Caufield's girl

Chapter Twelve

We arrived at some fancy-looking bar downtown that I'm not familiar with. We're the first ones there, along with Nick and Kate. It doesn't take long until the rest of the squad joins us and Cole introduces me to all of the players, even though I already knew the majority of them. I had to do my research before doing my interviews last week. But honestly, everyone seemed super nice, especially Slaf, Kaiden, and Arber. Mainly because of their great sense of humor.

After the introduction part, I congratulated them on the win, and we could head straight for the drinks. We talked, laughed, and drank. We mostly drank, and after a solid hour or two, we were all a bit tipsy already. "Anyone up for another round? It's on me." Arber asks. "Hell yeah, almost everyone agrees. "Go Habs Go." Everyone shouts as our glasses are refilled.

"You remember a few weeks ago in a bar? Mr. Businessman?" I tease him. "Yeah, says the girl who goes after me at the first chance." He teases me in return. "Hey, I panicked. I've already told you." I defend myself. "But I guess lucky you. If it hadn't been for the dreadful game and my even worse ex, you wouldn't have met me." He says. "Right, I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing anymore." I laugh pathetically as I overhear a nearby conversation. Actually, more of Nick's monologue in order to humiliate me or Cole; I'm not sure which one of the above is more accurate.

"And then she flipped him off right away, with a stone-cold face. Let me tell you, no girl has ever rejected our Cole. Am I right? But I guess you've managed to come around and look at them now, sweethearts." He points directly at us as everyone else entertains themselves at this incredibly funny story time.

"I think that's enough, Nick." Cole says this in an attempt to shush him. "Alright, alright. Whatever you say, now, my fellow boys and girls, I think we should call it a night. Marty certainly wouldn't be happy if he knew how much we drank; we should get some rest before we humiliate the Sabres next week." Says Nick as the caring and responsible captain. Surprisingly, everyone seemed to listen to him, as they were already preparing to leave. At this point, I didn't even realize it was this late, but I was glad Nick decided to call it a night.

We say goodbye to everyone, and now it's just me and Cole who are left in the bar. "You wanna come over to mine?" he suggests out of nowhere. "Oh, so this was your plan all along. Get me drunk and then kidnap me. I know I shouldn't have trusted you." I shake my head as I try to joke. "No, seriously, you've drank too much, and I can't let you go home by yourself since I can't give you a lift."

"Okay." I agree after reconsidering his offer. But I know that it's against all of my principles. "It's not far from here; we'll walk. I hope you don't mind." He says this as we're already walking out of the bar into the typically cold Montreal weather. We walk for about five minutes until we reach a fancy apartment complex. We walk into the building and step into the elevator, which takes us to the top floor. We walk towards the end of the hallway, and he unlocks the massive oak door.

"Wow." I say this the moment we walk in. I'm absolutely speechless. The apartment is beautiful, and the breathtaking view from the glass windows is even better. I'm stunned. "Here, drink some water." He places a glass of water on the kitchen countertop. "Thanks." I reply as I take the first sip.

"You live here alone?" I enquire. "Well, since my ex cheated on me, yeah, I do." He answers my simple question, which obviously triggers some of his painful memories. "How long were you together?" I ask curiously, but then I realize I may have crossed the line. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business." I add. "It's fine. We've been together for 3 years, until she decided that she liked my friend better." He says it, and I can feel the disappointment in his voice. "I'm sorry." I say it truthfully. "But you should know not every girl is like this." I try to comfort him, not realizing what I might've unintentionally indicated.

"You mean any girl or just you?" he asks as he comes closer to me. "I was speaking metaphorically, but I guess you can say both. I'd never stoop to that level." He doesn't have a chance to say anything back before my lips intertwine with his. He doesn't pull away. It doesn't take long until I start to unbutton his shirt, while the remaining alcohol in my blood system clouds my judgement. "No, this is wrong." He shakes his head as he pulls away.

"I won't take advantage of you when you're drunk. I'll wait till you're sober or ready at all. I'll wait. It doesn't matter how long." He places a soft kiss on my forehead. "But... I..." I try to defend myself, but he cuts me off. "You should get some sleep. I'll take the couch." He says this as he grabs one of his T-shirts from his wardrobe and gives it to me. "I know it's not much, but it'll have to do, unless you want to sleep in that jersey. Although I'd be flattered." He adds, smirking. "Thanks." I say this as I take it into my own hands.

"So, I guess goodnight then." He says this as he walks out of the bedroom and gives me some space. "Night." I reply. When he's completely gone, I undress and put on his T-shirt. It's dark blue with Montreal Canadiens written all over it. I only smile because what else could I expect? It smells like him. It smells so incredibly good, and I'm starting to lose my mind. Am I crazy? Probably yeah, but I don't have another second to overthink when I suddenly hear a light knock on the door. "Yeah, come in." I say as he walks in.

"Here's your bag, in case you were wondering." He places it on the bedside table. "Oh, thanks." I say in return, but I can't quite concentrate on his words because all I see is his bare chest and the sixpack that's always hidden underneath his shirt or jersey. Oh, my God? Am I seriously thinking about this? I can't be. I have to stop, but before I can stop myself, I blurt out the words I can't take back. "Cole?" I mutter. "Yeah?" he replies. "Will you stay?" As much excitement and attraction rage in me, the fear of loneliness overcomes me equally.

"What?!" he says in confusion. "I don't want to kick you out of your own bed. Or I can take the couch; it's not a problem." I add. "There's no way I'm letting you sleep on the couch. But alright, I'll stay if you want me to." He replies as he lays beside me, sliding under the covers. He switches off the bedside lamp as we lay down, with our backs facing each other. We say goodnight and fall asleep in the span of the next few minutes. It's been a long day.

***

It must be around 3 a.m. when I start trashing from side to side of the bed. "No, don't go. Don't leave me. No, please, dad, no!" I scream as my whole body is shaking. But it doesn't take long until Cole wakes up, wraps his arms around me, and pulls me closer to him. "Shhh, baby. It's alright. It was just a bad dream; you're here with me." He caresses me on my back and places a soft kiss on my forehead. "I saw him. Cole, I saw him." I sob quietly. "It's alright now." He wipes my tears away with his thumb and pulls me in a tight hug as we lay down. After I calm down a little bit, we lie like this until we both fall asleep again.