Thursday, July 14, 2011

Five

“Have you talked to her yet?  Heather tried to call, but she didn’t answer,” Marty asked quietly as we dressed for morning practice.  We had a game tonight, but coach just wanted to run over a few things.  I really didn’t feel like practicing, I just wanted it to be over so that I could go over to Olivia’s to apologize and talk to her.

“No, she won’t answer my calls either.  I am just going to stop over after practice.  I need to talk to her,” I rambled as I finished taping up my socks.  “I just wish I knew what I said wrong”

“She is obviously very private about her home life…”

“That’s bullshit because she had no problem telling me about her life in Germany.  She’s just protective of Andreas and I don’t understand why,” I cut in on my concerned friend.

“I think he’s abusive,” Downie piped up into the conversation as the 3 of us sat on the locker room bench.

I opened my mouth to disagree, but then somethings clicked.  “You know, for once I think you have a good point.”

“And for once I think I’m going to ignore that remark and just keep talking about the subject at hand,” he punched me in the arm.  “It would explain her protective behavior about him when it comes to one of us criticizing him and it would explain the whole flinching thing when you either raise your voice or move suddenly.”  I had explained what had happened after she left, so Steve knew all the details.

“Sounds like this Andreas guy is definitely a goon,” Vinny remarked as he walked over to us.  “I was just going to ask how Olivia was doing…Caroline really likes her and so do I.  Just move slow with her, Stammer.  I think she will see that the grass is definitely greener on this side of the world.”

I smiled up at Vinny and said, “Thanks man.”

After practice I headed over to Olivia’s apartment.

“Knock, knock.”  I placed my ear to the door and heard feet shuffling across the carpet.  I knew she was standing on the other side of the door.  “If you are selling something,” she said in her thick accent, “Then please just leave the info on my door…”

“Liv, its Steven.  Please open your door and let me in,” I pleaded.

“I don’t want any visitors Steven, just go home,” she said in a voice that broke my heart.

“Liv, come on.  Open the door.  I’m not leaving until you do; so if I’m late for the game tonight, you are going to have a lot of explaining to do for me.”

I heard her sigh and then I heard her lock chain being removed.  I stepped back in time for her to open the door.  She looked a beautiful mess in her short gym shorts and tank-top.  Her hair was pulled loosely back into a pony-tail and her eyes were red and puffy, letting me know she had just as much sleep as I did the night before.





My heart-rate increased when I heard his voice on the other side of my apartment door, but I couldn’t bring myself to open it at first.  I just wanted to be left alone.  All his friendship did was cause trouble for my some-what stable life.  So okay, maybe my life wasn’t a box of roses, but I was always thankful for what I had and glad to know that I had a future that my family always wanted me to have.  I was doing my duty as a daughter should in a wealthy family.

I don’t know what made me open the door.  In fact, it felt like I was having an outer-body experience as my heavy hand undid the lock and opened the door.  I found Steven standing there in a grey TampaBay Lightning t-shirt that fit him snugly in all the right places, backwards baseball hat, with his hands shoved in his khaki cargo shorts.  He looked like a teenager with a brooding face.  Unfortunately or fortunately, I didn’t have a lot of time to stare at him because that quickly he was over the threshold with me scooped up in his arms as he spouted out words of forgiveness.  “Liv, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to flip out in front of you like that.  I just can’t stand seeing you hurting like this, it literally ripped out my heart to see you upset yesterday…and then you didn’t answer my phone calls and God, I’m such an ass.”  He was saying all this as his lips were all over my face and hair.  He sat me down on my couch and kneeled between my legs still caressing my face and pleading with me.

I could only listen to a minute of it before I placed my hand over his lips to silence him.  “Please Steven, stop.”

His blue eyes became large while he waited for me to say something else.

“I was not upset with you.  I was just upset with me because everything you said was true; it ist just that no one has ever pointed that out to me.”

I took my hand away from his mouth, allowing him to speak again.  “So does this mean you are going to break it off with him?”

I took a deep breath as I stared into his hopeful eyes.  “That is the part that you do not understand, Steven,” I said quietly.  “I really don’t have a choice.”

“So are you saying this is an arranged marriage of sorts?”

“Basically.”

“Huh,” he said as he sat back on his feet and ran his fingers through his white blonde hair.

“If I break it off with Andreas, I will have to go home.  My father has enough pull with the government to get my work Visa reproached.”

“Do your parents know how much of a monster he is?” I asked suddenly without thinking.

“He’s not a monster, Steven.”

“Anyone who treats someone like you the way he does is a monster in my book.”

She smiled sadly as she spoke.  “Men like him are a dime a dozen in my family and my friends families.  It’s just the way life is sometimes.”

He sighed, seeming to realize he was not going to win the battle with me, at least not today.  “Well, I can’t promise you that I will keep my mouth shut, so until then can you please forgive me?  I even brought you lunch…” he finished as he held up a bag from the grille we had eaten at the other day after their practice.

I took the bag from his hand and put it on the coffee table behind him and pulled him into a hug.  “You are amazing,” I whispered before he kissed me gently on the lips.

“I figured we could eat some lunch and we could take our pre-game nap together since you have to work tonight,” he said with his kid-smile.

“You are pretty assuming.”

“I will promise to behave myself,” he informed me as he crossed his heart and hopped up off the floor.  “You really have a nice place here,” he said as he walked over to my kitchen, helping himself to a drink.

“Thanks,” I smiled as I watched him look so perfect in my place, like he belonged here.

“Meow,” Stewie said as he made his presence known to Steven.

“So this is the all-wonderful Stewie?” Steven asked as he bent down to pick up the grey cat that was walking between his legs.

“It is,” I giggled as I walked over and petted my purring friend.

“He’s handsome.”

“Like the man holding him,” I said shyly.

Steven blushed and handed me Stewie so that he could get us drinks.  We sat at my small dinning table and ate our lunch.  We talked about their game tonight and his schedule for the rest of the week.  I have to admit that I felt a little more relaxed that things hadn’t seemed to change between us, despite the fact that I couldn’t promise a change in my situation.  The only thing I could hope for was a good several days with Andreas to talk to him and get him to understand that life changes and I wanted out.  If I could get him on my side, then our families would be easier to convince.  Andreas could be a fair man, so I didn’t see why my plan wouldn’t work.

After lunch I nervously led Steven back to my bedroom.  “Just so you know I have never had a man in my bed here.”

He just smiled and pulled back the covers for me to crawl under.  Once I was settled I watched him kick off his flip-flops, take off his shorts and t-shirt before crawling in under the blankets with me.  He possessively pulled me into him, so that he was spooning me, and wrapped his arm around my waist.  I felt him kiss my hair as he whispered, “Alarm set?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly, afraid to move.  He smelled sooo good and I loved how he warmed me instantly.  I was nervous as hell.

“Sweet dreams, my Liv.”

“Sweet dreams, Steven.”





I figured it was easier to not give her a choice on if she wanted to take a nap with me or not.  Luckily she seemed too tired to really put up a fight.  What I really wanted to do was make slow sweet love to her, but that wasn’t an option before a game.  Besides, she did just basically tell me that she was not splitting with Andreas.  That meant whatever happened between us from here on out was only going to make it harder when he did come to visit.  The reckless/romantic part of me said not to worry about it and make an effort to show her that I should be the choice she makes.  The realist part of me said to just stay friends.

Staying just friends is going to be hard when I am lying practically naked with this woman I am falling quickly for, in my arms.  She fits perfectly against me and I am so comfortable with her.





It made my night to see that Eric was once again one of my assigned patients.  Someone here must like me a little bit.

“Oliva! Was ist los?!”

“Das ist gut, Eric,” I grinned, bumping fists with him before I started my normal beginning of shift assessment.

“I’ve missed you.  Diggity said you’ve been busy hanging out with them on your days off,” my little friend said, not even flinching as I gave him a shot.

“Yes, we had an early Thanksgiving meal since they leave tomorrow evening for a road trip.”

“I’m glad that you have become friends with them.  They will show you what I can’t show you since I’m sitting here in this hospital room all the time,” he said sadly.

“Well, what would you show me if you weren’t here?”

His face lit up as he exclaimed, “Disney World!  I want to go with you to Disney World!  We could eat real German food in Epcot and I know you’d love Magic Kingdom.”

“Did you know that the castle in Magic Kingdom was modeled after a castle in my country?” I asked.

“Seriously?! That is totally cool.  Do you have pictures of it?!”

“Yes, seriously.  It is called Neuschwanstein, and it is southwest of Munich.  There was a crazy King by the name of King Ludwig II.  He spent the country’s money to build himself a fantasy land.  He was quite strange, but his castles are beautiful.  I have been there several times, so I will bring you some pictures tomorrow night.”

“Well then we definitely have to go to Magic Kingdom and have our picture taken in front of the castle as King and Queen!” Eric said as he pulled his lap-top back onto his lap and searched the castle on Google as I walked out of the room, giggling.

“Olivia?” one of the older nurses asked.

“Yes, Kathy?” I asked before turning around.  When I did, I found her holding a large bouquet of assorted flowers.  “Whoa!  Who are they for?”

“The tag says for you,” she said with a smile.  A couple of the other nurses came over at this point and they were all suddenly interested in the German nurse they knew little about.

“Who are they from?” one of the women asked as I stood there staring at them for a moment.

I shrugged my shoulders and picked out the card that had been lost in the middle of the arrangement.  “Liv” was written on the card and I instantly knew who they were from.

“Oh, they are from my friend, Steven,” I said loud enough for them all to hear in hopes they would disperse and go back to their own things, instead they crowded closer.

I sighed and opened the card.

Liv, I just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful afternoon.  Have a good night at work my beautiful Prinzessin and I’ll see you tomorrow before I leave for Washington.

Steven.

“Damn girl!  You found yourself a keeper!” A nurse by the name of Emily whistled.

Washington?  Are you dating a politician?” Kathy asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m thinking that has to be Steven Stamkos from the Tampa Bay Lightning,” a nurse named Rachel piped up, causing everyone to take in a breath of air.

“Theeee Steven Stamkos?  The one that comes to visit Eric?!” someone squeaked.

Before I could answer Rachel cut in and said, “I think Downie is hotter…”

I could feel myself blushing as I put the flowers on my desk and made a mental note to tell Steven not to send things to my work again.

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