call him, okay? Bye." I hung up, not letting Pat harass me anymore. I guess I would have to talk to the biggest baby himself. But he could wait, I wanted a shower.

*****
I woke up to a loud knock on the front door and Deke's barking. I rolled off the couch, wrapping the blanket around my torso. Chaunette was on the other side, tugging at the roots of her hair.

"Why the hell aren't you answering your phone?" She shouted, pushing past me and sitting on the couch.

"I was taking a nap. Why are you freaking out?"

"Jonny won't stop calling me because you were supposed to talk to him. He thinks you got mugged or something."

"Fine I'll call him, but wanna sleep over? We can load up on movies and popcorn?" She nodded, pulling me in for a hug and muttering something about how she was glad I was safe. It was nice to finally have a real girlfriend. This was the first one in years.

*****

Jonny was coming home today. The series was tied up 1-1, but that was the last thing on my mind. I missed the boys more than anything. I missed Andrew's booming voice, Pat's sarcasm and Brandon's sassy demeanor. And I missed Jonny. I missed everything about him. His laugh, his eyes, his kisses. I just needed him by my side again. Speak of the devil, there he was.

Jonny instantly dropped his bags and took me into his arms instead. Pat was at Amanda's tonight, so I was fine with a little PDA. He crashed his lips into mine and I gasped. Jon took the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth. He grabbed my bum, lifting me onto the kitchen counter so my legs were wrapped around his waist.

"I missed you so much." He whispered, sending goosebumps down my spine. He nipped at my neck, there was definitely going to be a mark in the morning. My hands fumbled with his dress shirt, but he helped me take it off in the end. His chest was way more toned than I could ever imagine. I should've expected it, he was a professional athlete.

"Baby are you sure." He asked when we were back in his bedroom. I nodded, pressing my lips to his so he couldn't ask anymore questions. We molded together like an artist working with clay. Together we formed one being. We were the stars, the moon and the sun. He was everything I'd ever known. He was my galaxy. I loved every minute of it. And maybe I even loved him.

The fact that it's been 3 days and we still barely know anything else about the Kane investigation is so annoying. But on another note, I'm about to finish my Summer reading. AP classes are already killing me. It's been a long 2 1/2 months annotating this book. Also I've only got like 2 weeks left of summer and even thinking about it makes me want to cry. So cheers to the rest of freedom!

Q: When do you go back to school?

A: August 26th