10 years

Chapter 7

"Row, you come to party at Sid's tonight?" Evgeni questioned.

"Yeah, I should be there." She panted as she road a bike, after practice, "should I make anything. You know to eat?"

"Ask Sid."

"Okay." She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Why you say like that?"

"Him and I don't get along very well." She wiped some sweat off her forehead and picked up the pace on the bike.

"Really? I surprised he no nice to you. He looks at you special."

"You're delusional, G." Rowan scoffed.

"Whatever," he smirked, "See you tonight."

Once Rowan was done with her workout and stretch she headed home to figure out what she needed to bring to the party and for a well deserved nap. But not before she texted Sid, affirming she could come.

*One New Message From Rowan*
Hey, Geno told me about the team party tonight at your house. Is there anything I could bring? Assuming I'm invited.

As soon as Sid saw Rowans name light up his phone screen he couldn't hall but smile.

'Absolutely you're invited! And if you could bring a side that'd be amazing! It starts at 6 if Geno didn't tell you'

Okay maybe he responded a little to quickly, and eagerly, but he was hoping she wouldn't notice.

'Thanks. I'll be there at 6. :)'

Once that was taken care of Rowan took a shower, made what she was going to bring to the party, dried her hair (which took upwards of 30 minutes), and put on a party appropriate outfit, and practiced her social skills. You know, normal things you do before a party.

"Okay, be nice, talk to lots of people, talk to Sid. Fuck, I have to be nice to Sidney." Rowan said to herself, sitting in her Land Rover, outside of Sidney's oversized house. "Why does a single guy need such a fucking huge house? Dammit, this is going to be hard."

"Hey Rowan!" Sid smiled as he saw her walk in.

"Hey," she smiled back, "here I brought this." She handed him the rice casserole she had made.

He gratefully took it and lead her in to the kitchen.

Walking through his house she couldn't help but be impressed by how well the place was decorated. The dark woods and black accents paired nicely with the leather
furniture and occasional green plant, obviously fake, but still well put together.

Half a beer later Rowan was ready to come out of hiding in the kitchen and join the conversations in the living room. She took a seat next to Beau Bennett who was talking candidly with Paul Martin about her favorite show, BONES.

"You like that show too?" Paul asked when Row mentioned her favorite squintern was Wendell.

"Yeah, I liked Booth because he was a Flyers fan." She laughed, "but I guess I can't say that anymore can I?"

"No, no you can't." Beau said with an uncharacteristically straight face.

After about 10 minutes of discussing the B&B crime solving duo, Rowan got up to get another drink.

Once Rowan poured her drink she turned around to head back out to the party, just as Sid was turning around after putting something in the fridge, and the two collided, spilling Rowan drink down the front of her.

"Oh, shit!" She exclaimed reaching for some napkins.

"I'm so sorry," Sid said while awkwardly dabbing her shirt with a paper towel, "Here, follow me. We'll rinse it out."

She followed her captain into the laundry room where, without really thinking, peeled the now soaked shirt over her head.

Sid couldn't help when his breath caught as he looked at his now shirtless teammate. Sure, he had seen her shirtless several times, but that was in a locker room, and now her breasts were perfectly pushed up in a lace navy bra, and her belly rink hung inches above uncharted territory.

"Stop staring Crosby." She glared at him.

"Sorry, but I mean, can you blame me?" Rowan rolled her eyes.

Sid huffed, "Why are you such a dick to the guys and especially me?"

"Because...ever since I got here nobody has treated me like a real teammate. 15 minutes ago I had my first really conversation with teammates other than Evgeni." She pushed her curly locks out of her face, "and everybody is either ignoring me and being an ass or staring at me like I'm an object. I don't want to be treated different just because I'm a woman. And I especially don't want to be treated different because of my last name."

"Why do you seem to especially hate me then?" Sid questioned handing her, now clean but, damp shirt back.

"When you came to Pittsburgh and lived with my dad, I got jealous. You seemed to be the son my dad had always wanted. With that, on top of playing against you for seven some years, and the media creating something between us that wasn't really there, I hated you." She vented something that she had never said out loud before.

"Row, you're dad loves you. He wouldn't shut up about you when I lived with him. He is so proud of you, he wouldn't have traded you for a son even if someone paid him." Sid gently pulled her into a hug, "I'll talk to the guys about treating you right. As long as you promise not to hate me anymore."

She wrapped her arms around his large frame and breathed in his musky scent, "Okay, I'll stop being you enemy and I'll be your friend. And thank you, for the team thing."

"Captains duties." He smiled into her hair.