The Boy, The Girl, and The Game (Artemi Panarin)

The L Word

-Annabelle's POV-

Mornings always seem the busiest around the UC. I like to watch how people conduct themselves on mornings such as this one, how they problem solve when they can't find the right stick or if they're running on little sleep. It's all so interesting to me because everyone has a different path that, in 10 minutes, will lead to the same point in their lives. How their morning is going is written all over their faces, if they woke up happy or didn't have time for coffee, it's all there. I decide to watch practice from the bench because I loved it.

"How's my favorite person in the world" Patrick asks leaning over the edge as I hand him a Gatorade bottle.

"I'm doing fine, how are you Patrick" I ask with a smile.

I loved Patrick like he was my little brother, even though he was older. More times than not I'm babysitting him for Amanda so we just have a nice relationship from it.

"I'm doing pretty good. Amanda has been begging for another triple date soon" he laughs watching the penalty kill attempt to get better.

"How about mini golf this weekend" I suggest and his eyes light up as he nods. "I take that as a yes" I laugh.

He skates off and snows Artemis legs, a gift from me personally. Practice ends and I write a little in my office while I wait for Jonny to get off the ice for our weekly meeting.

"Knock knock, this is your captain speaking" he yells into my office trying to be serious but failing miserably. He's honestly a giant goofball.

"You're not my captain, Jon" I remind him as he sits on the couch.

"This is true" he laughs as I sit next to him.

"Okay, where are we starting for this week" I ask looking through my notes.

We talk about getting the rookies to feel comfortable and how to keep them positive with such a slow start. They're just getting their feet wet but the media still won't let them off the hook. Then we move to talking about how to get the most out of practices without over doing it and how to stay conditioned for this long season. "Thanks so much Anna, I don't know how I ever did this without you" he says standing up to give me a hug.

"Any time, I love talking to you. You're kind of awesome" I laugh as we walk to the door. "Oh and by the way, Patrick wants another triple date but mini golf this time" I say as he's leaving.

"Please tell me you're good at mini golf" he smirks and I nod. "Great, can't wait. Lindsey has been dying to talk to you again" he says walking away. My

door was mostly closed before Artemi sticks his foot in the door. "Are you trying to get rid of me already" he laughs opening the door.

"Never! Let me put these things away and we can go out to lunch" I say with a smile.

We head out and grab sushi and enjoy each other's company. There was no game today so we can just chill the rest of the day. "Hold on, there's one more stop I need to make" I say going into the Walgreens we first met at. I pick up a few things, some notebooks and new pens to write with among other things. I get Artemi a teddy bear that said Chicago on it because he seemed really excited by it.

"Hi Holly" I smile as she checks me out.

"Hey Anna. I see you left with a little more than groceries last time" she says nodding to Artemi.

"Yeah, I think I found something pretty great" I say with a wink. I give her a hundred and we start leave soon after.

"Do you always give her a hundred, no matter what you get" he asks me.

"Pretty much. A little goes a long way in this town, someone somewhere needs that a lot more than I do" I explain finding the car and getting in.

"Are you always nice to everyone" he asks putting on his seatbelt before I pull off.

"I have been given no reason not to be. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. If I take time and think about how I'm going to react, it is going to be a good action more times then not. Therefore there is no reason for me to be anything but happy" I reply weaving in and out of traffic.

"Okay but you're around sports a lot. That's pretty unpredictable and frustrating" he argues.

"That's true. But everything happens for a reason. There's a thing such as a good loss. And every loss is a learning experience, which is also good. It's all about perspective and whether you want to believe you can get better" I explain taking my exit. "My place or yours" I ask slowing down so I can turn whenever I needed to.

"I think you know the answer" he laughs and I nod.

"My place it is" I say pulling over and up my driveway. Thank god we live pretty close to each other.

Artemi falls onto my couch and I go make popcorn, it was my weakness. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier and you're right. A positive outlook leads to a positive life right" he asks looking into my eyes.

"Wow, you really do listen to me" I say with a hand over my heart while he rolls his eyes.

"I'm serious Belle, you've been nothing but good for me and I appreciate all you have to offer. I love that you have so much to teach me" he says pulling me close so my head was resting on his chest. I listen to his heart beat at a steady pace and I found it relaxing.

"Thank you for listening. You don't have to do it but it means a lot that you do" I say resting my hand on his chest.

"I always listen, I might not always understand, but I always listen" he says and I feel his chest vibrate as we talk. He twirls his fingers throughout my hair and I relax a lot. This was the most comfortable I've been in a while.

"Can I tell you something" he whispers and I nod my head on his chest. His finger appears under my chin and pulls me close to his face. His eyes find mine and I get lost in his. "I love you Belle" he says softly, sending chills throughout my body. I let a smile appear and search his face, he really meant it.

"I love you too" I whisper back as his finger under my chin runs along my jawline. His hand becomes tangled in my hair and I lean into the kiss.

I have never been in love before but I know Artemi meant something special to me. He was a talented kid, but that's not why I'm here with him. No, I constantly want to be around him because he makes me feel so good. Not a second goes by that I'm not thankful he walked into my life. He has a personality that works perfectly with mine and it shows, we work well together. I'm a woman of science and reason, I believe there's a explanation for everything. But him, I can't solve him. He is everything you look for in a player and a person, but he always wants to do more. There's just something about him, I can't quite put my finger on it. After we pull away I open my eyes and he is giving me a all too familiar look.

"Why are you looking at me like that" I ask with a giggle. I didn't mind, just wasn't sure what it means.

"I just don't ever want to forget this feeling, how beautiful you look right now, how nice your touch is. I want to stay in this moment forever" he says studying me closely. I feel a blush creeping up and advert my eyes.

"You're really great, you know that" I ask being dead serious.

"I'm okay" he says and I couldn't help but laugh harder. He never changes. I wrap my arms around his sides and he goes back to playing with my hair. For the first time in my life there isn't one thing I would change.