BEEP!
     It was about six o clock in the evening.  By now, I had changed into a simple black cocktail dress.  It wasn't too fancy, but yet it was dressy.  We were going to Christie's Restaurant in Appleton, which is a fancier restaurant.  I had been there a couple times with my dad when he was negotiating his deal with the Ice.
     I peeked out the window to see Richard's big old truck in the driveway.  Grabbing my coat and my purse, I ran out to the truck.
     "You're in a hurry," Richard joked.  He wasn't too dressed up.  He was wearing a pair of black pants, a green, long sleeved shirt, and a tie.  "Was PJ giving you shit?"
     "Surprisingly, no." I said, buckling up.  "He left at about two all dressed up.  I guess he and his ‘love bug' had a hot date tonight and he forgot to buy her a present."
     "Really?"
     I looked over at Richard.  "Richie, are you hiding something?"
     "Hiding something?  Me?  Why would I do a thing like that?"

     Finally, we got to the restaurant.  Mike met us in the lobby and started to lead us to our table.  I could just make out PJ's spiked hair over the menu he was looking at.  I stopped and started turning red in anger.  By the time Richard realized that I wasn't following him and Mike anymore, Mike had already sat down at the table.  He, as in Richard, ran back to get me.
     "Oh, no," I said.  "I'm not going thru this again."
     "Come on, Coley."
     I glared at the table where Mike and PJ were sitting.  "You told me that he wasn't coming with, Richard Dorian."
     Richard's eyes gaped open (or, as open as his perma-stoned looking eyes ever got) and his jaw dropped.  I had whipped out the middle name, which meant that he was in trouble.  "I didn't know he WAS coming with!  Awh,  come on, Coley..."
     "DON'T CALL ME COLEY!!!"  I yelled.  By now, I must have looked pretty funny.  My face was probably a rather nice shade of crimson, my eyes were open and looking like they were about to fly straight out of my face, and I think I had a vein popping out of my neck.
     By now, Mike and PJ had seen us arguing.  I didn't see them come up, because I was too busy blowing up at Richard.
     "God damn it, I KNEW I should have came down in my own car..." I said, putting my jacket back on and fully planning on leaving the restaurant.  I hadn't thought about where I would have been going, because I had ridden down with Richard, but I didn't care.  I was having flashbacks from last year's Valentine's Day, where a bunch of the guys decided to set me and PJ up for VD.  It didn't work.  We weren't even in the restaurant ten minutes before we were at each other's throats, trying to kill each other.
    However, PJ grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me to him.  "Micole, chill."
    I didn't say anything to PJ.  I didn't have to.  I just gave him the GlareOfDeath, waiting for him to start giving me a lecture.  Usually, that's the ONLY reason he calls me by my real name.
    "Mike and Richard didn't set us up, Micole.  Trust me, if I knew that you were going to be here, I would have said no..."
    "And vice versa," I grumbled, pretending to stare intensely at the light above the waiting area.
     "Coley, please...play nice.  I promise, when we get home, you have full permission to kick the ever living crap out of me.  Alright?"  He batted his blue eyes at me flirtatiously.
     "Fine," I grumbled.  I hate PJ...why can't I just stay mad at him?  Closing my eyes and taking a calming breath, I turned to Richard and said, "Richard, I'msorryforblowingupatyoubefore.  Ididn'tknowthatyoudidn'tinvitePJ..."
     "Cole, don't sound so enthusiastic about it," PJ joked.
     Without realizing it, I smiled and chuckled.  Then, I stuck my tongue out at him.
     "Yay."  Richard said.  "It looks like they're starting to get back to normal."
     "We're talking about Cole and PJ here, Richard." Mike added.  "They're NOT normal."
     PJ and I glared at Mike and Richard and growled.

     We sat down, ordered dinner, and started to talk.  It wasn't anything major, just small talk.  However, I noticed something.  It seemed almost as if Mike was flirting with Richard.  It wouldn't be a first for Mike: I think he flirts with almost everyone.  However, what happened in return surprised me: it seemed like Richard was flirting back!
     Dinner came, we ate.  Richard and Mike continued flirting with each other (although, it was heavily veiled flirting), and PJ and I actually started to get an understanding of things between me and PJ.  PJ STILL didn't explain why he had been acting so manic-depressive when I was with Nate, but things were getting better.  In fact, it felt as if the whole thing with PJ acting as if he was...jealous...of Nate didn't happen.

     We ordered dessert.  Mike and Richard's flirting had gotten to me, so I excused myself and went to the lobby to calm down.  PJ followed me like a lost puppy dog would follow a meat truck.
     "Coley, what's wrong?" he asked in his ‘I'm concerned about you as a friend' voice.  "Besides the fact that I'm here."
     I looked at Mike and Richard and sighed.  "PJ, look at them..."
     PJ nodded his head in agreement.  "I know.  Does Mike have any idea how dangerous that is?"
     "I don't know," I said.  "I mean, he and Richard would definitely make a cute couple, but..."  I turned my head away from them and flinched, turning towards the door.
     "You alright, Coley?"
     "Yeah," I lied.  "I must still be experiencing some issues with that check I received against Fort Mc Murray."
     "Here," PJ slid behind me and started rubbing the back of my neck.  However, his hands were slightly cold, and, uh, let's just say that having my neck rubbed is one of my turn-ons.
     I crossed my arms over my chest in a hurry.
     "What?" PJ asked innocently.
     I started turning red.  "It's a bit nippily out," I said crossly under my breath.
     "No it's not, Cole," PJ answered, rubbing my neck slightly harder.  Without realizing it, I let out a small moan."Feeling better?"
     I turned and glared at PJ.  "Yeah.  My neck is, anyway."  Turning, I whispered in his ear, "You dumbass.  Remember that discussion we had in New York last year when Guy and Petr decided to set us up for VD?  Why you should NEVER touch my neck..."
     "Huh?"  PJ looked at me, then he started turning red.  "Cole, I'll lend you my jacket if you walk in front of me."
     "What, did the Little One decide to wake up?"
     PJ just nodded his head in agreement.  I rolled my eyes in disgust.
     We started walking back to the table with me leading PJ as if he was blind or drunk.  "You're just lucky that I'm a girl.  This would look real awkward if it was Richard or...hey, where did they go?"  When we got to the table, Richard and Mike weren't there.
     "I don't know.  But, hey, the dessert's here!  Let's play a joke on them."  PJ said, grinning evilly.
     "What, put the desserts on their chairs?"
     "No.  Hide the desserts on the extra chair and then tell them that we ate em."
     I giggled.  "Peege, that's evil...I like it!"  Things were DEFINATELY back to normal between me and PJ.

    The prank went as it had been planned, except for one thing.  Mike and Richard didn't seem to care.  I looked at PJ, and PJ looked at me.  We smiled.  The best thing about having a best friend is that, once you know them long enough, you know what the other's thinking.  And, we were both thinking the same thing.  Let's just say that what we were thinking wasn't nice.
     After we paid for the dinner, we went our separate ways.  Well, most of us.  Instead of going home with Richard, I went home with PJ.  I KNEW that Richard probably though something of it, but I did it for ease.
     "Richie, PJ and I live with each other.  You live on the other side of town.  Go home and sleep and stuff, okay?"
     As I got into the SUV, I noticed two things sitting on the back seat.  One was a box shaped like a house.  The other was a grocery bag.
     "Remnants from your date with your Love Bug?" I joked.
     PJ sighed.  "Actually, no.  We didn't go out tonight.  She said she was busy."
     I frowned.  "Sorry, man."
     PJ chuckled.  "No, it's alright.  I don't think things are going to work out between us, anyway.  She wants to focus more on her career, and she couldn't have done that with me."
    "Peege, I'm so sorry.  When we get home, remind me I owe you a hug, alright?"
    He looked over at me, and smiled.  It had been a while since I saw him smile without the outcome being some sort of prank pulled on someone.  "Nah, don't worry about it.  Besides, I thought you owed me an ass kicking."
     I ignored the comment.  "What, was she jealous of your video collection?"
     "Nah.  She was more envious of your ‘toy'."
     "Phillip Joseph!" I squeaked.  He laughed evilly.

     Things went pretty smoothly until we got to Ashwaubenon.  Just as we had pulled on the highway that lead to our condo, PJ coughed nervously.  That's usually not a good sign: that means he's hiding something.
     "PJ, are you hiding something?" I asked.  Nothing like subtlety.
     "No, Cole.  Why would I be hiding something from you?"
     I narrowed my eyes and said, "That cough you just gave..that's how I know."
     "Dammit."  PJ chuckled nervously.  "Cole, I, uh...overheard Mike and Richard planning the dinner tonight."
     "Point being...?"
     "Well, basically...I invited myself."
     "WHAT?!?!"  I yelled.  I was PISSED.  I had heard rumors about PJ's affection for me.  Trust me, I didn't want to find out if they were true or not.  It had just finally seemed as if things between us, friendship wise, were going back to the way they were before Nate.  I didn't want some petty puppy love thing screwing it up.
     PJ sighed.  If he hadn't have been driving, he would have leaned his head against the headrest.  "It was right after my date got canceled, and I knew that you were still dealing with breaking up with Nate and all..."
     "So you invited yourself to see if you could pick me up on the rebound!"
     "No, it's not like that!"  He fell silent.  "I can't explain, Cole.  Just trust me: I did not intend to make you feel uncomfortable tonight.  If I did, I'm sorry."
     "Yes, you made me feel uncomfortable, Phillip Joseph.  Especially after that neck rub..."
     "Well you breathed in my ear!  I told YOU what that does to me."
     I laughed.  "In order to whisper, I HAVE to breath into your ear, silly."
     "I take it the apology's accepted, then?"
     "Yeah," I replied.

     A short while later, we pulled up to the condo.  There was a light in the living room, which meant that Dale fell asleep watching Bugs and Daffy again.
     I unbuckled and went to get out of the car when PJ put his hand nervously on my shoulder.
     "Uh, Cole?  I, uh...I got something to give you."
     Nervously reaching behind his seat, he grabbed the house-shaped box and handed it to me.  I opened the box.  Inside of it was a bear dressed up as a hockey player.  More specifically, a bear dressed up as a member of the Green Bay Ice.
     "I, uh...I special ordered the jersey right after your break up with Nate, and the Bear Workshop called me right as I was driving down to Christy's.  So, uh...here's part one of your Valentine's Day present."
     For once, I was speechless.  After the break-up, he went thru the trouble of going to the Bear Workshop down in Fox River Mall (which is in Appleton...normally, PJ HATES malls), making a bear for me, and special ordering the clothes so it looked like a member of the Ice.  And this was after I treated him like shit because I blamed  him for causing Nate to start drinking again?  He must be sadistic.
     I stared at the bear and played with it a little bit.  "Oh, wow PJ.  Thanks.  Now I DO feel like crap for not getting you anything."
     PJ grinned evilly.  "Actually, you did get me something for Valentine's Day.  It's with the second part of your gift.  It's in the house.  Come on."
     We both got out of the SUV, and PJ grabbed the grocery bag from the back.
     "You can't go in until I open the door," he added.
     I decided I'd play along with whatever PJ had planned, and humor him.  The way he sounded, he'd need the humor.  He got ahead of me, and opened the door for the two of us.  We walked in to a pretty humorous sight.  Laying on the couch was Dale, dead to world, especially the long haired black kitten and the short haired orange and white kitten biting his fingers.
     "So you got me DALE for Valentine's Day?" I joked.
     "No, dumbass, I got you the long haired black and white kitten!  I was really starting to miss that stray that was hanging around here before you came back.  I didn't know if the uniform was going to be in or not, so I went to an old farm house in, New Franken, I believe, and picked up two kittens.  The lady assured me that they were both girl kittens.  This way, we'd only have to worry about lesbian kitty sex."
     "Lesbian kitty sex?"  I chuckled and glanced over at PJ.  He was looking at his feet, nervously wringing his hands and turning red with shyness and embarrassment.  As much as I hated to admit it, he looked....cute
     *Aaugh, what is wrong with you, Cole?  How can you even THINK of...*
     Without warning, PJ leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.  After reacting over the initial shock, I smiled and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the lips, too.  PJ stood there, acting as if he had never been kissed before.  Again, it was....cute.
     "Thank you for making VD not so hellish, PJ."
     Picking up my kitten, I said, "Now, I'm going to go to bed and figure out what I'm going to name this little fuzzball.  See you tomorrow, Peege."
     "Uh, um, ah....nite, Coley."
     I went to my room, changed into my pajamas, did my nightly ritual, put the bear PJ gave me on my dresser, then flopped on my bed, placing my kitten (who I had named Puck, cuz she looked like a fuzzy hockey puck with green eyes) on my stomach.  At that moment, my brain started to think of what I had (silently) been trying to ignore for about a year and a half: the fact that PJ maybe, just possibly, had feelings for me.  And, what was worse, was that maybe I did like him, in return.  Only as a friend, mind you.
     "I don't believe this,"  I said quietly.  "Why, out of all the people on the team, does it have to be PJ who likes me?!?"

Back to Mel's Hockey Fiction Center
Back to Mel's Page of Pucks

Teeny Weeny Disclaimer: This piece of FICTION is owned by me, Lissa.  Please don't steal it and claim it as your work (like you would), or post it anywhere without my permission, or else I will send a fictious, angry version of Bryan Marchment out after your knee.  Thank you.