Collision // Freddie Andersen

v

*

The next day, Lydia and Freddie met up for lunch before heading out to explore the city that Lydia was a stranger to. Freddie ended up being an amazing tour guide. He took her past all the little shops and boutiques she could imagine that were further out from the city center before hitting the more mainstream attractions. 

The two, unsurprisingly, ended their day with Lydia's first trip of many to Scotiabank. Lydia was in awe of the space, following Freddie around as he showed her the locker room and even took her back to the training area where they came across the first people in their tour.

"Oh hey Rick," Freddie greeted a tall brunette as they made their way into the training area. 

"Fred hows it going? What brings you in?" The man Rick asked, smiling at Lydia as he released Freddies hand. 

"This is Lydia, Auston's best friend from home, she just moved out here for school so I was showing her around," The redhead smiled down at Lydia as she stuck out her hand to greet the man. "Lydia this is Rick Lennox, he is our head trainer."

"Mr. Lennox it's a pleasure," Lydia greeted smoothly. 

"And you Miss Lydia! What are you doing for school if you don't mind me asking?" The man asked the blonde who looked a little bashful at his questions. 

"I actually have my B.S in Exercise Science from my school in Arizona, and I'm going to the University of Toronto to get my Masters in Physical Therapy," Freddie noticed the impression that was made clear on Ricks face at Lydia's quick resume and couldn't help but feel proud. 

"Mighty impressive young lady," the man stroked his beard as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "And do you have an internship?"

"Yes, I actually start with the Blue Jays next week," Lydia beamed, still so excited about her future in Toronto. 

"Well Miss Lydia, if you want any extra hours or have any questions you just come on down here and find me," Rick grinned widely as he patted the blonde on her shoulder and winked at Freddie. "And you be sure to come back here when you're looking for a more permanent position," Rick smiled before walking away while whistling an upbeat tune as Lydia stared after him with her jaw dropped.

"Did that just happen?" Lydia whispered as Freddie lead her into the training area.

"Yes it did," Freddie wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed it while opening the next door for her. 

*

Freddie had wanted to take Lydia to dinner at the end of their day, but Lydia had insisted on going back to her and Auston's as she had fresh groceries (and she needed some help building the ever difficult IKEA furniture, and Auston was no help). So Lydia was feeding Freddie to trade for his building skills.

She had decided to cook some simple chicken alfredo, a meal she had perfected in college. She was able to cook and lend a hand to Freddie as he worked to put together the bar stools for the kitchen. 

"Have you always liked cooking?" Freddie asked as Lydia stirred the sauce and went in the fridge to grab a bottle of white wine. 

"When I was younger, I was on my own a lot, so it was either get take out or learn to cook for myself," Lydia answered with a touch of resentment in her tone as she placed their wine on the island.

"Your parents weren't around a lot?" Freddie hesitantly dug deeper as he stood from his kneeling position to look Lydia in the eye across the kitchen.

"Nope," she laughed falsely. "Dad was running a business more important than his family and my mom was too busy being a socialite and opening her legs for the boys at the country club."

"That must have been hard," he watched as she took a gulp of her wine. 

"It was, but I think I came out ok," she smiled softly and he came around the room to wrap her up in a hug. 

"What about your family?" Lydia asked after they had sat down with their dinner. 

"Well, I have a sister and two brothers," Lydia listened to Freddie talk about his siblings and parents and Denmark with affection coloring his tone, she sipped on her wine and couldn't help but to admire the man sitting across from her. 

After another hour of conversation, Freddie offered to help Lydia with the dishes before he needed to head home to get rest before their morning skate the next day. The two of them playfully did the chore as they sang along to Lydia's Spotify that was going and bumping hips as they finished up. 

"Thank's so much for today Fred, I had so much fun!" Lydia walked the man to her door, watching as he pulled his coat on with a grin. 

"It was my pleasure," he smiled before wrapping the blonde up in a tight hug. "We should do it again sometime," he said lowly as he pulled back slightly and looking into her baby blues. 

"Yes," she breathed, flicking her eyes down to his lips as he leaned in to gently mold his lips to hers. She let one of her hands drift around his neck as the other gripped the lapel of his jacket, involuntarily clenching with the want to pull him back in when he pulled back from the peck. "We can do that again too if you want," she giggled as he huffed out a laugh and kissed her forehead before reaching out and opening the door. 

"I will see you soon," he promised as she smiled at him gently, closing the door softly behind him.