All I Need {Sequel to We Belong Together}

Chapter 10: Welcome to Detroit

Hello everyone! Finally got this chapter done! Got a bit inspired by recent events, so it would seem as if this story now takes place in the very near future. :P Anyhow, hope you all enjoy this! The next chapter will be a bit longer, I promise!

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Adrianna pulled Tom off of the People Mover in downtown Detroit. The girl was terribly excited to be going to the hockey game tonight. It was the first time Tom was going to a game with her, and nothing was more exciting than bringing someone you loved to see a game for the first time. Adrianna used to go to as many Red Wings games as she could growing up, and she hadn't been to a game in a few years now. Last time she had been in Detroit, it was a brief visit with her parents before they had gone to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Now, it was for an entirely different reason, and Adrianna was going to take advantage of it. Tonight, she was showing Tom what Detroit was all about.

"I thought you said that thing was safe?" Tom asked, following his girlfriend down a flight of stairs to the streets below.

"Oh, it is. They maintain it all the time," Adrianna assured. "It shakes a little bit, but other than that, the People Mover is the best way to move around this part of town. Gets us back and forth to the arena in one piece."

"True," Tom agreed, wrapping one arm around her as they stood waiting for the 'walk' signal to appear on the traffic light in front of them. "So where is it we're going again?"

Adrianna turned her head away from the street, giving him a serious look although a smile was on her face. "We're going to Cheli's Chili, only the best place for food around here," she explained.

"But I thought you hated chili?" Tom inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"They have other food too!" Adrianna answered as the light changed and the two of them crossed the busy street with swarms of what appeared to be other fans. "And it's far cheaper than anywhere else around here. Seriously, Val and I ate here for under fifteen dollars one time, and let me tell you... we had a lot of food."

Tom chuckled. "Alright darling, I believe you. Just hopefully we won't be in there too long. Can't miss the game after all!"

"Or the pregame warm-up," Adrianna added. "That is fun to watch."

Their conversation ceased as they reached another cross walk. After a brief glance both ways down the road, the couple crossed that road, and then another. From there, there was only about a block's worth of walking before they arrived at their destination. Adrianna glanced up at the old building as Tom held the door open for her. They stepped inside, and were soon seated at a tall table near the front window.

After Adrianna briefly glanced over the menu, already knowing very well what she was going to order, she watched Tom observe his surroundings. The girl honestly couldn't blame him; the first time she had ever been to the restaurant, she spent a lot of the time looking around at the wooden interior and large collection of hockey memorabilia. Admittedly, she was wondering what was coursing through his mind; Adrianna was always a bit nervous when it came to introducing Tom to things she loved. It wasn't that she feared he would laugh at her or disregard it, but more or less she was unsure how he would react to it. Hockey was no exception.

"You alright, babe?" she asked, hesitantly.

Tom snapped from his daze and nodded. "Oh yea! I'm fine," he assured. "Just looking around is all. It's kind of homey in here; like almost like were in a large cabin."

Adrianna smiled. "Almost. Except we're in downtown Detroit."

Tom didn't have time to reply, as the waitress finally arrived at their table, quickly taking the couple's order before scurrying back to the kitchen. "You know, you're probably going to have to refresh my memory on some of the players and the like," Tom admitted. "I haven't been paying too much attention this season..."

Adrianna thought about it. "Well, not a whole lot has changed really. We lost a few guys, gained a few more. The biggest change is that we're in the Eastern Conference now, so we'll be seeing more of those teams than the past few years," she explained.

Tom nodded. "So who are we playing tonight? Nashville? Pittsburgh?"

The girl shook her head, taking a sip from the glass the waitress had just dropped off. "Nope. We're playing Tampa Bay. So really this game should be a cake walk for us, so long as they keep Datsyuk and Zetterberg on a line together we'll be nearly unstoppable," she went on. "I bet Val will be watching from home. Her favorite player went to Tampa Bay because we wouldn't pay him the five million dollars he wanted, but they would. He's honestly not that great, but... whatever. My man is still here for four more years."

Tom shook his head, smiling. "Sometimes I wonder if I need to be worried."

"As much as I love Pavel, he's too old for me," Adrianna assured, giving Tom a serious look. "He was just my role model when I was younger and playing soccer, plus he's talented and absolutely hilarious."

"Mmhm," Tom muttered, pretending he was skeptical. This wasn't new; every once in a while, Tom had to tease her about favorite player. "He didn't play soccer."

"Shows what you know," Adrianna retorted. "He actually did before he played hockey, so ha. I win."

"For now, yes," Tom answered. Somehow Adrianna was sure he would get her back later, not that she couldn't handle whatever he could throw at her. "Later you may not be."

"How can I not win? I've got you, don't I?" Adrianna replied.

Tom said nothing to this, but a huge smile formed on his face. The silence wasn't an uncomfortable one, and Adrianna took another drink before glancing up at the flat screen TV on the wall above a nearby table. Of course it was on ESPN, and the broadcasters were busy talking away about some game the girl didn't care about. Honestly, when people looked at Adrianna, not many could tell how serious she was about her hockey. When she had revealed that fact to Tom, she wasn't sure how he was going to react. Some guys loved it when women watched sports, and others thought it was just wrong; Adrianna was glad Tom had embraced that fact, and had even started watching it himself. Her mind zoned out, forgetting what game's score she was looking for as she started to think about how amazing this day had been so far. And the day was only going to get better as the night progressed.

Even if they were to lose this game, Adrianna knew she wasn't going to regret bringing Tom to one of her favorite places in her hometown, if not the entire planet.