Bridge over troubled waters

6| Mr. Corey

Corey

Once we get the season opener under way it was finally feeling real that this was actually happening. The first win of the season is a game I started in and that was pretty awesome to experience. I even got a game puck and took a bunch of pictures with Bailey to send back home for the family. To start with a win is huge for me and going forward I have the confidence to play the way I know how. Although I've played in a few games before this season when I got called up from the AHL, this is the first time I started the season in Chicago. This is the first time they have trusted me with the net and I wanted to prove to everyone that I belong here.

But for now I was going to enjoy these precious moments in my life and in my career the best way I know how, and that's with Bailey.

"Where are we going" she asks as we cruise along in my car. I decided that if she's going to call herself a Chicagoan she needed a official Chicago hot dog.

So we go to Superdawg and I decide to treat her to a real Chicago dinner. I order us a hot dog meal and we find our seats near the back of the restaurant. She sits across from me and just looks at me questionably.

"Isn't this just glorified process meat" she asks as she stares the hot dog down. Such a health junkie she is. Until it comes to candy, that girl has had more cavities than anyone I know.

"Didn't I watch you eat bologna off the floor in middle school one time" I tease as she rolls her eyes.

"I was a kid" she defends.

"You did it in college too, remember" I ask.

She just shakes her head as she glares at me. "I obviously need to stop telling you everything because you're just using it against me" she claims.

"You couldn't stop even if you wanted to" I smirk.

"You're so right" she admits.

Finally she stops with all the sassiness and and takes a bite of her hot dog. Her eyes light up as she starts to chew slower and slower. She lets out a long moan and I start to laugh.

"Good isn't it" I ask.

"Oh my god this is soo good. Why is this so good" she questions.

"I wish I knew. Just one of Chicago's delicacy's I haven't quite figured out yet" I admit.

"Well I'm happy you shared this with me because I don't think I will ever eat anything else ever again" she insists.

She sets her hot dog down and I see she got a little mustard on the corner of her mouth. "You got a little something right there" I say pointing to her mouth.

"Oh shoot, after the last person got a picture of us when we were hanging out this is all I need" she laughs. She wipes at her mouth seeming to get everywhere but the spot on the corner of her lips. "Did I get it" she asks.

"No" I admit and she lets out a huff.

"Help meeee" she begs and I roll my eyes. It's amazing she can get dressed without me sometimes.

I reach over and use my thumb to wipe off the mustard that say on her face. I go to retrieve my hand but I saw the way she was looking at me when I touched her. It was different than usual, like she didn't want me to retrieve my hand. She wanted me to move closer and be right by her side.

But I don't do any of that, instead I slowly move my hand back and wipe the mustard off my finger and onto a napkin. Neither of us say anything as we just look at each other. She finally looks down as she grabs a french fry. I just watch her as she looks at her food. She's really good at hiding her feelings in food and I know this wasn't any different.

"That was kinda weird, wasn't it" I ask.

"Yeah... I guess it was" she agrees.

"I wonder why" I try as she stops messing with her food. I wanted to tell her but everything in me told me not to.

She looks up and I can tell that she felt something too, but I'm not sure she wanted to or if she did she knew what it meant. "I'm not sure" she says. "I can't tell you the amount of times you did that to me because I'm awful to be around in public" she laughs.

"I'd go anywhere with you" I assure her.

"Then you go and say stuff like that and I don't know what it means. I mean I do... technically. But I don't know what it means for us. Because things are different, I know you can feel it too. But I don't know what it is" she claims.

I let out a long sigh as I tap my fingers on the table. Should I tell her what I feel? Should I risk her being here with me so she knows what I was thinking?

Before I can say anything a little kid comes up to the table and stops. He had on a blackhawks shirt and hat on that made me smile. "Excuse me Mr. Corey, can I have your autograph" he asks. His big blue eyes staring me down with so much hope in his eyes.

"Of course little man" I say as I take the sharpie and hockey puck he had with him. "What's your name?"

"I'm Tony" he says and I nod.

"You a big fan Tony" I wonder.

"I'm your biggest fan" he claims.

"Is that why you carry around a hockey puck" I tease making him smile.

"Well today I had practice and my dad told me if I scored three goals we could come here for lunch" he explains.

"And so you scored three goals" I ask.

"I scored four of them" he says holding up 4 fingers big and tall. I just smile big as I hand the puck and sharpie back to him.

"Keep up the good work and maybe one day I'll be asking for your autograph" I wink. The kid gasps before nodding his head and taking off. I just smile as he shows his parents his puck and he had the biggest smile on his face.

"That was pretty awesome" Bailey claims.

"It's my favorite part of being professional athlete. There's so many kids out there who was like me as kid, who's at the point where playing in the NHL is just a dream. And sometimes all a kid needs is a little bit of encouragement from someone they looked up to and they are set for life" I admit.

"You were the one who inspired me to chase my dreams" she claims and I laugh.

"As if" I shake my head.

"Hey! I'm being serious" she whines. "Growing up you always said you were going to be here. You had it in you that you were going to do great things for the sport you love. And I knew it too, that you were going to be making a lot of people proud. But no one is more proud than me" she smiles.

I look across the table because I was so close to messing everything up today. I was so close to telling her that I think these feelings we're having are more than a friendship. But I know that what I need right now is a friend, and that's what she needs right now too. So that's how it's going to have to be.