Just Hold Me (Sidney Crosby) EDITING THEN CONTINUING

Chapter 22 - Talk

I rest, leaning against the counter and crossing my arms as Evgeni opens the fridge and pulls out a gallon of milk. He unscrewed the jug and leaned his head back, taking big gulps from the milk carton.

He brings the beverage away from his face. He sees me staring at him.

"What? Feel like actually getting used to American ways. I already master grill cheese."

I shake my head at him, laughing lightly.

"WHAT YOU LAUGHING AT CANADA? SEE JUG? THEY GET JUG. YOU GET BAG. YOU GET BAG OF MILK."

I laugh more at him, while he makes more fun of our milk that came in a bag. Ah. Good times.

"Well, that milk actually tastes pretty good, considering it being in plastic." I say.

"Know what? Have new nickname for you. New nickname for Captain! New nickname for Sid!" He says.

He turns away and places the milk jug back in the fridge.

He turns towards me and tells me my new nickname.

"Milk Bags. That new nickname."

I bust out laughing.

"How original. If mine is Milk Bags, yours is The Great American Jug Chugger."

He gasped.

He punched my arm, not lightly I might add.

"Plastic milk sound good? Huh Sid? THAT PLASTIC MILK SO GOOD. SID LOVE THAT PLASTIC MILK. BET IT NOT EVEN REAL. THEY USE COW. YOU USE MACHINE."

"G! ALL MILK COME FROM COW!" I say, mocking his Russian accent.

"NO. YOUR COUNTRY DIFFERENT. THEY USE NO COW. YOU ALL VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN. YOU GET NO ANIMALS." He says this like he is making it final.

"But what about Lassie?"

He shoots me the most terrifying look.

He takes me playfully by my head and shakes me.

"DON'T BRING UP DAMN DOG. DOG DON'T LIKE YOU. NO."

We start to laugh, and punch each other.

"Bruh." I say, out of breath.

"The fucks a 'bruh'?" Geno says.

Then we hear a small voice come from the living room.

"Could you boys stop being such boys. I'm trying to sleep." She says, just loud enough for us to be able to hear.

"Yeah Sid. Shut up."

I look at him with the look.

"What we even in here for?"

"Guy talk." I say quietly, rubbing my neck.

"I'm fucking best friend. You can tell me anything. Don't be such baby."

"It's just uncomfortable for me to talk to another guy about my girlfriend."

"Well get fucking comfortable. This not be last time."

I sigh as he lowers his voice.

"So, what is Sid so scared for?"

I take a moment before speaking.

"I'm just..so in love with her. I will never forget the moment I realized I loved her. If she remembers me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets. I didn't want to fall in love. Not at all. But at some point, she smiled, and, holy shit I blew it. She's so self concious about everything. Her weight, her looks, her love, her words, her problems, her past. She's so scared sometimes. But I find her beautiful when she's all fancied up, but when she's not...oh G, when she's lying in the carpet, her hair all a mess, laughing about something that happened years ago. When she's not trying to impress anyone, and has taken down the wall she built for most people. That's when I can't take my eyes off her. Every night before I go to sleep, I think about her, us and how much I love her. I've never done that Geno. I've never, not once, cared about someone so much, that their name pops into my head without a trace of them ever being in my thoughts. I don't think I'll ever love someone as much as I love her. She's...everything I've ever wanted. I love her so much I can know for sure that forever is a long time..but I wouldn't mind spending it by her side. And I know now that it is true when someone says 'The right girl will make you want to do all the romantic things you said you'd never do.' "

He stares at me like I'm crazy.

*Hannah's Point of View*

Sidney is standing in front of me. Speaking, but I'm not sure what he's saying. It's like an hallucination. And he keeps reappearing.

"Do not fall in love with me." He says.

I am startled and shoot him a look of confusion.

"What?" I ask him, tearing up.

"I will take you to museums, and parks, and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place, so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth."

Then, he is gone. I stay silent.

I blink and he is in my face. Every flawless feature in full view.

"Sidney, you're scaring me."

"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible."

Then he is behind me. I freeze as he places a large hand on my shoulder.

"And when I leave...you will finally understand...why storms..are named after people."

I whip around and he grabs me. He forces a kiss on my lips.

"SIDNEY STOP! STOP...."

I scream the most painful scream filled with throat and internal pain.

*Sidney's Point of View*

We hear loud screams coming from the living room.

"SIDNEY! STOP. GET OFF. DON'T! PLEASE." We hear Hannah scream.

We run into the living and see Hannah thrashing on the couch.

I run over to her and shake her.

"Hannah. Wake up!" I yell.

She gasps as she wakes up, like she wasn't recieving air.

She has tears in her eyes, but she doesn't cry.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

She doesn't answer me. She jumps into my arms and cries.

I sit down on the couch as she wraps her legs around my waist.

Geno kneels down in front of us.

"Hey Milk? Give us minute?"

I look up at him.

I mouth 'are you crazy? I can't leave her!'

"It be fine."

Hannah looks up at me.

"I'll be right back okay baby?" I whisper to her.

She looks at me with her red eyes, and nods her head.

"What do you need Evgeni?" She asks him.

He smiles at her as I walk out of the room.