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

Yoga Partner

Artemi

Since I wasn't selected to the all star game I decided to stay home and use this break to the best of my abilities. Too much hockey is never a good thing and I wanted to spend time with Annabelle anyway. Since I'm permanently moved in with her everything is a lot easier, most things are with her. And I know she feels bad that I didn't get accepted to the all star game but I didn't mind any. The guys that are going from our team all are all stars, say what you will but those are four of the top guys in the world. You can even say five or six guys on this team are all star worthy, but with the 100 greatest players of the NHL going on and all of that there's not any other guys I would rather be going. Except from maybe Hossa, he's had a hell of a run.

With the rare free weekend I take this time to relax. I find Annabelle in the living room with no lights on and no sounds from the stereo or tv. It was about 8 am and I didn't even feel her get up this morning. She was wearing a pink Nike sports bra with a black band and black Capri Nike leggings. She slowly switches from on yoga position to another and I find myself staring, not because her body looked like it was something sculpted from god himself but because that position looked so painful. "I know you're watching me" she says and I start to form a blush. "Sorry" I chuckle going to make coffee. I fix us both a cup and set hers on the table next to her yoga mat. "Thank you" she says slowly coming down and sipping on the coffee. "I never knew you did yoga" I mention watching her roll up her mat. "It helps me think clearer, plus I needed a good stretch" she admits. After coffee we go for a run then wash up before crashing onto the couch. She looks up to me with those glass eyes and I involuntarily smile. I couldn't help it.

"So what do you want for your birthday" I wonder as we watch probably the fifth movie in a row. We both have been relaxing and letting loose, not even mentioning hockey or the all star game. Puck was curled up in my lap and she was cuddled up to my side, no one has moved in hours. It was weird but nice none the less. "I don't want anything" she says shrugging. "Come on, there's got to be something you want" I insist. "I don't know. I have everything I need and more, never really think of what I want per say. A lot of people don't even make it to their twenty fourth birthday so that's a gift in itself" she claims. "Are you auditioning for miss America? Because you have my vote" I laugh and she rolls her eyes. "No... I just don't like being selfish" she says. We continue to the watch the movie and I see her eyes light up. "I know what I want for my birthday. There's a game here against Edmonton that day and we should do a toy drive. A lot of kids do want something and they can't have it, for my birthday I want toys and they'll all be donated to toys for tots. Maybe have the Blackhawks promote it and make a bunch of kids' day" she suggests. "You know you don't have to give all the time. It's your birthday after all" I remind her. "But I want to. If I'm in the position to help why shouldn't I? I've had twenty three amazing birthdays already, everything I want I have or can supply for myself. But there's people who could use a lot more than I ever could, and I want to help them get it. To me that's a great birthday" she defends. "Okay then, let's see if we can start a toys for tots drive" I smile. She smiles back and places a kiss on my cheek. She continues to watch the tv but I become fixated on her. I know there's things she wants, she might not know it but she wants them.

The last day of break comes fast and I was kinda bummed. I enjoyed doing nothing with Anna all day every day. She taught me how to cook some and we played with puck in a nearby dog park. It was like we were a normal little family. It was really nice while it lasted. But we both knew come tomorrow it was back to business as usual. I watch as she sits at the island typing away, I don't know a lot about writing but she sure does a lot of it. I walk over and start massaging her shoulders. "Holy hell girl, you're so tense" I say looking at her. "Yeah, that's what the yoga is for" she laughs. "Maybe I should try it" I joke and she looks at me questionably. "I have a extra mat" she says. I was going to give a big hell no but I know it'll help her relax so I agree. She gives me a dark grey mat and she takes a pink one as we set them next to each other. She calls out a pose and I copy her to the best of my abilities. We only hold them for a few seconds which is nice because my capabilities were sub par at best. "This isn't so hard" I mention and she laughs. "This is the warm up" she giggles and my eyes nearly fall out of my head. As we go along the poses get harder and harder and I start to struggle. "How do you do this" I ask trying to move my foot up my leg while maintaining balance. "Patience, concentration, and a lot of flexibility" she smirks. That's not even fair. After about thirty minutes I call it quits and just lay on top of the mat. I lace my fingers behind my head and stare off at the ceiling just breathing deeply. Not too long after Annabelle comes over and places herself in my lap with her legs on either side of me. I remove my hands from behind my head to rub them up and down her legs as her her fingers grip my shirt. She leans down and places a very deep kiss on my lips leaving me breathless. "Maybe I'll have to do yoga more often" I joke and she giggles. "You just might have to."