Ice Hockey 101 Ch. 02

"I really am so sorry, Rebecca," he said quietly.

Her stomach clenched at his low tone and she sat up straight. "I don't want to never see you again, Josh," she said and meant it. She was hurt by what he'd done and his showing up here just reminded her of how humiliated she'd felt. But he looked genuinely sorry and he was here, making an apology. The least she could do was give him a second chance.

After all, she still didn't have any real friends in Pittsburgh.

"So it's all right if I stay and watch the game with you?" he asked as he jerked his chin towards the TV.

She nodded. "Sure. And maybe tomorrow we can hang out." She surprised herself even as she spoke the words. A blush crept up her cheeks as she waited for Josh to reply.

His handsome face split into a wide grin and he nodded. "I'd like that. But how do you know I'm not playing a game tomorrow?"

She laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "I probably know the Pens schedule better than you do by now."

His eyebrows shot up his forehead at her words and he laughed. "I can't believe you've turned into such a hockey nut."

"Well, I am. I know almost everything," she replied. "Ask me anything."

A considering look passed over his face and he glance towards the big screen over the bar before speaking. An icing call had just been made and the players were realigning themselves around a new face off point. "All right. What's icing?"

She blinked and followed his gaze to the screen. "Shoot. That one I still don't get," she confessed and glanced sideways at him for his reaction.

"Don't worry," he replied and reached out to pat her wrist. The contact sent a jolt up her arm and delivered tingles all through the rest of her body. "Icing is a tough one for a lot of people." He proceeded to explain it to her.

She listened, or tried to, as he left his hand to rest on her arm. After another minute, he moved it back to his bottle of beer and she relaxed. The game on screen continued and they fell into easy conversation as they watched. Rebecca asked almost no questions about the game and mostly they chatted about her schoolwork, his travels with the team and other random things that came to mind.

Rebecca was surprised at how comfortable she felt around him. They slipped so easily back into their casual banter that Rebecca could almost forget the feeling he'd left her with that night two weeks ago.

When the game ended they looked at each other and smiled, all conversation between them done for now. Rebecca remembered her offer to hang out the following day.

"Are you sure?" he asked when she brought it up. "Don't you have school tomorrow? It's only Tuesday."

"It's midterms. I don't have another exam until Thursday," she replied and smiled over at the bartender as he stopped by. "How much do I owe you?"

"I'll get it, Rebecca," Josh replied and whipped his wallet out.

"Oh no, I couldn't," she protested but he was already pulling out a couple green bills. "Josh..."

"Don't worry about it, Rebecca," he said and handed over the money. "It's the least I can do."

She smiled at him, feeling suddenly shy again. He grinned at her as he tucked his wallet back in his pocket. They both stood up from the stools and made their way to the exit. Rebecca paused by the door and held her purse between her legs as she struggled to pull her heavy winter coat on. Josh stepped close and lifted it from her hands, helping her slide one arm through the sleeve and then the other. She felt his fingers slide momentarily through her hair and shivered at the sensation.

"So you really want to get together tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "Why don't we actually do something touristy?" She suggested.

"Like what?"

"I don't know," she said. "You've lived here longer. You come up with something."

He grinned at her and nodded. "All right. I'll think of something. I'll come get you at noon tomorrow then."

"Sounds great," she agreed, already more than excited at the prospect of a day with Josh. She pushed her concerns out of her mind as they said good-bye and told herself that he was trying to make amends.

***

Josh was more relieved than he knew after meeting up with Rebecca at the bar. He'd taken a chance after calling her at home and getting no answer. As it was, he'd been lurking in the area where she lived and figured he'd check the coffee shop where they'd first met, as well as the bar where they'd watched the football game. His heart had nearly stopped in his chest when he saw her sitting alone at the bar. Watching a hockey game no less. When she'd offered to go out the next day, he'd been ecstatic. She seemed willing to accept his apology and let him be her friend again. He didn't know yet if she'd ever let him kiss her again but he was more than willing to take the time to find out.

They spent the day doing touristy things, just as Rebecca had suggested. Josh did his best to keep her entertained and judging from the smile on her face at the end of the day, he figured he'd got it right. As he drove away from their last stop, he glanced over to see her resting her head on the seat with her eyes closed. A slight smile touched her full pink lips and he shifted uncomfortably as the look on her face did things to his body.

"I guess I've really worn you out today," he said.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I had a great time," she replied. "But I am tired."

"I should have planned something more exciting for you," he said, flexing his fingers around the steering wheel.

"No, it was exciting," she assured him, shifting in her seat and reaching a hand towards him.

He did his best not to flinch as she touched his arm and the contact sent blood streaming through his body straight to his groin. He swallowed and glanced sideways at her. She was still smiling at him and she kept her fingers on his arm, giving him a light squeeze.

"I've just had a really stressful week so far," she confessed.

"Really? Is everything OK?" he asked, hoping against all hope that he wasn't the cause of her unrest. Stupid, he thought to himself. How egotistical can I be, thinking her problems revolve around me?

Her hand fell from his arm and she shook her head as she settled back on her side of the vehicle with a sigh. "I had two midterms this week and they were tougher than I thought they'd be," she confessed. "I took a few days off work so I could focus on studying but I still couldn't sleep well at night."

"That sucks," Josh offered and felt like an idiot even as he spoke. What kind of lame ass comment is that?? he asked himself as he slowed to stop at a red light. He looked over at Rebecca and smiled at the sleepy expression on her face. He felt bad for keeping her out all day when she probably would rather have stayed in to study. He said as much out loud to her.

"No," she disagreed with a shake of her pretty head, sending tendrils of her dark hair over her shoulder as she moved. "It was good that I got out. I couldn't stay inside with my nose in a book for another minute. That's why I went to the pub last night."

"Well, I'm glad I got to see you there," he confessed, ignoring the heat in his face as he continued to look at her. "I missed spending time with you."

Rebecca's dark lashes swept low over her eyes in a slow blink and Josh's groin tightened even further. At this rate he wouldn't be able to walk her to her door because of his hard-on.

"I missed you, too," she agreed quietly, her bluer-than-blue eyes meeting his in the dim light of the car.

Josh hadn't even notice the darkness descending around them. The sun set so early now, it seemed. Summer was long gone and the rapidly shortening days of fall were passing quickly. Swallowing, Josh reached out one hand to brush a strand of hair from Rebecca's cheek. He heard her suck in a breath and felt himself leaning towards her across the center of the car.

A blaring horn startled them both and he sat back in surprise. Rebecca laughed sharply before clapping a hand over her mouth. Her eyes danced at him over her hand and he laughed as well. Glancing in the rear view mirror, Josh waved an apology at the person behind him before easing off the brake and moving under the now green light.

The rest of the drive back to Rebecca's apartment was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Josh's mind raced over their day and the past few times he'd seen her. He couldn't believe he'd gone from wanting her so badly, to freaking out over her confession to desperately wanting to just be close to her, even if it meant being only a friend. The aching throb in his crotch told him he definitely wanted more than friendship but he was scared to death of her rejection now. She'd have every right to tell him to take a hike after the way he'd acted before.

So for now, he'd be her friend. He'd take her out occasionally; get her to see the city and surrounding area when they each had time, just as Max had originally asked him to. He'd call her from the road and see how school was going and he'd hope that she'd eventually forgive him for stripping her half naked before running away.

He pulled up in front of her apartment and hopped out to run around the car before she got out. Holding the door open, he grinned broadly at her as she climbed out. Rebecca smiled back and Josh felt like whistling at the sparkle in her eyes. Together they walked upstairs to her hallway and Josh shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as she pulled her keys out of her purse.

"I had a great time today, Josh," she told him as she opened the door.

"Me too," he agreed and meant it. When he'd first started talking to her the night before, he'd been so afraid she'd tell him she never wanted to speak to him again. For the first half of the day after picking her up he'd been waiting for her to lay into him. He realized after an hour or two that she just wasn't like that. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't malicious or even coy. She wasn't the kind of woman to play games with guys and all these revelations made him like her even more.

Made him want her even more.

"So I guess tomorrow you'll be studying for your other exam?" he asked.

"Yeah, I should," she said, sounding reluctant even as she spoke. She sighed and smiled up at him. "And you probably have a morning practice before the game."

He blinked and smiled slowly. She really was into hockey now, quoting his own schedule to him. "I do."

For a long moment they simply smiled at each other and Josh felt his blood start to race again. He took a step closer and gave her a hug before he could talk himself out of it. She seemed surprised at first but her arms went around him and she hugged him back. Josh badly wanted to kiss her, to hold her face to his and drown in her sweet lips but he wasn't rushing things. So he gave her another tight squeeze before stepping back.

"I'll call you tomorrow before the game," he said.

She grinned and nodded. "I'd like that."

"Have a good night," he said and turned to walk away.

At the end of the hallway, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Rebecca still standing in front of her doorway, watching him. She gave a little jump as he met her gaze and he heard her bright laugh all the way down the hall.

"Good night!" she called and lifted a hand to wave before disappearing inside her apartment.

Chuckling to himself, Josh shook his head and walked downstairs.

***

For a few weeks after their reunion, Josh and Rebecca fell into an easy routine. She managed to get through her last midterm and spent the next week stressing over what her results would be. She started going back to work at her regular schedule and new classes resumed the week after her midterms.

True to his word, Josh did call her that day after they went out sight-seeing. They chatted companionably for a few minutes and then she watched the hockey game on TV, alternately biting her nails or whooping in excitement. The day after that, Josh called again and they went to a movie. The day after that, they met up for lunch before he went home to nap before another game. The day after that, he called before heading out of town on another road trip.

Rebecca found herself enjoying their renewed friendship. She felt happier than she had since arriving here and had more patience in class, knowing that Josh would be around to chat with later if she wanted to call. He was a great guy and they talked easily about everything from hockey, to her school, to their childhoods in Canada.

In between her days with Josh, Rebecca talked to Mary and her friend was relieved that she was happier in Pittsburgh now.

"I can tell Max to calm down, too," Mary said one night as they spoke while watching a hockey game together.

"Max? Why?" Rebecca asked around a laugh.

"Oh, he was worried that he'd caused problems by setting you up with Josh," she said. "I told him to relax but he still felt like a dumbass."

"Well, tell him it's all good," Rebecca said and snuggled down under her blanket on the couch a little more. "Josh and I are good friends now and I'm so glad Max made him take me out back then."

"Really?" Mary asked, sounding incredulous. "So you're not still... uh, freaked out about what happened?"

Freaked out? No, not exactly. Rebecca still blushed, even when she was alone, every time she thought about what had almost happened that night. It seemed so long ago since so much had happened in between. Neither of them ever brought it up but Rebecca could swear she'd caught him with an almost... hungry look in his eyes sometimes when he looked at her. It made her shiver to think of it and she held onto the hope that he was simply taking his time before making another move. She knew she definitely wanted him to touch her again, to kiss her and hold her close as he had but she was far too shy to ever admit it to him.

"I'm fine, Mary," she said aloud to her friend and smiled as the announcer called the penalty being given to one Josh Saunders. "What a fool," she muttered and listened to Mary's answering laugh. "He should know better than to pull a stunt like that at this point in the game."

"It's a tough game," Mary agreed. "He's frustrated and losing his edge."

"His edge," Rebecca scoffed. "He's getting careless."

Mary laughed at her and Rebecca demanded to know what was so funny.

"You!" Mary exclaimed. "I never thought you'd ever get this into hockey. I love it, don't get me wrong. It's great that we can talk about it now and watch games like this but it's just weird how fast you got hooked."

"It's because of Josh," Rebecca confessed. "Once he took the time to explain it all to me, I got to see how interesting the game is."

"It is, isn't it?" Mary agreed.

They chatted for another several minutes until intermission was called. Then Mary said she should get off the phone before she used up all her long distance minutes. Rebecca promised to be the one to call next time before they hung up.

Not two minutes later, her phone rang again and she smiled as she answered, figuring Mary had forgotten to mention something.

"Hello?"

"Rebecca, it's me," Josh's voice greeted her instead, sending a delightful tingle all the way down her body from her ear.

"What are you doing calling me?" She asked around a laugh. "Aren't you a little busy right now?"

Josh's deep laughter came over the line and she shivered, closing her eyes to savor the sound of his voice. "I am busy I guess but Coach's lecture over my last penalty can wait a minute or two."

"What were you thinking, tripping that guy?" Rebecca demanded, recalling his sloppy move before heading to the penalty box. "The ref was right there! If you're going to pull a move like that, at least pay attention to the officials and do it when he's not looking."

Josh exhaled slowly and she wondered if he was offended by her words. "Wow. I think maybe I've created a monster."

Rebecca laughed self-consciously, feeling a blush creep up her neck. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he replied with a laugh. "I'm sure it's pretty much the same thing Coach will say and probably the rest of the team too. Thanks for preparing me."

"That wasn't what I meant-" she started to say but he cut her off.

"I'm teasing, Rebecca. It's fine. I'm not mad," he assured her.

"OK," she muttered as covered her face with one hand in embarrassment. It didn't matter that he was a thousand miles away playing a game in another city.

"So what are you up to tonight, besides watching me skate into the penalty box every five minutes?" Josh asked.

Rebecca laughed. "I was actually talking on the phone with Mary," she said. "She's watching the same game. We just hung up before you called."

"She didn't want to talk during the rest of the game?"

"No, it's not that. The long distance phone charges are expensive," Rebecca explained. "She calls me most of the time because she knows I can't afford to talk long distance for long. Even she has to limit her time since she's got a terrible phone plan right now."

"Ah, I understand," Josh replied and they fell silent for a moment.

"Why are you calling me? Really, shouldn't you be planning for the win with the rest of the team?" Rebecca asked.

He chuckled and she could practically see the lopsided smile on his face. "I should be but I just wanted to... I don't know, see if you were watching the game."

She grinned and felt a warm flush creep through her entire body, sending delicious tingles right through her core. "Of course I am. I have adopted the Penguins as my team, you know."

"I know," he replied with another deep laugh. "I'm so glad you like hockey."

"How can I not?" she asked and meant it. She may have never understood it before being introduced to it by Josh but she did now. She loved to watch the pure athleticism of the men as they moved swiftly across the ice. The pure skill and determination it took to send that tiny disk of rubber to the back of the white netting was mind-boggling. Rebecca was almost jealous of their ability, their talent at something so intense. She'd never been so talented at anything and she loved that she got to watch someone she knew fly across the ice and triumphantly lift his arms after scoring a goal.

"I still have to get you to a live game one of these days," Josh spoke up after a moment of silence fell between them.

She laughed. "I couldn't ask you to do that, Josh. I'm so busy between school and work and besides, who would I take? You're my only friend here."

"Hmm," Josh made a noise of consideration. "Maybe I'll have to introduce you to Sean's wife, Amelia. Then you can watch a game with her."

"You really don't need to do that, Josh," Rebecca tried to assure him even as she was flattered that he was giving it so much thought.

"I want to," he replied quickly. "Watching a game on TV is one thing but there's nothing like the sounds and smells of the actual arena."

"The smells?" Rebecca repeated teasingly, ignoring the fluttering in her chest as she spoke to him.

He chuckled. "Yes, the smells. I won't put you right behind the bench though. Maybe by the penalty box. At least that way there'll be a friendly face every time I head in there."

She burst into laughter and shook her head. "Don't you dare. I don't want to have any part in your penalties."

"Don't you know you already do?" he replied, stumping her for a moment.

"I... what?"

Again came his low chuckle over the line and Rebecca tightened her leg muscles, trying in vain to ease the intensifying tingles in the center of her body.

"Just thinking of you is enough to steal my focus," he said quietly, his deep voice stirring her still more.

She laughed breathlessly, unsure of how to take his words. They didn't sound strictly... friendly. "Then stop thinking about me while you're playing."