"I'm dead." Nathan choked over the phone. "The combine has killed me."
"Cry." Alex mocked as she ate her lunch.
"Al! I am seriously being tortured here!" He cried.
"Then leave. Give up on your NHL dreams. Ruin my chances of being a trophy wife." She said, emotionless.
He rolled his eyes. "Thank you."
"Remember that you're home in a day and you're doing this so you can be in the NHL." She tried to motivate him.
"You're right." He nodded, sitting up.
"I'm always right." She scoffed.
"Yeah." He teased.
That was the last full phone conversation they had in a while. Nathan was swamped with interviews and training. He came home and they still barely got to see each other. He would call Alex about his day and that would be it. Alex barely got a word in. Not that she had as much going for her as he did, but she wanted to talk to him about her thoughts and what not.
The most exciting thing Nathan had recently done was train with Sidney Crosby, his idol. Alex loved hearing about that. She could hear the excitement in his voice as he told her everything. He invited her over that night, the first time in a long. She went, of course, sparing any chance she got to spend with him. The summer was approaching quickly and so was Nathan's possible departure.
Sooner than imagined, it was draft day. Alex sat beside Nathan, her hand in his while it rested in her lap. She was leaning towards him. She rubbed the top of his hand with her other one. He was nervous and excited at once. All of them were. Gary Bettman approached the podium. He began speaking.
"We have some business to do." He said. "The first selection of the 2013 National Hockey League Draft belongs to the Colorado Avalanche."
People chattered as the Colorado representatives gathered their things to approach the podium. Nathan squeezed Alex's hand. She rested her head on his shoulder and his sat on top of hers. The GM began to speak. Alex turned to Nathan and kissed the bottom of his chin. No doubt in her mind, he was going first.
"And with that being said, the Colorado Avalanche are proud to select, with our first pick, from the Halifax Mooseheads, Nathan MacKinnon."
Cheers were heard as Nathan slowly rose is shock. He hugged his dad, then his mom, and his sister. He pecked Alex's lips as he walked back past her and down to the stage. Alex and the three other MacKinnons watched as Nathan approached the stage. He handed his jacket off and climbed up. He shook hands with all the men on stage. Patrick Roy handed him his jersey and held his hat as he slid it on. Nathan placed the hat on his head and the flashes went off.
And then he was off to be interviewed. That's how it had been nonstop with Nathan. Alex sat silently. She was thinking about where Nathan was going. Colorado. She tried to pay attention to the rest of the draft. Florida had picked a Finnish boy. Alex didn't really care. Tampa Bay was next.
"With the third pick, Tampa selects, from Halifax, Jonathan Drouin."
Alex stood and applauded him. He saluted to her as he walked down the stairs. She smiled. He did the same thing Nathan had. He took his jersey and then placed his hat on his head. Photos were taken and he was off to be interviewed. When they finished, Jo and Nathan went to each other's family. They hugged them before hugging each other and returning to their own. Nathan sat down beside Alex and squeezed her thigh.
Seth Jones went fourth to Nashville. Carolina was fifth and picked a cute little Swedish boy. Three more picks went by, three people Alex didn't know. When the Schneider trade was announced, everyone was shocked. Vancouver went up and gave a small speech. They announced their pick, Bo Horvat.
One by one, the picks were made. It wasn't until the second round when Zach was picked. He was the first goalie overall. Nathan and Alex stood and applaud him. Jo let out a 'woo' as he clapped. He was picked by the Montreal Canadiens. Nathan and Jo cheered loudly for their teammate.
The draft ended and the boys were off to do whatever they were required. Nathan gave Alex the deepest kiss he had ever given her. She frowned through it and he promised that he'd make all his time away up to her. She nodded, kissing him again. He got back to the hotel late that night. He crawled in beside Alex after he had changed from his suit, kissing her neck. She rolled over quickly, wrapping her arms around his waist. He held onto her.
"This sucks." She sighed.
"I'm sorry." He frowned. "I wish I didn't have to be away so much."
"How funny is it that you're going to Colorado?" She smiled.
"It's fate." He stated. "We're meant to be."
"I love you, Nathan." She told him as she rubbed his back. "I'll do whatever you need me to for us to stay together."
"I'll try to be around more."
"No, this is everything you've ever wanted. Don't change anything." She argued.
"Try not to be so sad, baby. It breaks my heart." He confessed.
"I'm happy. I'm happy with you. I'm happy for you. I promise I'm happy." She spoke. "It's just hard being away from you."
"There's nothing harder than being away from you, Alex. But I promise we'll last." He reassured her, kissing the top of her head.
