Coasting Down Memory Lane

Chapter Fifty-Five

2010-05-15T18:35:00.004-04:00

Dear Readers,

I suck, I know. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for not posting since February. I honestly don't know where the time went. I promise, I haven't given up on this story; I've put way too much time and energy in it to quit now. For those of you that have not give up on me, I thank you. I hope you enjoy the much needed chapter fifty-five.

Thanks again,
Sam. (:

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Fifty-five

Riley somehow managed to keep her mind off the family drama for the rest of that afternoon. She had walked calmly into the grocery store on her way home and had kept up the casual conversations with the women there as she bought and bagged the items for the meal she would be putting together that evening.

She had tried dozens of times throughout the afternoon to contact Sidney, but since he was in the middle of a hockey game, he hadn’t picked up. Riley hadn’t left him a message either; it wasn’t something she could just tell him via voicemail.
So he would find out by surprise, she thought as she pulled into her parking space at the apartment. She only hoped that Sidney got home before Troy arrived.

As soon as she walked in the door, Riley headed straight to the kitchen to start on dinner. She planned to make a chicken stir-fry because it was quick, simple and healthy. She kept her mind on miscellaneous things as she washed, chopped and sorted out the various vegetables in her mise en place.

With her favourite radio station turned on low, Riley hummed along to the songs that came on as she got set to cut up the chicken. It occurred to Riley half way through that these were the things that she treasured the most. She loved coming home from a busy day at work, changing into comfy clothes and making dinner for her man.

As Riley dumped the chopped up cauliflower, broccoli and onions in the heated and oiled wok, the front door of the apartment opened. Sidney strolled in, already smelling the appetizing aroma of the sizzling vegetables in the small kitchen. With a few more steps ahead, he spotted his beautiful fiancée standing in front of the stove with a wooden spoon in her hand, humming.

He threw his jacket down on the couch and slowly crept towards Riley. Once up close behind her, Sidney wrapped his arms around her waist and rested her head on her shoulder, kissing the side of her neck once.

Riley, who had been lost in her own thoughts, jolted at his touch. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she said and turned her face so her lips could meet his.

“I wanted to surprise you,” he told her, his hands just barely sliding under the hem of her shirt.

“Well you did,” she laughed. She flashed him a smile and said, “Can you get me that bottle of soy sauce? I don’t want to leave this alone.”

“Sure,” he said as he turned to the fridge. “What are we having anyway, babe?”

“Chicken stir-fry, it will be ready in a few minutes so go get changed.”

Sidney came back moments later, just as Riley was scooping out their portions onto their plates. As she placed the steaming plates of food on the table, Sidney took out a bottle of red wine from the fridge. Riley looked over at him, raising her right eyebrow, he just winked back with a sly smile.

There was a knock on the door just as Sidney and Riley were about to sit down. Sidney looked annoyed and Riley looked nervous. Sidney’s arrival had caused her to forget about that evening’s plans.

“I’ll get it,” Riley said as she hurried to the door.

Curious about the look on her face, Sidney followed her to the front of the apartment. Riley opened the door with Sidney right behind her. She smiled when she saw Troy Crosby standing less than a foot away from her. But she didn’t get to look at him for long; Sidney, out of pure reflex, pulled Riley back and stood in front of her, like a lion protecting his lioness.

“Sidney,” Troy said in a weary voice.

“Dad,” Sidney said through clenched teeth.

“Sid, move.” Riley fought hard to squirm out of Sidney’s tight grasp.

“Hello again, Riley,” Troy said, still standing out in the building’s hall.

“Again?” Sidney questioned; his anger still not on a simmer.

Riley sighed; she knew this was going to happen. “Troy come on in, we were just about to have dinner, I’ll get you a plate.” She gave Sidney a glare that told him to bite his tongue.

“Yeah, I’ll help you with that, Rye. Dad, go ahead and make yourself at home.”

Riley was aware of Sidney hot on her trail as she strolled into the kitchen. She could also sense the strong emotions that were practically rolling off of her fiancé. She knew it was wrong to just spring a visit from his father on him, but they wouldn’t get anything sorted out otherwise.

As soon as she stepped foot in the kitchen, she bit her lip. Riley also made sure to keep her back to Sidney as long as she possibly could. She had to give up when he cornered her between the fridge and counter.

“When were you going to tell me?”

She was silent.

“Riley,” he said in a firm voice. “When were you going to tell me that my father was coming over? I thought we agreed to cut the crap and stop the secrets?”

“We did,” she said quietly.

“Really? Then did I just find out that you’ve been speaking with my father now? When he showed up at our front door?”

He was angry, she could see that. “Look, he showed up to my office today and—let me finish,” she said as he was about to interrupt, “—he wanted to talk and make up so we had lunch and I invited him to come here. Then when I got back to my office I caught your voicemail and tried to call you back, but I didn’t get an answer.”

“Are you blaming this one me?” He looked annoyed, and quickly brushed his hand through his dark, curly hair.

“No,” she said, “not at all, Sid. Your father came here to clear the air, and I don’t want to go any farther if we’re not all on fair ground. We all screwed up so now we all have to fix it.”

He looked at her with those dark eyes full of emotion, and sighed. “Alright,” he said. “But if he says anything rude or offensive, he’s out.”

“You know,” Riley said as she pulled a plate out of the cupboard, “he’s actually a really nice man once you get past his protective wall. Which I don’t think I have yet…”

“Rye, I know how he is, I’ve lived my whole life with him. Normally, I could get past his protective side because I could see where he was coming from. But not this time,” he told her. “I won’t tolerate his snide comments and casual insults towards the woman who I love. I won’t tolerate that from anyone, Riley, because you don’t deserve that.”

She smiled and touched his cheek gently with her hand, “That’s really sweet.”

They made their way back into the dining area where Troy was seated. The conversation started off friendly, with all three of them catching up. Troy was letting both Riley and Sidney know the Trina and Taylor were doing well back in Nova Scotia. Sidney filled Troy in on how hockey had been, and how close the Penguins were to top spot in the east.

The conversation started to get into the deeper topics once dinner was finished. Riley had quickly placed all the dishes in the kitchen sink while Sidney led his father over to the couch in the living room. When Riley came back, she sat next to Sidney; he put his arm around her shoulders.

“Now that you’re both here, I suppose it’s time to clear things up,” Troy said from the chair. “I owe both of you an apology for both my actions and my words.”
Riley felt Sidney tense up, but she nodded politely at her soon-to-be father-in-law. “Words hurt more than any action ever could. But I accept your apology and I’m willing to start over.”

“Why did you say it, Dad?”

Troy looked first at his son and then his eyes traveled towards Riley. “At the time, what I thought was completely wrong.”

“What did you think?” Riley asked.

“Riley, I thought that you were only with Sid because of his money. I had noticed that since you had been in a relationship with him, your position in your career had skyrocketed. I thought that you were going to use him for fame and money.” Troy glanced quickly at his son who had somehow pulled Riley closer to him. “But what I didn’t know was that what I thought was completely wrong. I did a little research on you, Riley. I was surprised to find out that you weren’t with Sidney for money, because you already came from it.”

Sidney, having heard this for the first time, turned to Riley. “What’s he talking about, Rye?”
Her heart started to pound. “Ah…” Her ears rang as Sidney stared daggers at her. “I’m not wealthy, but my family is.”

“What do you mean?”

“My dad is a very powerful man in a very well-known company; his salary is a high number. My mom used to be a lawyer but quit her job after the twins were born. Both of them got paid well. It’s really not important though.”

“All the years I’ve known you, I never knew that you were rich,” Sidney said, his father nodding in agreement.

“Because I’m not; it’s not my money.”

Just then Sidney’s cell phone rang, he pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the number and sighed as he got up to answer it. This gave Riley and Troy time to talk.

“Is everything cool between us now, no more secrets?” Riley said, brushing her hand through her hair—the only sign of annoyance she had shown during the entire time Troy had been there.

“Yes,” he answered. “I just wanted to clear the air, to get everything out.” He sipped his drink then said, “How come you never told us about your family? You really only talk about your brother Ben, your parents don’t come up often.”

“Ben and I are close, we always have been. There’s an age gap between the twins and I and we were never really close when we were younger. My mom is so into herself that I’ve learned to keep distance between us and when she’s here, I usually tune her out. And my dad and I are close; we talk through email a lot. But with them in Rimouski and me here in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to see everyone often. Besides,” she said with a smile, “it’s my life now and I’m living it the way I want to. And having Sid here is all the family I need here.”

Maybe it was the way she had said it or maybe it was just what she said that warmed Troy’s heart and showed him that Riley really did love Sidney for who he was, not what was he was. And that’s all he had come to Pittsburgh for.

Minutes later, Sidney had sauntered back into the living room area where his father and fiancée sat, talking casually. He noted on how Riley had moved closer to Troy and she sat with her hand on his knee, a gesture he knew that meant she was completely comfortable around him.

Troy looked up to see his son standing by the couch, watching. “It’s getting late and I’ve disrupted you two enough. I’d better get going,” he said as he stood.

Riley smiled, knowing exactly what he was doing. He was giving them time to themselves since it didn’t come often, not now with the Penguins being in the playoffs. “It was nice seeing you again, Troy. Feel free to stop by any time.”

As Troy left the apartment, Sidney wrapped his arm around his beautiful fiancée. “I was talking to my agent on the phone and we’re playing the LA in the next round, how do you feel about spending a few days in sunny California with me?”

She tilted her head up so her nose touched his chin and smiled. “Sounds great, I’ll just them know at the station when I’ll be off.” And, she thought, she’d make sure Vero came along. This way she could watch her fiancée play the game he loved and do some shopping for the dress she’d wear on the day they vowed to spend forever together.

Chapter Fifty-Four

2010-02-08T00:15:00.001-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Fifty-Four

Everything was going good; the start of the wedding planning had gone great, there were so many ideas for one wedding and Riley’s mother hadn’t caused much of a problem. She has insisted on an expensive, lavish wedding though, something Riley didn’t know if she was comfortable with. But other than that, things were moving along smoothly.

The issue about space had also been solved quite easily. Both Riley’s mother and sister opted to stay in a hotel near the apartment rather than be crammed in it. Riley also knew of her mother’s love of being pampered and waited on, something she would not get at the apartment. Eliza had left Riley alone for most of Sunday, giving her time to relax and think everything over.

So she was a little surprised Monday morning when one of her coworkers told her that there was someone out front wishing to speak with her, claiming that it was urgent. She didn’t normally get visitors but when she did it was usually Brett, and he would just walk in to her office.

Riley was buried in work and wanted to stay near her office phone because she was waiting for an important call. So she said for whoever wished to see her, to just come on back. Shock and confusion passed quickly over her face when she saw who was standing in her office threshold. But when she stood, her face was once again blank.

“Good morning,” she greeted politely, but her tone was carefully cool. “I didn’t expect to see you around here, Troy.”

“Riley,” he said with a quick nod. “I was hoping to find you at your home but word is you no longer live there.”

The townhouse, she thought, she had failed to inform him of her relocation… and so had Sidney, she realized. “Yet you still managed to find me.” She smiled but there was nothing friendly about it.

“You’re not a difficult person to find, Riley. In fact, you are quite the popular young woman here.” Troy Crosby leaned on the door frame, his eyes, just like Sidney’s, stared directly into hers.

Riley was still standing behind her desk, in the position of power, with her fingers gently grazing the polished oak surface. “I’m quite busy today and a little pressed for time… so I’ll just tell you up front: If you tracked me down to tell me that I’m no good for your son then I’m sorry to say that you wasted your time because I don’t care.

“I don’t care, Tory, if you think that I’m stupid and selfish or if you think that I’m a worthless puck bunny trying to trap your son for money and fame. And do you know why? Because I know that I’m not, I know who I am and what I’m doing, and most importantly,” she added, “I know that I’m in love with Sidney. So if you came here to tell me your opinion of me, then, Mr. Crosby, you can turn right around and walk out those doors you came in because I don’t care.”

Troy stood motionless in the doorway of her office, arms crossed, brows knit. “Powerful,” he mused, “but, Riley, I didn’t come here for that.” He took three steps into her office and looked around. “I came here to talk, to clear things up,” he sighed heavily and looked her right in the eye, “to apologize.”

Riley, taken back, cleared her throat and said in a calm, clear voice, “Well, this is a shock.”

“I have a lot to explain,” he told her.

Still not entirely convinced, Riley treaded carefully around him. “And if I’m not interested?”

Troy’s expression was pained. “Riley, please. I owe you more than just an apology. It’s almost noon; can you at least have lunch with me?”

She thought about it, long and hard. What more could he do to her? she asked herself. If it all ended badly, it wouldn’t matter because she wouldn’t care. But they were about to become family in the coming months, so giving Troy another shot could benefit everyone.
“Okay,” she said. “We can do lunch, but only for an hour—today has been crazy.”

“Great. Are we taking your car or mine?”

This time she smiled for real. “Mine, I know a great place.” Plus, she thought, if things did go badly, she could just leave him there.

Fifteen minutes later, as they were being seated, Riley cleared her throat. “Does Sid know you’re here?”

Troy, who had been intently reading the menu, looked up. “No. I’m not his favourite person at the moment.”

“Sneaky,” Riley said before placing her order.

“So I guess I don’t need to ask if you and Sid have made up, seeing from the recent announcement,” Troy began, making Riley think that she would indeed be leaving him at the restaurant.

“It hasn’t been made public yet; only close friends and family know.”

“No one has seen the rock on your finger? Wouldn’t that be all over the headlines by now?”

Riley smiled slowly, amused. “I’ve been lucky that it has been cold lately,” she said evenly, motioning towards her black gloves. “No one notices.”

“Sneaky,” Troy said, echoing her earlier words.

She laughed. “I don’t like a lot of attention, and I receive more than my fair share when I’m out with Sid, wearing his ring would only make it intensify.”

“You think that once you’re married it’s all going to go away?”

“No, but I think that it will be easier to deal with. Right now we’re keeping it quiet because we just got everything back on track. I don’t want to mess it all up again,” she told him. “We want to get the general outline of the wedding handled before we tell the world.”

“And you want to make sure that it’s for real this time, that you two will spend forever together.”

She nodded. “That’s the plan.”

Troy smiled. “I have more to discuss with you but I think I’ve taken up enough of your time already.”

Careful, she warned herself. “Why don’t you swing by the apartment later today, when I’m off work?”

“That sounds good,” he said.

Riley gave him directions to the apartment and an approximate time to arrive as she drove them both back to the studio. Riley walked into the building as Troy walked off to get to his rental car. Once inside, she sat down heavily in her leather chair. That wasn’t so bad, she mused. Maybe they could work things out later that night, just the two of them.

Just then, Riley noticed a red light blinking on her office phone. She had one new voicemail.

“Hey babe, I don’t know where you are right now but I just wanted to tell you that they rescheduled our game to three instead of seven, which means that I’ll be home for dinner tonight! I miss you tons, talk to you later. I love you, Rye.”

Or maybe they wouldn’t.

Chapter Fifty-Three

2009-12-30T23:05:00.002-05:00

Riley rubbed her gloved hands together in a pitiful attempt to keep warm. Now he’s gone, she mused, the voice in her head bitter. Sidney had left early that morning, before the snowfall, for his two game road trip. That night they would be playing Tampa Bay, and the next night the Panthers. Both teams, she thought, were in the warm state of Florida. She was envious.

As her fiancé would be soaking up the sun, she would be in the beginning stages of planning her wedding. And if that wasn’t stressful enough, in a few hours Riley would be telling her mother for the first time that she would be marrying a professional hockey player. Eliza Jacobs was never someone who enjoyed the sport of hockey, and she was definitely not someone who took to being told important news near last. So Riley had prepared herself for her mother’s angry wrath once she found out that she would be hearing the news of her daughter’s engagement after her future son-in-law’s hockey team did. There was one thing to be grateful for though, Riley thought, the news of hers and Sidney’s engagement was kept under wraps, with only close friends and family aware.

She took two deep breaths as she walked up the beautiful stone steps of the Lemieux mansion. She and Nathalie, Mario’s wife, had planned to get together a few hours before the scheduled affair to get everything ready. Nathalie and Mario had insisted that it be at their estate instead of the apartment Riley and Sidney shared. Not wanting to seem too defiant, and after realizing that the apartment could not comfortably hold a dozen women at one time, Riley agreed that it be held outside of her home.

She cleared her throat and knocked on the large wooden doors. Moments later it opened, Mario’s eldest daughter, Lauren, greeted Riley with a bright smile.

“Hey Rye,” she said in a bubbly tone. “Come on in.”

“Thanks.” Feeling the need to make conversation, Riley smiled at Lauren and said: “How are you?”

Lauren returned the smile. “I’m good, congrats on the engagement by the way; you and Sid are great together. Oh, and my mom is in the kitchen, if you’re wondering.”

“Thank you. Are you going to join in on the wedding planning, by any chance?”

“Probably,” she answered. “This is going to be the most talked about wedding here for the next few months.”

“Don’t remind me,” Riley said before making her way into the kitchen to greet Nathalie.

The back wall of the kitchen was the main focal point of the whole room. It was all windows and displayed the gorgeous backyard that was now covered with a few feet of white snow. It was an interesting contrast in the winter months. The kitchen countertops were a solid black made from granite that coincided perfectly with the light-coloured wooden cupboards.

She spotted Nathalie instantly; the woman was hard to miss. She stood with her back to Riley, cutting up some vegetables. She was dressed in dark jeans and a light grey sweater; simple, easy, comfortable. That was one thing that Riley really looked at Nathalie for: simplicity. Yes, the woman could doll herself up to look like Barbie, but on most days she looked like an average woman, a woman who could relate to anyone and everyone. She had it all—and Riley wanted to be just like her, with a few minor differences, Riley added with a smile to herself.

“Good morning, Nathalie,” Riley said in her sweet voice.

Nathalie turned around to face Riley quickly, delighted to hear her. “Riley! It’s good to see you again.” She smiled brightly and handed Riley a celery stick. “I’m so excited!”

A laugh bubbled out of Riley’s mouth. “I’m a mix of emotions; excitement, nervousness, bewilderment.” She crunched down on the vegetable. “Everything is going by so fast; everyone is growing up.”

“Oh, tell me about it!” Nathalie exclaimed. “I’ve got a sixteen-year-old daughter who is quickly approaching seventeen and three other growing kids.”

Riley laughed, grabbed a carrot stick and smiled when the man of the house wandered in. “Good morning, Mario,” she greeted.

Nathalie quickly turned around to face her husband. “You’re still here?”

“What, you don’t want me anymore?” Mario joked.

“No! Get out of here. It’s a girl’s day,” Nathalie told him.

As they bantered back and forth, Riley thought of how cute they were together. After years of marriage, four kids, and a retirement they still acted like a young who were foolishly in love. But then again, Riley thought, that’s exactly what they were.

Was her relationship with Sidney like that? Of course it was, she mused after a moment of deep thought. He was her best friend. He knew things about her that she didn’t know about herself. He knew what each tone meant, what each action symbolized. He understood her reasons for focusing so much on her work, for wanting to be the best. He understood her moments of happiness and spurts of doubt. But most of all, she thought, he got her.

But did she understand him? Riley had come to the conclusion long ago that she would never understand why he chose a sport as his career—but she accepted it. She also recognized his need for privacy; all his life he had been in the spotlight of the hockey world. Riley knew Sidney as the quiet, genuine guy he was, not the hockey god he was portrayed as.

And that was it, Riley concluded. It was the fact that they knew each other for who they were not what they are that would benefit them in the long run. Sidney would always be a hockey legend and she would be known for her journalistic talents, but at the end of every day, he was just Sidney Crosby and she was Riley Jacobs—without the titles.

“I’ll see you later, Riley.” Mario smiled at her when she looked up, then left the room.

Nathalie sighed but Riley could tell it was in a loving way. “He takes so long to do anything.”

An hour later, Riley sat in her Jeep in complete silence as she cruised the roads of Pittsburgh. The drive to the airport took her no longer than 30 minutes but she used the time wisely; she basked in the serene silence. It wouldn’t last much longer, she thought as she approached the airport.

Her mother was not going to get a warm welcoming. Let the games begin, Riley thought as she got out of her car and walked the fair distance to the crowded building. As soon as she got to gate 5 the loud voice boomed over the speakers. Riley listened carefully to the announcement of the Montreal flight arrival. Minutes later, she spotted her mother and sister. Riley noted that her mother walked in brisk strides and that her sister walked nonchalantly.

“Rye!” Storm, Riley’s younger and only sister shouted when she spotted her.

“Stormy!” Riley hugged her sister tightly, then turned to her mother. “Bonjour maman.”
“Riley, vous regardez bien.” Eliza hugged her daughter quickly, then made her way to the airport exit.

Here we go, Riley mused and sighed. She turned to her sister, who was now only an inch or two shorter than she, and smiled. “Comment allez-vous?”

Storm smiled, showing offer her white, perfectly straight teeth. “Je suis bon, vous-même?”

“Je suis bon,” Riley replied but thought, not for long. She watched her mother, who was a few strides ahead of her, shove her way through a crowd. Riley then thought of how a few months ago her sister had been telling her of the English lessons she was taking and decided to ask her about them. “Parlez-vous anglais?”

Storm looked at Riley, smiled, and said: “Yes.”

Riley laughed at her sister’s strong accent. “You’re getting there,” she told her.

When they reached Riley’s green Jeep, she saw how many bags her mother had brought with her. She didn’t think there would be enough room in her apartment for all of it. But with Sidney gone, they would have some extra room.

“Mom,” she said in quick French, “how much did you bring?”

“Enough for the week,” she quipped.

“Week?” Riley echoed. “I thought you were only coming down for three days?”

“Your sister and I wanted to check out the city and some stores around here, so we extended the trip. We also thought we’d give Ben a little visit.”

And, Riley thought, that little extension was going to throw her whole schedule off. She had only planned for a simple three day visit from her mother, not seven. Riley had timed it so that she could entertain family while Sidney was away. Now she’d have to call him, she thought darkly.

“So, Riley,” Eliza started in her sharp tone. Riley thought it sounded even worse in French. “Why all of a sudden did you want to catch up with us? We haven’t heard from you since your break up with that hockey player.”

Riley knew that her mother never accepted the fact that Sidney played hockey for a living. Telling her that she was about to marry him would only make things worse. “About that,” Riley returned in her native language. “Sid and I talked it out—”

“You went back to him?” Eliza cut in, astonished with a hint of rising anger.

“We both agreed to give it another go—”

“You went back to him.” This time, Riley knew, it wasn’t a question—it was an accusation. And she didn’t appreciate it.

“Maman!” She was going to get it out now before they arrived to the Lemieux place. “I love Sidney. I’m in love with him. I asked you to come down here because I wanted to tell you in person that Sid and I are getting married.”

There, she thought, it was out. She felt weightless now, the truth was out there whether or not Eliza Jacobs liked it or not.

“What?!” Eliza screeched. “You’re what?” She gripped the strap on her purse tightly; trapping it between the perfectly manicured claws that she called nails. “What?” she said one more time.

Riley took a deep breath, let it out threw her teeth. “Sid and I are getting married.”

“When?”

“It hasn’t been decided yet.”

“When did he propose to you, Riley?” The tone of her mother’s voice, the authority in it brought the fangs out in Riley.

“It wasn’t really a proposal, it was more of an ultimatum, but it was about a month ago.”

“A month? You waited a month to tell your own mother that you’re engaged? Riley Jacqueline Jacobs, have you no—”

“Goddamn it, mother—”

“Don’t you swear at me, don’t you dare.”

Riley had to take another deep breath to calm herself or she would end up saying something that she would later regret. “Mother,” she said, this time in calm French. “I didn’t tell you because I thought it would be better to wait and tell you face to face. Wait,” she said when she noticed Eliza getting ready to interrupt. “I also held back in telling you because I knew, I knew, Mom, that you would cause a scene just like you are now.”

There was a moment of silence and Riley thought that she had finally gotten through to her mother, finally made her see if from her point of view.

Eliza sighed, closed her eyes and then spoke. “I’m happy for you, Riley. Even though I don’t understand his lifestyle one bit, I can learn to accept it because I want to be happy that my daughter has found what’s right for her.” She paused and turned to Riley, opening her eyes into tiny slits. “Who have you told before me?”

“Mom, don’t do this.”

"Come on, Riley, who else knows?”

She sighed. “Not many; we wanted to keep it as secretive as possible. Only close friends and family know.”

“But I was the last to know?”

Even though Eliza’s tone had softened, Riley didn’t trust it. “Yes.” She glanced quickly at her mother as she pulled into the Lemieux driveway. “Please, Mom, just leave it at that.”

“Fine,” she sniffed and stepped out of the Jeep.

“Well I’m happy about your engagement,” Storm said from the backseat.

“Merci,” Riley said as she, too, stepped out.

When they stepped inside the warm house, Riley noticed that a few of the other women had arrived and were already helping themselves to the delicious display of fruits and vegetables. She spotted Nathalie and gave her a look that screamed: Help me!

Sure enough, Nathalie sauntered over, arms open, to the three Jacobs’ women. “Eliza, Storm,” she greeted in an excited voice, “vous deux semblez merveilleux!”

With her mother and sister off on a tour of the house, Riley wandered over into the large living room where several women were scattered about chatting with each other. Vero approached her by linking her arm through Riley’s and showed off her bright smile.

“Rye,” Vero said, “Where have you been?” She brushed the question off quickly. “It doesn’t matter. Now I know that there are a few women who you probably have never met or just don’t remember, so I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

She led Riley off towards the group of unfamiliar women, chatting the whole way. The only thought in Riley’s mind, however, was how in the hell she was going to get everything back into a calm order. Hopefully, she thought, without anymore unwanted surprises.

But she couldn’t have been more wrong.

Chapter Fifty-Two

2009-11-15T15:59:00.002-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Fifty-Two

The days passed quickly for Riley and Sidney over the next few weeks. They spent most of their free time looking for places to live and getting their relationship back on track. But of course their own lives were beginning to get busy again. Riley caught up on a lot of work during the week Sidney was in Calgary at the Team Canada tryouts.

Most people found that things fell better into place during the summer, but not Riley and Sidney. Now eight games into the regular NHL season, both careers in full throttle, they were even more in sync than ever. Riley had been making an effort to attend more Penguins games and it had been paying off in Sidney’s opinion. Even though she had only been to a few, Sidney had played exceptionally well on those days. He found that her presence at a game brought a whole different aura to the locker room. The guys had more energy, more excitement on the nights she sat in the stands and cheered them on; he was looking forward to this season.

He thought of that as he dressed and found himself buzzing with anticipation for their game that night against the Toronto Maple Leafs—a team they struggled to defeat. He pushed the statistics out of his mind; tonight would be different, tonight Riley would be in the crowd.

Sidney was smiling as he sauntered out of the bathroom looking oh so professional in his suit for the game. He spotted Riley sitting on the couch with her long legs folded under her. Unlike him, Riley was dressed casually in jeans and a plaid shirt. He noted that she had added a necklace, a bracelet and flats that matched her shirt. Riley rarely wore heels because she felt too tall in them, she was 5’7” and stuck mainly with flats or running shoes.

Sidney walked around the couch so he could stand directly in front of Riley. He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned in and kissed her right on the mouth. Then he grabbed her hands and pulled her of the couch.

“Well aren’t you chipper today,” Riley commented with a short, bubbling laugh.

He dragged her to the door and handed her her jacket. “I’m excited.”

Oh, was he ever, Riley thought as they pulled into the parking space at the beloved Mellon Arena. Then entire drive there Sidney had been practically bouncing in his seat. As they got out of his silver Range Rover, Sidney pulled her close and the two of them walked hand in hand into the building.

They spoke with a few of the guys until it was time for them to suit up. Before going in, Sidney had pulled Riley aside, and after making sure no one else was near, kissed her deeply. He kissed her once more quickly and said, “Oh, you’re sitting with Mario tonight.”

Eyes wide, Riley responded, confounded. “I am?” This was news to her.

“Yeah, he told me the other day that he had an extra seat available in the box tonight, and wanted you to fill it if you were coming. Anyway,” he said as he glanced at his watch, “you should start making your way up there.” And he kissed her one more time before disappearing behind the large doors.

She sighed and made her way up to Mario Lemieux’s private box. Riley was aware of the sly glances that people shot at her as she walked through the crowded corridors. She smiled when she ran into Veronique, Marc-Andre Fleury’s long-time girlfriend. Riley liked to think of her as the five-star general of the Penguins’ girlfriends/wives.

“Rye!” Vero had rushed up to Riley and enveloped her in a friendly hug.

“How’ve you been, Vee?” Riley asked in a warm tone. Sometimes, depending on the situation, they would speak only in French together. They liked to think that thay way less people knew what they were saying because it’s always hard to pick out key words in a fast-talking foreign language. Plus, it was both their native language.

“I’ve been good; I missed you like crazy though.”

“Well, you know that I missed you too. We’ll see a lot of each other now with the hockey season started.”

Vero smiled. “More since you’ve decided to attend games.”

“Yeah, well, I’m making an attempt to learn what Sid does for a living,” Riley said with a laugh. “Anyway, I’ll see you later.”

“You’re not sitting with us?”

“Not tonight. Apparently I’m sitting with Mario this evening,” she told her.

“Oh okay, but after the game meet me in the lounge. We have to talk about things,” Vero said just before they parted.

Riley made it up to Mario’s box in one piece, fighting her way through the hoard of people in record time. When she got up there, she instantly spotted the man in charge. Mario stood in the doorway looking important in his dark suit.

When he saw her, a smile instantly grew on his face. “How are you, Riley?”

“I’m doing well.” She hugged him. “How are you?”

He motioned for her to walk in. “I’m good. It’s nice to have the season start up again, isn’t it?”

“Oh it is, Sid is both eager and nervous.”

“He laughed. “Aren’t we all?” Mario walked over to a fridge. “Would you like something to drink? Water, wine, a soft drink?”

She looked around the room, noticed it was empty; only her and Mario. “Water’s fine,” she replied with a quick smile. “Who else is joining us up here?”

“No one, it’s just us tonight.” He handed her a bottle of cool water. “Besides,” he said as he took a seat next to the one she chose, “I wanted to speak with you.”

Riley controlled her face and most of her voice before responding, “Oh.” She hadn’t a clue what about so she waited for him to speak.

“You’re back with Sid, I see.” He sipped his own bottle of water. “Things are going good?”

Riley smiled. “Better than ever.”

“But you’re currently living at a friend’s apartment?”

“It’s only temporary until Sid and I find a place,” she told him as the game began. “And it’s not too cramped since Brett so graciously offered us the place while he’s spending some time with Jamie.”

“You know,” Mario began, “the two of you are more than welcome to stay with my family until you get settled into a permanent place.”

Riley tore her attention away from the game to stare at Mario with bafflement. “Oh Mario, we wouldn’t want to put you out.”

He actually started to laugh. “You wouldn’t; Heaven knows the house is big enough. Besides, the kids miss having Sid around, and Nathalie is forever talking about having another pair of helping hands.” He flashed a grin at her and said, “But I just think that she wants another woman around.” He paused and turned his attention to the game just in time to see Marc-Andre shut the door on a Leafs’ player. “We love both of you, and since you and Sidney are planning on tying the knot, you are now a part of our family.”

She was warmed by his words but couldn’t think of anything to say, so she mumbled, “Mario, that’s…”

“Just an option,” he reminded her casually.

“I’ll mention it to Sidney.” With that, Riley directed her attention back to the game just in time to see her fiancé racing down the ice and flipping the puck past Toskala.

She spoke with Mario throughout the game but mostly watched the game down below. The Penguins had dominated the entire game, only letting the Leafs get off four shots; Marc-Andre Fleury successfully stacked the pads and flashed the leather all four times. As the final buzzer sounded, Riley stood with a smile; they had finally put Toronto in their place, defeating them 6-0.

Riley made her way to the locker room with Mario. She noted that walking with him got her to and from places faster and easier than it was when she was just on her own.

“They did really well tonight,” she commented as they passed a few fans exiting the arena.

“They did,” he agreed. “The team seems to have an extra jump to them this year, Sidney especially.” He held the door for her and smiled. “Even though I have probably said this a thousand times in the past few weeks, I’ll say it again. Congratulations on the engagement; you and Sid are perfect for each other.”

Riley thanked him just seconds before Vero found her and led her away to the lounge area.

“Okay,” she began, seating Riley down in front of her. “This weekend when the boys are away on their road trip we are planning the planning your wedding. It’ll be you, me, and the rest of the girls, your brother’s fiancée, and my friend Amelia Burke.”

Riley had to refrain from laughing at Vero’s total seriousness. “I think my mom and sister said they’d be flying down this weekend.”

Vero let out a little squeal. “Even better; more ladies, more ideas.”

Soon after, the room began to empty when the players left with their significant others and when the press had started to file out. Riley sat quietly on the couch looking at all the pictures on the walls. One picture caught her attention though and she got up to take a closer look at it; it was one from the previous year which showed Sidney celebrating a hat trick with his team mates. It was then that she realized how much of his life she had been missing out on.

Just then she felt arms snake around her and caught the thrilling scent of male. She spun around in his arms and smiled wide at him. Sidney dipped his head and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Great game,” she whispered in his ear.

He lifted her and pressed his mouth to hers again when she wrapped her long legs around his waist. “Thanks. So how did it go with Mario up there?”

“It was good; very luxurious.”

“Yeah, well, that’s Mario for you.”

Coach Dan Bylsma walked by just in time to see the two of them in an intimate embrace in the lounge. “Hey, none of that here—lounge rules,” he joked.

“Sorry coach,” the both muttered as Sidney put Riley down, he took her hand instead and they both strolled out of the room.

Sidney signed a few autographs for the dedicated fans who had waited out in the chilly weather. Riley stepped aside and let him brighten the day for a dozen people. She watched him squat down and chat with a child who she estimated to be around five or six. Her heart melted when she saw him talk with the little boy’s parents and hear him faintly say, “It’s past your bedtime, bud.” The boy smiled, showing off his two missing front teeth.

Yes, she thought as she rubbed her arms to keep warm, she missed huge parts of his life when she didn’t attend his games, didn’t ask about them, didn’t read the articles written on him. Well, that would change. They were in it till the end now. From now on, she’d get more involved in his world.

She grinned at him as he walked towards her. “You’re something else.”

He raised a brow. “I am? Something good, I hope.”

She shook her head as he pulled her to his Range Rover that now sat nearly alone in the parking lot. It was dark out now that it was past eleven o’clock. Riley sat down in the cold seats of his car, hoping that the heat he had turned on would kick in soon. “So, Mario was telling me something tonight,” she began in an almost dreamy tone.

Sidney started up the engine and pulled away from the Mellon Arena. “Oh yeah? And what would it be?”

“Yeah,” she said as she settled back into the seat. “He was telling me of how much his kids adore you and how they all miss having you around.” She turned her head to look out the window at the city’s lights passing by. “He mentioned how he and the family were more than willing to have us stay with them until we find a permanent place.”

Sidney was quiet for a moment. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him that I’d swing it by you. How do you feel about it?”

He pulled into the parking space at Brett’s apartment. “I think it’s a good idea.”

Chapter Fifty-One

2009-10-12T16:28:00.004-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Fifty-One

After hours of laughing and drinking with friends, Riley and Sidney got back to Brett’s apartment dead tired and a little drunk at one o’clock in the morning. They had tried to be as quiet as they could in the halls but they both let out giggles when Riley fumbled for the keys.

“You know,” Sidney began, stepping out of his shoes, “this is the part where we’re supposed to have really hot, really passionate make-up sex.”

Riley slanted him a look caught between amusement and annoyance. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m way too tired for wild sex. And besides,” she added as she stripped on her way to the bedroom. “I may fall asleep and damage your ego.”

It was only the two of them in the apartment, Brett had decided to spend the night at Jamie’s since Sidney would be coming back with Riley and he had a hunch of their activities for the next little while. So to spare them all an awkward moment, he would spend the next few days with his fiancé.

“I don’t mind if you fall asleep…” Sidney trailed off.

Now dressed in grey sweatpants and a red tank top, Riley slid into the bed. “Pervert.”

“You love it.” He pulled her back against him and drifted off into a much needed sleep, her scent leading him to blissful dreams.

She woke to the arousing feel of his lips on hers, his hands stroking possessively over her lean body. She smiled into the kiss as her body quickly shook off sleep. He murmured a sound of pleasure when she climbed on top of him. She ran her hands up and down his toned, bare chest, and shuddered in delight at the feel of his strong muscles and hard abs.

The mood changed, the pace quickened as he rolled her under him and hastily lifted off her shirt.

“Oh God,” he groaned, kissing every inch of skin on her torso.

Her world was spinning, her breath hitching and her heart was pounding. How had she gone without this for an entire month? He did things to her that no other could; he drove her insane. With her eyes locked on his, Riley pulled down his boxers. She needed to feel the hard length of him.

Sidney kissed her neck and her face as she touched him in places that always seemed to ache for her. The blood was pulsating in his head but he continued to keep himself in check. He wanted to give Riley everything.

“Don’t hold back,” she panted, still looking into his eyes. In them, she saw the wild need and the restraint that somehow miraculously overpowered it. She would have none of that. If she was going to lose her mind and all feeling in her body, so was he. “Don’t you dare hold back.”

He took her advice, ripped off her pants, and plunged himself deep inside her.

When she was almost certain that she had the energy to, Riley spoke. “Wow.” Her admiring tone made Sidney smile.

“I’ll say.” He let his hand rub up and down her back in lazy strokes. She was resting her head and hand on his chest, still catching her breath. “Rye?”

She stretched and curled into him like a cat preparing for a nice nap. “Hmm?”

He was sure that she couldn’t see his face but still tried to conceal the smirk. “When did you get that tattoo?”

Her green eyes popped open. She had completely forgotten about her newest piece of artwork. But instead of coming clean with it, Riley went with the knee-jerk response. “What?”

“The tattoo,” he repeated, “on your—”

“I was drunk,” she exclaimed, cutting off his amused clarification.

“Go on.”

She sighed and sat up. “It was on my birthday,” Riley said and began to tell him the story.

***
“Come on, Rye, have some fun!” Kaylan Penton shouted as she dragged Riley into the crowded bar.

“I don’t feel like having fun,” Riley protested.

Kaylan led her to a table, sat her down and then focused her bright eyes on Riley. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“You already know about Sid and me.”

Kaylan rested her hand on Riley’s. “I know that you and Sid are no longer together. What I don’t know is why.”

Riley sighed. “I needed some space.”

Kaylan’s brows drew together in confusion. “What are you talking about? Why, Riley, would you leave your loving boyfriend when everything was going so perfectly?”

“I don’t know…”

Kaylan took a sip of the frothy drink that was placed in front of her. “What happened that you’re not telling me?”

Taking a deep breath, Riley decided it was time she open up about it all. “Sidney’s parents were over and I was in the house doing whatever while he spoke with his mom and sister. That was when I came face to face with Troy. He had been acting sour around me so I decided that it was time to finally ask him about it. Well, Troy isn’t one to shy away from letting out his thoughts. He mentioned things about my career and how I was only as far in it because of the man I was dating.” Riley let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. “That got me thinking, you know? What if I was only acknowledged because of Sid?

“At first I didn’t care but then I wondered if Troy was the only one who thought that. I focus so much on my career, so much on who I am and not enough on my boyfriend’s life. I don’t understand the sport he plays, I don’t see how it can be made as a career, I never go to his games. I mean, I ask him how everything went when he gets home because I don’t even watch. And even when he’s explaining it all to me in his hockey-speak, I’m not even paying attention. I let him ramble for a good twenty minutes while I think about my duties for the day. That makes me a—what do they call it—puck bunny, doesn’t it? I left Sid because he deserves better than that.”

Riley’s jaw dropped when Kaylan started to laugh. “What is so funny?”

“You, a puck bunny?” Kaylan’s face and tone sobered. “Sweetheart, you are the polar opposite of puck bunny. Sid knows that too. Hell, everyone does! Sure, you don’t go to his games, but that’s better than you going and being bored out of your mind. It also creates less media attention, which is something you know Sid appreciates. You focus so much on your career because it’s something you love, and something you’re good at. Rye, you are one of the most hard-working, independent, intelligent women—no, people—that I know. You couldn’t come anywhere near puck bunny if you tried.”

“Kay, I work in the media, I know how cruel it can be. If Troy decides to spread his thoughts around it’s only going to put more stress on Sid. Not to mention everyone will think that it’s true.” Riley took a sip of her drink.

Kaylan looked at her with sympathetic eyes. “Who cares what people think? Your relationship is between you and Sid only. Let everyone else believe what they want, even if it isn’t true,” Kaylan told her honestly. “Now,” she said as she straightened, “let’s finish these drinks, and the next round, and go get matching tattoos.”

With her mind being covered with an alcoholic haze, Riley responded happily. “Sounds like a plan.”

***

Riley kept her eyes closed even after she finished speaking. The room was silent, and she didn’t know if that was good or bad. Sidney hadn’t said a word while she told him of the night of her 23rd birthday. In fact, she realized, he had moved away from her.

Sidney had pulled on a pair of boxers and stalked over to the window while Riley was talking. He ran a hand through his hair as he watched the cars whiz by on their way to wherever. He kept quiet for a few moments once Riley finished. He had to gather all of his thoughts because right now they were buzzing around everywhere.

“You left me because of my dad?” He didn’t know how to feel about that.

“What are you… oh.” It occurred to Riley that she had never told Sidney the real reason why she left.

He turned around when she walked up behind him. Then he rested his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “We’re getting married sometime next year, but I want to start a new chapter now. That new chapter is that there will be no more secrets between us anymore. We tell each other everything, okay? I’ll deal with my dad later, but right now I want for us to be 100% made up.”

She stood on her tip of her toes and kissed him. “We are.”

“Good. Now, what are we going to do for the day?”

Riley bit her lip and looked at him mischievously. “I’ve got an idea, but it would require you to lose these,” she said as she tugged on the waistband of his boxers.

“Funny,” he said with a smile, “I was thinking the same thing.”

“It looks like we’re back in synch,” Riley said a second before he lifted her and carried her back into bed.

Chapter Fifty

2009-09-07T18:33:00.005-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Fifty

As far as day offs went, Riley mused, this one was pretty damn good. She had spent the day lounging around in sweats, eating popcorn and drinking fine wine with the man she considered her own personal hero. Brett Sharpe had kept her from leaping off the edge of sanity.

Now they stood dressed formally for their dinner date that was scheduled for seven at a new French restaurant. Well, it was quarter after seven and Riley was in a little black dress, with flaming red heels, pacing the apartment’s living room. Brett was in the bathroom fixing his hair.

“Brett,” Riley called out, “could you at least try to hurry?”

“Give me five more minutes. I’m having a bad hair day.” His voice was a little muffled because of the door, but Riley heard him loud and clear. She had ears like a cat.

“You said that ten minutes ago, when you all ready know that your hair is naturally perfect.”

“Five minutes, Riley. Oh, and get the door,” he added when it rang.

She muttered a suggestion under her breath that would have appalled him if he’d heard it while she stalked to the door. Even Riley couldn’t mask the surprise that came to her pretty face when she swung the door open.

“Jack.” She hadn’t seen, or spoken to him since she left Rimouski for Australia, five years back.

“Hey, Rye.” His smile was as easy as his tone. “Gonna invite me in?”

“Right.” She started to move aside, then stopped. “You’ve caught me at a bad time, Jack. I was just on my way out.”

He studied her up and down and then grinned. “So I see. Lookin’ good, Rye.”

She flushed slightly, which had only added to her beauty. The last time he had seen her she’d been in jeans and a t-shirt with her hair tied in a loose ponytail. Now she was dressed in a sleek and sexy black little dress, red heels, red lipstick, and a little red handbag. Her hair was up in a bun with what he took as chopsticks in her hair.

The years had been very generous to her.

“Thanks, I—” She broke off when Brett walked into the living room.

“Riley, who’s at the— Oh. Hello,” Brett said in a charming tone.

“You look perfect,” Riley muttered under her breath, looking at Brett. “Ah, Brett, Jack Johnson. Jack, Brett Sharpe.”

“Nice to meet you.” Find somewhere else to be, Brett told himself. “I’ll just go get my jacket.”

As he walked off, Jack looked around the apartment. It was clean, he noted, except for the glassed of wine on the table. And spacious, even with all the stylish furniture there was still a lot of empty space. He thought the place suited Riley just fine.

“He seems nice,” Jack commented.

Riley smiled. “Brett’s a great guy. So, what brings you to Pittsburgh, Jack? As I recall it isn’t hockey season just yet.”

You always did have good taste, he mused. “No, it’s not that time of year. However, I was just passing through and thought I’d pay an old friend a visit. But I see you’re busy so we’ll have to reschedule our little rendezvous.”

“How long are you in town?”

“It depends, really,” he told her.

She pursed her lips, and drew her brows together, in thought. “Well tomorrow I work from nine to five. Do you want to do a dinner thing?”

After a moment’s thought and careful calculation, Jack responded. “Yeah, I think I can manage a dinner thing. It’ll have to be a later one, though.”

Riley smiled. “No problem. Does seven work for you? Or shall we make it seven-thirty?”

“Seven’s fine,” he assured her. “I’ll need your cell number.”

“Right,” she muttered. It occurred to Riley now that she had left her phone in the bedroom. “Let me just go get that,” she said, and then turned down the hallway. She appeared seconds later with her phone held tightly in her hand. “Add your number in and I’ll do the same.”

They exchanged numbers and goodbyes as Jack left for the evening. Brett returned to the living room just as Riley closed the door. He looked perfect, she thought enviously. He had probably spent the last hour in the bathroom staring at himself instead of fixing his hair. The man always looked perfect.

“Ready?” She asked with a quick glance at her watch. They were now half an hour late.

“Yes,” Brett answered. After he locked the door, he and Riley made their way down to the parking garage, his arm wrapped companionably around her waist. “How convenient of him to stop by,” he commented on the drive to the restaurant.

“He was in town, and decided to drop by,” she said with a shrug.

“Mm-hmm. Whatever makes you happy, my dear,” he said easily as he pulled into a parking space. “So you’ll read the menu to me, right? I don’t happen to speak French.”

Riley laughed as they walked into the building. Lumiere was an expensive, fine dining French restaurant that had opened only months before. She’d been dying to try it out.

A man in a suit opened the door for them as they entered. “Bonjour, madam et monsieur.” He gave them the once-over coolly, nodded in approval. “Table for two?”

“We have reservations for Jacobs,” Riley told him kindly.

“Ah yes, follow me.”

He led them to a table in the back where only candles lit the room, and soft music played. There Riley spotted her brother, Ben and his fiancée, Kim. They looked to be in an intense conversation but looked up as the man in the suit delicately cleared his throat.

“Your guests have arrived,” he stated then left.

Brett pulled Riley’s chair out for her, then sat beside her. He had met Ben and Kim before and found that he enjoyed their company very much. He could see a lot of Riley in her older brother.

“So, how have you two been?” Ben asked once the waiter, Pierre, brought out the glasses of water.

“Good,” Riley said. “Busy with work, you know?”

“Much of the same for me,” Brett said pleasantly. “And what about you two?”

Ben and Kim looked at each other and grinned. “Work and wedding plans,” Kim said.

They continued to talk throughout the evening with only a few disturbances. Several people had walked by their table and said hello to Riley, saying how they enjoyed her articles and wished to see more of her on TV. She would reply with a smile and thank them for their support in her charming way.

When it was nearing the end of their dinner, a man had approached their table wishing to speak with Brett.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said then got up to talk with the man.

Recognizing the look in Riley’s eyes, Kim also excused herself. “I need to go touch up my makeup,” she told them before scurrying off to the ladies’ room.

Both Ben and Riley watched her in silence. “You sure know how to clear a table,” Ben joked.

“Brett wasn’t my fault,” she said.

“I know. So what did you want to talk to me about?”

Riley stared at his face. “I never said that I wanted to speak to you about anything.”

“You didn’t, no. But there is a look in your eye that says differently.”

She sighed. “Okay, so maybe I did want to talk to you about something.” Riley took a long sip of water. “I’m having second thoughts.”

“About what in particular, Rye?”

“About everything. Did I make the right decision? Or did I blow it all out of proportion? Am I happy? God, Ben, I broke his heart again. On the same goddamn day too.”

“Irony,” Ben said softly. “I can’t answer those questions for you. Although I will tell you this: I don’t think you’ll do yourself any good dwelling on the past. Five years ago you left Rimouski to make a name for yourself; that was probably your smartest decision ever. A month ago you left Nova Scotia to prove to yourself that the name you have was created by you and your talents only; that was probably your stupidest decision ever.”

Riley sat there staring at her brother. She had always admired him, had always trusted him, but she had no idea that he would say something like that to her. Over the past month dozens of people had offered their advice—none had gotten through to her like this.

She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it firmly when she saw Brett and Kim walking back to the table.

“Are we ready to head out?” Brett asked, his eyes focused on Riley.

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s getting late and I’ve got work in the morning.” She put fifty dollars on the table and then turned to her brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Bye,” she said to each of them and kissed them on the cheek.

The drive back to the apartment was quiet. Brett had the car windows open a bit, letting in the warm summer night air. When they got back to the apartment, he turned to her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she replied.

“Then why is there sadness lingering in your eyes?” At her silence he pulled her in for a comforting hug. “You miss him, don’t you?”

She looked up at him. “Yeah, I’m just starting to realize it now, too.”

“No, you’re finally starting to admit it,” he corrected, tilting her face up even more with his finger. Then he leaned down and laid his lips lightly over hers, a gesture made to soothe. “Go change into something comfy, and then get some sleep.”

She nodded and pulled away from him slowly. She turned to grab her handbag off the couch and that’s when she spotted a pair of pink Converse laying by the front door. They were hers, no doubt about it, but they hadn’t been there that morning, she was sure of that. When she realized how they got there, the red handbag that she adored fell to the floor.

She had left those shoes at Sidney’s summer home in Nova Scotia in her rush to leave. And the only person who had visited the apartment the entire day was one person who she knew would have been there. Jack. The name rang through her head a thousand times, it was overwhelming. She sat on the arm of the couch, a dazed expression masking her face.

Riley was only in the apartment physically. Every other part of her was in Nova Scotia. She didn’t even notice Brett standing in front of her, didn’t feel his hands on her shoulders. Was he keeping her upright? She couldn’t feel anything.

“Riley,” she heard Brett say. “Riley? Earth to Riley? Anyone there?” He shook her slightly; she didn’t feel it. The only thing she could feel was the broken pieces of her heart aching. “Riley, damn it, say something.”

She opened her mouth, moved her lips like she was speaking, but no sound escaped. She could hear a dull buzzing in her ears and behind that was Brett’s voice telling her to say something, anything. “The shoes,” she whispered. When he only continued to look at her with worried eyes, she pointed. “The shoes, Brett.” Her voice was coming stronger. “The shoes,” she repeated in a voice that shook with hysteria. “They weren’t there this morning, or yesterday, or the day before. But they’re there now. I left them at—” She took a deep breath, so deep it hurt. “I left those shoes at Sid’s.”

Brett turned and looked at the shoes. Something jumped in his stomach. “You left them in Nova Scotia, and now they’re here. Now you’re thinking that…” It all made sense now.

“Jack. Jack wasn’t just in town. The bastard lied to me. He was in Nova Scotia with Sid, then he was here. Why? To check up on me? I wouldn’t put it past Sid to keep tabs on me. But why him? His whole bloody team is right here. Why?”

He didn’t have the answers to that questions she kept asking herself. He knew she wouldn’t want them anyway. Riley was a person who liked to figure things out herself. Brett respected that, and that’s why he said no more for the rest of the night.

This was something Riley needed to do on her own. But he’d be there for her if she needed him.

***

Jack didn’t mind planes. He had gotten used to them over the years; especially with all the traveling from city to city he had to do with hockey. He actually enjoyed those plane rides with his teammates, his friends, his brothers. They gave him time to goof around and times to think and times to sulk.

But this time he had an unusual feeling in the pit of his stomach. That feeling, he realized, was a mix of nervousness and fear. And it wasn’t because of the planes.

How would he do it? How could he? How did a man tell his friend that the girl he loved was with another man? Well, he would just have to find a way.

Jack walked up to the door and took a deep breath before knocking. He tried to compose himself in those gruelling seconds it took Sidney to open the door. Then he’d have to break his friend’s heart.

The door swung open and Jack was met with Sidney’s smiling face. The smile wavered as Sidney racked his brain for reasons his pal would be on his doorstep looking so guilty.

“Jack, what are you doing here? I thought you had to go back to L.A.” Sidney moved aside to let Jack in.

“Yeah, I lied.” He felt horrible, worse than horrible. “Sid, I—” He broke off, cursed. How would he do this? God, he hated what he had to say. Just then a thought came to mind. It could work, maybe. “Sid, pack up some clothes. The plane leaves in ten minutes.”

***

After two hours of sleep and four of tossing and turning, Riley sat with a thud at the kitchen table for breakfast. She wasn’t really hungry but decided to eat the bacon and eggs Brett had prepared for her. She decided it was best to forget about yesterday’s events.

“I’m testing out my cooking skills,” he told her after minutes of silence.

She stopped stabbing her eggs to look up at him. “These aren’t lethal or anything, are they?”

He snorted. “Jamie’s been giving me pointers on cooking.”

“Oh, well then.” She said no more and continued to eat. Jamie Crawford was not only Brett’s main squeeze, but the top chef in Pittsburgh.

“Aren’t women supposed to eat delicately?” Brett asked after a few seconds.

This time it was Riley’s turn to snort. “I’m not delicate when I eat, especially when the food is pretty spectacular.”

Brett grinned at her. “Why, darling, you just called my cooking pretty spectacular. I’m flattered.”

She chuckled as she placed her dishes in the dishwasher. “I’ve got to head out. I should be back around five-thirty,” she informed him. “Then I have to kill Jack at seven.”

He laughed. “I should be back around three.”

“Tootles.” She grabbed her purse and was out the door fifteen minutes before nine.

***

The day seemed to crawl by for Riley. She’d had a boring assignment and spent most of the day wishing she had gotten more than two hours of sleep. It didn’t reflect in her work though. She was among the top journalists in the city for a reason, and that reason was that she would never allow anything to affect her writing negatively.

She was relieved when Brett’s apartment came into view. Here she could relax for an hour or so before her scheduled dinner date with Jack. She frowned at the thought of it. She’d have to ask him, right?

Riley shook her head hoping that her doubts would tumble out of her mind. She had too much to worry about already; she didn’t need more on her plate. Who was she kidding? Riley all ready had much more than she could handle. It amazed her how she hadn’t leapt over to the world of insanity yet.

She stepped out of her Jeep only to come face to face with Marc-Andre Fleury. A smile instantly came to her lips. She and Marc had become what could be considered instant friends. Maybe it was the French-Canadian blood they both shared, but then again, she reminded herself, practically half the team was French-Canadian.

So it was his good-natured personality then, and even that was enough reasoning for Riley.

“Hello, Rye.” The arousing accent of his melted her heart.

“Hey, Marc.” Her accent wasn’t as strong as his, but Riley was a person who adapted very well to new surroundings and had a secret passion in imitating accents. After all, her American accent was coming along very well. “What brings you here?”

“I just wanted to come by and see you,” he said and matched his pace with hers. “I got back from Sorel a couple of days ago and have to fly out to Calgary for the Team Canada orientation in a week, so I decided to spend some avec mon ami.”

Riley smiled. She loved when he would throw the odd French term in a purely English sentence. “How sweet. Are you excited for the orientation camp, mon ami?”

He turned to her in the elevator and grinned. “I’m tres excited,” he said with such enthusiasm Riley thought he’d sing the words.

She laughed as she unlocked the door to the apartment. When she opened the door her laughter, smile, and even her overall comfort vanished. Sitting on the living room couch was Kris, Jordan, Ben, Brett and the man her eyes were drawn to, Sidney.

They all looked up when the front door opened and they watched Riley’s eyes dart to Sidney, and his to hers.

The room was silent and Riley was well aware of the six pairs of eyes on her. Only one, she thought, made her want to disappear. All the guilt she had felt a month ago, and thought she’d covered so well, came rushing up and nearly strangled her to death at the sheer look of affliction on Sidney’s face.

She was the reason for that look, Riley reminded herself grudgingly.

“Hello everyone,” she said, her voice cutting through the dreadful silence. Her tone was very cool, very controlled. Only Riley could hear the anger and shock in it.

“Hey, Rye,” Jordan said. He had a faint smile on his face until she aimed an icy glare at him. His smiled vanished almost immediately.

“Brett, can I speak with you for a minute?” Riley didn’t wait for his response and stalked into what was her temporary bedroom. “What did you do?” she demanded the moment he closed the door behind him.

He held his hands up in surrender. “I only opened the door. I swear.”

“And you could just shut it in their faces when you saw him? No,” she said with some thought. “There’s five of them and one of you—they’d just plough over you.”

“It’s nice to know that you believe I can hold my own,” he said dryly. “In any case, you should talk to Sid.”

She turned her back on him and walked over to the window. “Brett, I don’t—”

“Have any other choice,” he said when there was a knock on the door. Sidney stood there looking at Riley.

“Rye, can we talk?”

“She was just coming out to do that.” Brett rushed out the door before Riley could glower at him.

“I’m surprised you’d even want to look at me after…” Riley trailed off.

There was absolute silence for three whole minutes. Sidney didn’t’ know how he was going to phrase the question that had haunted him since Jack stood on his doorstep the previous day.

“Rye.”

She turned to face him. His pained tone broke her heart. She found herself wanting to go over and soothe it, to go hug him and tell him everything would be ok but she couldn’t because she didn’t know if it would.

“Riley,” Sidney said again. This was it, his only chance to ask. He took a deep breath and plunged. “Did you leave me for him?”

“What?” Did she hear him correctly?

“Did you leave me for him?” Sidney repeated.

“Who?”

“Brett, who else?”

Riley kept her face impassive as she sat on the bed. “You think Brett and I are together.” Though it wasn’t a question, Sidney nodded his head. “Brett and I are friends.”

He’d heard that line too many times before from past relationships, and hearing it again only brought out his anger. “Like that matters. If you were only friends then why are you two living together? Why did you move out of our place?”

“Cooper. That fucker is the reason for why I left our place. But we’re talking about Brett.” She found she couldn’t sit so she got up to prowl the room like at cat in a cage.

“And I’m supposed to believe that Cooper is the only reason? Riley, I’m not stupid.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll prove it,” she said bitterly and swung the door open. “Guys, would you care to explain to Sidney that Cooper was indeed the reason I moved in here?”

Kris looked around the room and realized that no one was willing to speak up. So he’d take the chance. “He was, Sid. He got all up in her face one morning demanding personal information.”

“Yeah,” Jordan piped up, “we had to kick his ass for him to finally get the message to leave Rye alone.”

“See? I’m not a bloody liar.” Riley was losing her patience. “Brett is a friend. Just leave it be.”

No. No, he couldn’t do that, not when she seemed so defensive about it. Besides, he hadn’t gotten his answer yet. “Riley, I know that’s not all he is to you.”

“Ah…” Jack looked at both of them and realized that they weren’t anywhere near done solving this.

“We’ll just go to the lobby,” Ben told them.

The men all stood up and walked to the door. Brett stayed behind a minute and walked over to Riley, placed a hand on her shoulder. “Tell him, Rye. He needs to know.”

She turned to face him. “No, Brett, I—”

“Tell him.” He then walked out of the apartment.

Riley let out a sigh then turned back to a seething Sidney. “It’s not what you think,” she told him calmly. Her anger had faded and left her tired.

“Then what is so damn important that I apparently need to know?”

“I meant what I said before. Brett and I are friends—we’re not in a relationship.”

“That wouldn’t stop you from having sex,” he commented.

“It wouldn’t, no. Brett’s engaged.”

“You’re not understanding me here, Riley.” He wanted her to cut the crap and give him a straight answer.

“Brett is engaged to Jamie Crawford,” she continued on, ignoring his frustrated interruption.

“An engagement wouldn’t stop him from— Wait. Jamie Crawford. The famous chef?”

She smiled. “Mm-hmm.”

He was confused, she could see it. “But Jamie Crawford is—”

“A man? Yes.” Riley walked over to him and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Brett’s gay. That was what he meant by ‘he needs to know.’”

He had to sit down. “He’s gay? Are you sure?”

Riley laughed. “I’ve been living here for the past few weeks, I’m positive.”

Sidney let out a breath. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.” Every past encounter he’d had with Brett came flooding back into his mind. “I just don’t see it. I still don’t.”

Suddenly Riley felt warm inside and that’s why, she told herself, she let him pull her down in his lap. “You didn’t see it because you were too blinded by jealousy. And,” she added, wrapping her arms around his neck. “He hides it very well.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why does he hide it?”

He saw anger and sadness cross her face. She needed to pace while explaining this, so she got off his lap. “It’s sad, really. When will we ever learn to love without judging? Brett hides his sexuality because he works in a very shallow industry. He is the top sports analyst/reporter at Sports Guide. He hides his sexuality because if he didn’t he’d lose his job.”

Sidney hadn’t seen this coming. The man he hadn’t cared for because of jealousy was starting to sound like an okay guy. A guy who had to live a lie to fit in. “That’s horrible,” he said quietly.

“It is, isn’t it? I’ve told him dozens of times not to hide it, but he’s happy with the way things are right now. He’s got a good career, a nice place, good friends, and a wonderful fiancé.”

“I’ve seen him on TV a few times; he’s good at what he does. So why would it matter so much if he were gay?”

“People would stop watching the show. Cheryl would end up getting emails asking why a fag was hosting the show. What would a gay man know about sports? This isn’t fashion, its sports. Not everyone would say that but there would be some jerks that would. Those are the same jerks that don’t agree with women reporting sports. The only reason they put up with women is because they can check her out the entire time. But a gay man? No, never.”

He saw the anger that she was trying to battle back get the best of her face. Hell, it sickened and angered him too. But Riley needed some sort of comfort and he could do that. When she turned her back on him again, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist. She stiffened, and then made him smile by relaxing and leaning in to him.

“We still haven’t talked about us,” he murmured in her ear.

Riley liked the feel of his arms around her. “No, I don’t suppose we have. So I’ll start. I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

“Sid, you have nothing to be sorry about. The whole thing was my doing. I’m sorry I left without any explanation, I’m sorry I hurt you, and I’m really sorry about doing it all again on the five year anniversary of the first time I left you.”

He winced at the last one. “I was wondering if you had remembered that.”

She turned to face him, to look at him, regret in her peridot coloured eyes. “Why do you put up with me?”

“Because I love you.” And that was God’s truth, he thought. Even after everything she had done, everything she’d put him through, he was still foolishly in love with Riley Jacobs.

“I don’t deserve you,” she said in a whisper. “You need someone who’ll be there for you when you need her; someone you can depend on, and we both know that’s not—”

“Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare say that’s not you.” He grabbed her hands and his eyes burned into hers. The strong heat in his eyes had nerves dancing under her skin. “I love you, Rye. I love you because you’re not all that. You add… excitement, we’ll say, with your unreliability.”

She frowned. He kissed the tip of her nose. “I said I was sorry.”

“And I forgive you.”

“You really shouldn’t. Like you said, I’m unreliable. I don’t know if I can get back together with you. Just listen,” she said quickly when anger flared in his eyes. “I love you, but I fear that I’ll hurt you again.”

“You won’t,” Sidney said easily. “I love you and you love me. We’re meant to be with each other, Rye. So that’s why I’ll take you back on one condition.”

Her perfectly arched brows shot up in surprise, then furrowed in confusion. “That one condition would be what, that I promise to never leave you again? Sid, you have my word on that, but—”

“That’s part of it, but not all.” Sidney took a step closer to her when she backed up one. “That one condition, Riley, is that you marry me.”

He could have told her to sell a lung and she would have been less surprised. All the oxygen whooshed right out of her. Of course he wasn’t serious, was he? No, he couldn’t be. Marriage? But they weren’t even twenty-five yet.

“Sidney,” she said when she realized she had just left him hanging. But that was all she could manage. Her mind was blank.

“It’s only a legal document, you said so yourself.”

“But… marriage?” She tried to pull her hand free of his but he only tightened his grip. “It just seems so official.”

“It’s the only way I’ll know that I won’t lose you.” He knew it was low, but it was also true. “I can’t bear to lose you again, Rye. You’re everything to me, I love you. But I can’t take this doubt, this uncertainty anymore. I can’t stand wondering what you’re thinking, if you’re going to leave again. I know it hurts, believe me, I do, but, Riley, I want all or I want nothing.”

She was silent a moment. She needed to get rid of the fuzz in her brain. She looked into his beautiful brown eyes and realized that he was serious. This was it, this was what he’d stand by and if she couldn’t give him certainty then he would truly leave. The aching in her heart came back, and so did the fear. This time he would leave, and she knew that he wouldn’t come back.

Could she handle that? Could Riley really handle a life without Sidney? He was her everything, but she had lived without him in her life before. Of course, her memory wasn’t all intact then but she had been able to move on—until she saw him again. That day in September she had felt a spark when she had looked into his eyes, and it wasn’t from the scorching heat.

What he had said was true; they were meant to be together. The past month she had been apart from him and it had been the hardest month of her life. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—lose him again. Sidney Crosby was hers, and she would make damn sure of that.

She sighed and lifted her head. “Okay.”

His heart leapt. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

“You’ll marry me?”

“Yes.”

He laughed, lifted her into his arms, and kissed her passionately. She smiled into the kiss and knew that they were about to head down a terrifying road. But she’d be going down that road with him, and that was okay.

He pulled the velvet box out of his pocket, opened it, and slid the ring of commitment on her finger. She felt the weight of the diamonds—too many for her liking—on that little finger that would never be bare again.

They were caught in yet another kiss when the front door of Brett’s apartment opened.

“Didn’t take them long,” Jordan commented as he and the rest of the guys walked in.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Ben said easily. He looked at his sister and smiled. “Neither does that rock on her finger.”

That observation had them all lifting their heads and gaping. Sidney and Riley were caught in an intimate embrace with grins on their faces. You couldn’t tell that they had just reunited after a month apart.

“Well,” Brett began, “it looks like we’ve got another wedding to plan.”

Jordan, Marc, Brett, Ben and Kris all congratulated Riley and Sidney not without making the comment that only those two could break up, reunite, break up again, then decide to marry. The idea of a celebratory dinner was brought up, so all seven of them made their way out to eat.

For the first time in weeks Riley was truly happy. Sidney linked his fingers with hers, gently rubbing his thumb over her ring. He leaned down to kiss her on the head and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face for the rest of the night.

Chapter Forty-Nine

2009-08-22T19:55:00.011-04:00

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd start by saying I'm sorry for the wait. I've been back a full week now and aware that I haven't posted in a month. For those of you wondering, I absolutely loved Pittsburgh. The vacation itself was fun and tiring. I believe that we drove 12 175km - I don't know how much that is in miles, sorry. Thanks for putting up with me though.

Anyway, today seemed like a good day to update because this Sunday is my birthday! Yay!

So here's my present to you... Enjoy!

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Nine

“You can put your things in the guest room,” Sidney told his long time pal, Jack Johnson. “It’s the third door on the left.”

Jack’s flight into Nova Scotia had gotten in that morning and Sidney offered to pick him up at the airport. They had talked non-stop from the minute they spotted each other until they had gotten back to the house. They were old friends and always enjoyed being in the company of the other.

“So, I totally forgot how much I loved this place,” Jack stated from the top of the staircase.

Sidney laughed as Jack slid down the handrail after he’d dumped his suitcase in the spare room. He laughed even harder when his friend failed miserably at it. “You would, Jack.”

“Yeah, yeah. What do you wanna do?”

Sidney shrugged. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “What do you want to do?”

“How about we hit the beach.” Jack gave him a sly grin. “We can swim and check out hot girls. Two birds, one stone.”

Okay, so checking out girls wasn’t exactly number one on Sidney’s list of summer activities, but Jack seemed stoked about it so he obliged. “Yeah, sure.”

They spent a few hours at the beach and even though they had a blast Jack could tell something was up with Sidney. He had noticed it a bit on their drive from the airport to the house, but decided against saying something. But at the beach Sidney hadn’t so much as spared any of the young pretty girls a glance when they flaunted themselves in front of him. Not that Sidney had been the type of guy to check out anything remotely female, Jack rationalized, but he did look every now and then.

He hoped to get to the bottom of his pal’s distraction, and in a subtle manner, he added, before it was time to head back to L.A. Jack walked down the stairs intending on making a beeline for the kitchen, but stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted a pair of pink Converse sitting next to wear he’d carelessly tossed his shoes. Had they been there the whole time?

Jack heard Sidney behind him and spoke without thinking. “Dude, pink is not your colour.”

Sidney gave Jack a baffled expression. “What?”

“And I doubt that’s the right size for you.”

“Jack, what the hell are you talking about?”

“The shoes,” he said, never taking his eyes off them. “I never pictured you as the Converse type.”

Sidney looked down at the shoes and felt like the fist that had been wrapped around his heart for three weeks tighten. “I’m not; they’re not mine.” He hoped that he didn’t have to tell him whose they were.

But he knew his friend better and sighed when Jack’s eyes popped open wide. “You have a chick over? Why didn’t you say so.”

“Because I don’t.” It came out sharper than he had meant it to, but seeing those shoes for the first time in weeks threw him off balance.

“All right,” Jack said at length. He was carefully watching Sidney’s face and noticed all the emotions that passed over it. Bewilderment, shock, anger, sadness, then regret. “Whose are they?”

He didn’t want to say it, really didn’t. He had been trying to forget… and that was bullshit. He thought about her every day, every second of every bloody day. “They are Riley’s.”

Confusion came first for Jack. He watched the expression on Sidney’s face and pieced it together. Why would a summer fling give him this look of remorse? “Riley who? Is she hot? I bet she is. I mean, you’re Sidney Crosby, you could date whoever you…” he trailed off as realization kicked in. It all made sense now. “Jacobs? Riley Jacobs? You’re dating Riley Jacobs from like five years ago?”

Sidney closed his eyes in defeat; there was no way to keep a personal problem personal with Jack. “Yes, Riley Jacobs from five years ago. Yes, she’s hot. And I don’t know if we’re dating.”

Pleased to have gotten to the root of it all, Jack relaxed a bit. They could work from here. “The first brings back memories, the second I knew, but the third shocks me. How do you not know if you’re dating?”

“It’s a long story,” Sidney warned.

Jack sat down in the living room. “I’ve got time.”

“Okay.” Sidney sat down and decided that it would be best if he quickly summarized the beginning. “So we started dating in mid September when she was assigned to write about our season after losing the Cup. Things were great at first, I didn’t recognize her and she didn’t remember me or our previous relationship.”

“Why?”

“Apparently while she was in Australia she went surfing and whacked her head off the board when the wave got too powerful. She spent two weeks in the hospital with a serious concussion and a bit of amnesia.”

Jack actually laughed. “That’s Riley for you, always a glutton for misadventure.”

“Right,” Sidney laughed. “Anyway, we discussed it—my dad made a deal about it—but continued on with our relationship. We had our share of spats and longer-lasting fights, but resolved it in the end.

“A few months ago she received a promotion and was given the summer off. I asked her to come spend the summer here with me and she happily agreed,” he continued. “Everything was going great until this one night. I believe it was Canada Day and my family was over and we were all having a fun time. Then while I’m talking with my mom and sister, Riley was in the house getting a drink. After a while I was a little worried because she’d been in there a while. I was just about to go in and see what was up when she came back outside. She was a bit pale but I didn’t question her on it. I should have because before I know it she’s telling me that she has to leave because she’s got to find herself.”

Jack waited a beat. “You just let her leave?”

A little offended by the way he’d phrased it, Sidney scowled. “It’s not like I had another choice. Once Riley makes her mind up, it’s nearly impossible to go against her.” That thought alone made him smile.

“Okay, so you let her leave, then what?” Jack wanted to know more. He needed to know more to get the whole picture.

“Then that’s it. That brings us here.”

“You didn’t call her? E-mail? Fly out to see her?” His jaw dropped a bit.

“I thought it would be best to give her some space,” Sidney answered after a slight pause.

Jack scoffed. “What little you know.”

Back in Pittsburgh, Riley was rounding the corner of the underground parking of Brett’s apartment when she spotted Kris leaning against her car. The thought to turn right around and go back up to the apartment and wait him out passed through her mind. She dismissed it almost as quickly.

His head shot up, and he let his gaze stare her up and down. “We need to talk,” he said immediately the moment she was within hearing distance, that French-Canadian tone brisk.

“Uh-oh,” Riley said in a sarcastic worrisome tone. “Are we about to have a marital spat, dear?”

“Riley.”

She rolled her eyes behind his back. Ever since he had found out about her split with Sidney he’d been on her derrière about it. “Sorry.”

“I want you to call Sid.”

It took every ounce of her strength to keep her face blank. She was a journalist and trained to keep her face from registering any type of emotion, especially shock. “No.”

“You are so damn stubborn on being independent,” he exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

“You’re so damn hell-bent on me be dependent,” she retorted. She didn’t have time for this… this altercation. “Kris,” she said, cutting him off before he spoke, “I have work.”

“We’re going to talk about this,” he insisted.

“Yeah, yeah.”

And without another word she drove off.

Beyond frustration, Kris quickly dialled up Sidney’s summer home. He, too, didn’t have time for this anymore.

Chapter Forty-Eight

2009-07-22T12:50:00.005-04:00

Dear Readers,
I haven't been the best about updating lately and I apologize for that. To make up for that, I tried to make this chapter as satisfying as possible, and you'll notice it's longer than what I normally post. The reason for that is because this will be the last chapter I post before I go on vacation. I leave Sunday, July 26 and return late on Sunday, August 16. I'll be spending three weeks touring some of the southern states and unfortunately won't be able to get to a computer often let alone update.
I super stoked because our first stop is Pittsburgh--it'll be my first time in Pittsburgh. =)
Alas, I thank you all for reading my story and I pinky-swear to post as soon as I can once I get back. I'm nowhere near done this story so expect some interesting updates when I return.
Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy chapter forty-eight.
Oh, and I encourage you to leave a comment letting me know how you felt about it. I love reading them!
-Sam. =)

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Eight

She didn’t respond right away; her brain couldn’t seem to function as it normally would. Riley was confused as never before. She was passed back and forth between the two concerned men, with each of them murmuring words of assurance in her ear.

While they stared at her, she worked on processing a single sentence.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She eased back and looked at Jordan, Kris and Brett who stood at her side just as confused. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We were just hanging out around my place when we heard them talking about you on the news,” Jordan said, a hint of anger edging into his voice. “So, we started to watch it. At first it was just talking about your career and stuff, then…”

“Then one of the reporters started talking about how you and Sid had supposedly broken up,” Kris told her, picking up from where Jordan had trailed off. “We didn’t believe it until they started to show this footage—recent footage—of Sid still in Nova Scotia and you here.” He aimed a questioning glare at her.

“So, as we’re watching,” Jordan continued after a short, awkward pause, “some guy starts saying how you’ve been here for a few weeks with another man—sorry,” he said to Brett. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“No. No, I don’t think we have. I’m Brett Sharpe, a friend and former colleague of Riley’s.” Brett extended his hand to the two men.

“Well, I’m Jordan Staal and he’s Kris Letang,” he said in friendly tones. “Anyway, so they cut to this live feed where we see you standing at your front door talking to someone. We then see that it’s Cooper—son of a bitch—and that’s more than enough reason for us to come over.”

Riley was well aware of Kris’ eyes watching her the entire time Jordan spoke and pretended not to notice. He was pissed and she could tell. She reluctantly shifted her gaze to him when he began to speak.

“Then, as luck would have it, the camera turns and we catch a glimpse of the crowd on your front lawn.” He sneered as he said it.

“So then we’re really hurrying,” Jordan said. “We get here and see mostly everyone leaving and we run up and, well, here we are.”

While Riley absorbed, Brett questioned. “How did you get in? I locked the door.”

“Oh, Kris has a key,” Jordan said easily.

Brow raised, Riley was confused yet again. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, you see, a few months ago Sid gave me a key to your place. When I asked him what it was about, he told me that it was in case you needed help and he wasn’t around for you. He worries, a lot.” Kris smiled sheepishly.

Overwhelmed with shock and confusion, Riley took a moment to process it all. Sidney had given his friend a key to her home in case she was in trouble. She didn’t know if she was angry or appreciative about it.

“Oh,” was all she mustered.

“So, you’re fine, right? That freak didn’t touch you or hurt you, because if he did we’ll kick his ass so bad he’ll feel it for years.” Jordan smiled and laid a comforting arm around her.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m all right.” She nodded and sat down on the couch. “You guys don’t have to stay if you’ve got other plans.”

“No,” Kris said, “we’re staying.”

“Yeah, Rye, you’re like our little sister,” Jordan added.

“I’m older than both of you.”

“Yeah, well… you’re smaller,” Jordan laughed.

She laughed, truly laughed, for the first time since she had left Sidney three weeks before. These guys were like family to her and she was grateful for that. Sidney had picked these two to be the ones he trusted so deeply to look after her. Mario probably had a key, too, she mused, Hell, the entire team probably did.

Somehow just knowing that warmed her.

Riley took a deep breath and prepared to say what had been on her mind over the past three weeks. “Guys,” she said, “I can’t live here anymore.”

For several moments there was complete silence. All three of them looked at her with faces covered in shock. They looked at her, she thought, as if she’d just informed them that the world was going to end.

“What?” Jordan asked, still gaping at her.

“I don’t want to live here anymore, it just doesn’t feel like home, you know?”

“In Pittsburgh?” This time it was Brett who asked.

“No. No, just this house,” she said and saw some relief flood over their faces. “I don’t feel safe here, especially with Cooper living across the street."

“You can’t just pick up and leave,” Kris told her.

“Why not?” She wasn’t going to give in, she had to get out.

“Because it’s not only you living here,” he stated. “Sid lives here, too. Sure, he’s in another country right now but he spends most of his time here. You can’t just move everything out of here—his stuff is here, too—because you don’t want to live here.”

“Yeah Rye, where would you stay?” Jordan looked concerned.

“I don’t know,” she said, a sob escaping. “I don’t know, okay? I’ll stay in a bloody hotel if I have to. But I don’t—can’t—live here anymore. Don’t you understand?”

“Okay. Riley, shh.” Brett came and sat next to her and rubbed soothingly up and down her back. “Okay,” he said again. “You can live with me.”

“What about—”

“You can live with me,” he said again in a soft yet affirmative tone. “Come on, we’ll pack up some of your things.”

Riley looked up at him with teary eyes. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.” He smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug.

She felt stupid for acting like a child but was grateful that Brett would understand her decision. “I’ll go pack my clothes; can you get the stuff from my den?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I’ll help you, Riley,” Kris said in a brisk tone that told her he was going to do more than just help pack clothes.

They had barely made it out of the living room when Kris grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?”

“Kris, please. I can’t live here.”

“Yeah, I got that.” His impatience was starting to leak through. “What’s going on between you and Sid? One minute you guys are lovey-dovey, the next you’re broken up?”

Oh crap. She hadn’t told him or anyone other than Brett and Kay that she had broken things off with Sidney. Apparently Sidney had done the same. “Not here, okay? I’ll tell you later.”

“No, Riley, tell me right now.”

“Pas ici. Je vous dirai plus tard,” she repeated in quick French. She was frustrated all right. She only used French now when she was on the verge of snapping.

She bounded up the stairs and was well aware of him following suit. She didn’t have time for this. Didn’t she have a hard enough time explaining this to Sidney? How much harder would it be to explain it to someone who wouldn’t let her just walk away?

“Tell me now, Riley,” he demanded. When she kept walking he repeated it again in quick, harsh French. “Dites-moi maintenant, Riley.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “But you have to help me pack up my clothes.” She wandered over to her closet and swung open the doors violently. “You do the closet and I’ll take the drawers.”

Downstairs, Jordan and Brett packed up her writing materials and other objects they thought she’d want. Both of them had agreed to come back and pack up the rest of Riley’s belongings when she was safe at Brett’s.

“So,” Jordan began, “why does she get to stay with you?”

Brett looked over his shoulder at Jordan, and gave him a puzzled expression. “I’m sorry?”

“You know, I mean she was more than willing to stay in a hotel, and any guy on the team would be willing to have her stay with them. So why did you offer?”

Brett stopped gathering papers and turned to face Jordan. “Riley and I are friends. I offered my place because I thought that’s where she’d be most comfortable. She may have insisted on getting a hotel room, but I read right through her.” He turned and lifted her laptop, placed it gently into a box. “She doesn’t want to be alone. She misses Sid more than anything but she’s so damn determined to succeed on her own that she won’t go back to him. And,” he added quietly, “she’s going to need someone there when she breaks down.”

Jordan walked over to put some more papers and binders into the box next to Brett. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

“Yes. Riley is a very sweet girl. She’s been nothing but understanding and accepting towards me.” He smiled as he picked up a picture of her and Sidney. “That says a lot about someone.”

Jordan glanced over at the man he’d just met that morning. He was tall, slim, and attractive. His hair, a dark blonde, looked about a week overdue for a trimming. HIs eyes were as blue as the ocean, his strong jaw looked as if it could take a punch and the man wouldn’t flinch. It was obvious that the guy worked out. He wondered, even though Riley and Brett had denied it, if there was something more than a friendship going on between the two of them. “So, ah, have you met Sid?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “He seems like a nice guy. I’ve only talked to him briefly.”

“I see,” Jordan said. “Do you work TV?”

Brett smiled, showing off perfectly straight white teeth. “Yes, I do.”

An hour later, Riley and Kris walked down the stairs carrying boxes full of clothes. Luckily, Riley thought, she had gotten the boxes a few days earlier when she was tossing the idea about moving out around in her head.

She was relieved to see that Jordan and Brett had packed up most of her things and were sitting on the couch talking with each other like old buddies. They looked up at her when she walked into the room. Nerves were dancing in her belly.

“You ready?” Brett asked her.

“Yeah, Kris is just bringing down the rest of the boxes.”

“Okay. So we’re going to see if we can do this in one trip. While you were upstairs, Jordan and I went by his place to pick up his truck. With my truck, his, Kris’ and yours we should be able to do this.” He grabbed her arm and led her to the front door where she saw all four vehicles in her driveway. “You think everything will fit?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “Brett, I owe you one.”

He shook his head. “No you don’t. What are friends for, right? Anyway, you lead them to my place, I’m just going to finish loading my truck and I’ll lock up, okay?”

“Yes.” She walked into the living room where Kris and Jordan were. “Follow me boys!”

When they had left, Brett walked around the place that was now mostly empty. A few more trips, he estimated, and everything would be gone. Jordan had assured him that he’d get some of the guys on the team to help him load it all into storage.

He realized as he shut the lights off just how much that team cared for her. He walked around his truck once more to make sure everything was secured in its place. When the inventory was done, Brett got into his truck and made his way to his house where he was sure Riley and the guys were starting to unpack.

Chapter Forty-Seven

2009-07-14T20:01:00.003-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Seven

The visions of white sand and crystal clear waters were interrupted by the shocking sound of the doorbell. It was nine o’clock on a Sunday morning and Riley’s day off. She grumbled and muttered oaths in French as she rolled out of bed. Seeing her reflection started only another round of cursing.

“Merde,” she muttered, raking a hand through her hair, violently.

She opened the door without looking through the window to see who it was. After all, she thought, it was probably just some girl guides selling cookies. So it was a surprise to her when she was blinded by a flash of light.

“Goddamn it! What the hell?” She jerked back and blinked rapidly a dozen times.

“Okay, let’s get a shot of the bedroom and everything else you possibly can,” Cooper ordered from the door.

The cameraman was denied entrance when Riley shot her arm out, blocking him. He whined some but she tuned it out. She had her sights set on the leader and planned for him to be the victim of her wrath. “Cooper, what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m doing my job. Actually, I’m ahead of the pack.” He gestured behind him where there was a small crowd forming on her front lawn. Everyone there seemed to have a camera with them. All the colour drained from Riley’s face when she counted thirty-four people.

She lost her focus just long enough to have her arm fall limply at her side, and have the man with the camera run inside the house. She thought about going after him, she'd have fun causing him bodily harm, but pushed that idea away when she realized that if she left the spot where she was now it would only allow the others the chance to sneak a peek inside her home.

Riley felt some relief when she saw Brett’s truck pull up in her driveway. She watched him get out and scan the crowd with a scowl. Their eyes locked and she could see the heat in them as he rushed to her.

“What the hell?”

“There’s one inside,” Riley told him quickly. “Go in and don’t be afraid to hurt him if no other choice prevails.”

He nodded, and made sure to give Cooper a decent shove on his way in.

“You’ve got one minute to get off this property,” Riley told Cooper once Brett ran up the stairs, “before I call the cops and have your ass taken in for harassment and trespassing.”

“That’s not fair,” he debated. “You of all people would know these are my journalistic obligations.”

She let out a humourless laugh. “Don’t bullshit me, Orson. Now get off my property. Oh, and tell your little posse there to do the same.”

“Gee, not having Sid around puts you in a sour mood.”

“No, having a lousy journalist in my face on a Sunday morning puts me in a sour mood.”

“Did he leave you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“No, it is,” he said matter-of-factly. “You see, people like drama—it’s a known fact. Who wants to read about a nice happy couple having a nice lunch? No one. Hockey’s superstar having relationship problems is what they want to and will read. And,” he added at her bland stare, “you can be sure that I’ll be the one to spread the word about Sidney’s precious Riley being in Pittsburgh alone –no, spending all her time with another man—while he’s back home with Mom and Dad.”

With her face blank, Riley responded in a calm, clear voice. “Go ahead and print your story. But you can be sure that if and when I get wind of it I’ll destroy you. Say goodbye to your cushy job, you kiss ass, because I have that power and I’m not afraid to smear your reputation and crush your reliability.”

“Is that a threat? Is Riley Jacobs threatening me?”

“You can take it however you want,” she said still smoothly. “I’m simply informing you of what can and will happen if you publish a story based on lies about me and my personal life.” She smiled, slow and feral and watched fear flash in his eyes. Oh yeah, she thought, you are done.

“God, you disgust me,” Brett stated as held the cameraman by the collar of his shirt, then threw him out the front door.

The cameraman made a beeline for his car while Cooper rushed after him. The rest of the media crowd on Riley’s front lawn concluded that there was nothing else to see and left.

Brett slammed the door shut and pulled Riley into a hug. Even though she was still riding on seething anger, she wrapped her arms around him. She could feel tears threatening to spill over, but pushed them back. Riley preferred the red rim of anger outline her vision rather than the blur of tears.

He led her over to the living room and told her to sit while he went to get a glass of water. He didn’t even make it to the kitchen when they heard the front door open. Shock and confusion spread over both their faces when they saw Jordan Staal and Kris Letang rush in the house and pull Riley up and into their arms.

“Are you ok?” they both asked simultaneously.

Chapter Forty-Six

2009-07-10T22:54:00.001-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Six

“Hey, man. What’s up? It’s been a little while, huh?” Jack Johnson said, picking up after the second ring.

Jack and Sidney had met in 2002 when they both attended Shattuck-Saint Mary’s Boarding School in Minnesota. They were both a part of the school’s hockey team that won the U.S. National Championship that year. Jack and Sidney had become good friends that year and continued to keep in touch over the years.

“Hey,” Sidney said. “I’m not up to much, what about you?”

“I’m bored as ever. Like, it’s LA, right? I should be out partying and stuff but I’m not. Something must be wrong with me,” Jack said with a short laugh. “What about you, you out in your summer mansion?”

“I’m in my summer house, yes.” Sidney sat back in his chair in the living room. “We should hang out sometimes, you know, catch up some.”

“Are you inviting me over to your palace?”

“Cut it out. But we should hang out sometimes, whenever you’re free,” Sidney replied.

“When do you want me?”

“When are you free?”

“I can probably catch a flight tomorrow, Thursday at the latest.”

“Tomorrow’s good.”

“Sweet. I’ve been bored out of my mind this week. It’ll be good to hang out with a friend.” Jack opened a closet and pulled out a suitcase and some clothes.

“Yeah,” Sidney said and smiled. “Yeah, it’ll be good.”

Several blocks away, Troy sat reading the newspaper in the family room with the TV on low in the background. He glanced up when Trina walked in from the kitchen. When she sat in the chair across from him and looked at him with questioning eyes, he carefully put the paper down.

“What?” He tensed as she unleashed the full power of her eyes.

“Nothing. Well, I just got off the phone with Sid. He said that Jack is coming down tomorrow.” Trina sat back in the chair, crossed her legs.

“Oh, well that’s good. Jack’s a good kid,” Troy said easily.

“Yeah, he is,” she said with a sigh. “I just wonder, you know?”

Uh-oh, Troy thought. Touchy subject. “It will be good to have Jack here. How long is he going to stay for?”

“Sidney didn’t say,” she said absently. “I wonder what happened between him and Riley. They were so happy, then wham she leaves.”

“Some things just aren’t meant to be,” he said carefully.

“They are, though. They are perfect for each other.”

"They’re over, Trina. They broke up – what is it?—three weeks ago. She left him.”

“It won’t last long. They will be back together before we know it. They are in love. This is just a little bump in the road.”

“Trina, he’s here and she’s in Pittsburgh. They are not going to get back together when they’re in different countries. Both of them are going to move on with their lives and forget about each other.”

“That’s not going to happen, Troy,” she said firmly. Do you know what he told me on the phone just now? He told me that he wanted to marry her. Marry her, Troy. Sidney wanted to spend the rest of his life with that girl.”

He sat there, shocked. Sidney hadn’t told him that or anything like it. Wasn’t that what a son was supposed to tell the father first? He didn’t understand why Sidney had told his mother before him. “Oh,” was all he said.

“Wait.” She shot up a hand. “Didn’t you talk to Riley last?”

“No,” he answered quickly. Technically he wasn’t the last one to speak with her.

Chapter Forty-Five

2009-06-30T22:08:00.005-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Five

The walls were a dull grey; everything in the office was the exact same colour. There was one light in the entire room and there wasn’t a doubt in Riley’s mind that the light hadn’t been changed in quite a while. She shifted in her chair noting that even the furniture wasn’t inviting.

“How do you work in this? It’s so depressing,” Riley said as she crossed her legs for the third time.

“Are you here for an interview or to critique my designing style?” The woman who sat across the Riley was known for her dull tastes. She had about an inch on Riley’s five-seven and wasn’t afraid to use her size for power. Her hair was a light blonde pulled back so tightly in a bun that it gave Riley a headache just looking at it.

“Sorry,” Riley muttered. “Now, Mrs. Norman, what are your thoughts on this upcoming project?”

“Well, I’ve always believed in the well being of our elders. They are always the ones who are targeted first you know. So, after witnessing some elder abuse, I decided to take a stand. My partner, Rodney, and I discussed this topic one time over brunch,” Mrs. Norman smiled politely. “We agreed that the elderly are capable of defending themselves – I mean have you seen them at their bingo?”

Forty-five minutes later, Riley walked out of the building rubbing her temples. She was going to need a tanker-load of Tylenol when she got back home. She tried a smile when she spotted Brett leaning casually against his car but it only came out as a wince.

“How’d it go?” He had an amused look on his face.

“I’ve got the mother of all headaches right now.”

“Oh come on. It couldn’t have been that bad,” he said with a small laugh.

“It could have and it was,” Riley said as she climbed into the passenger seat of his car. “First, I had to stare at her face for an hour. I know that sounds mean, but the woman wears her hair so tightly tied back her eyes were practically popping out of her head. Then she made these jokes,” she said, her voice going up an octave, “it was about as funny as watching a cat die.

“The room,” her voice was pleading now. “It just screams boring. Everything is this dull grey, it’s like prison. No, it’s worse than prison.”

“Maybe some lunch will brighten your spirits,” Brett said in a hopeful voice as he pulled into his parking space at his condo.

“Brett, you don’t have to do this for me. I can take care of myself.”

No, he thought. He had to do this. He had to make sure that she stayed healthy. It had been two weeks since she had left Sidney in Nova Scotia and he’d left her alone for the first week and that was a mistake.

He’d gone over to see her one day and she looked horrible. It was obvious that she hadn’t eaten and had cried out all of the water her body had saved. From then on Brett was sure to keep an eye on her. “It’s no problem, really. Besides, Jamie made it so it will be well worth it.”

Jamie was Brett’s main squeeze. Riley had never seen Brett happier than when he was with Jamie. With Jamie around the food was amazing, the house was clean, and everything was in order.

“I love Jamie,” Riley said as they stepped into the elevator.

“So do I,” Brett said as he pushed the button for his floor.

“Are you going to pop the question?”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” He led her off the elevator and to his door. “Now let’s get some food into us.”

The waves crashed against the rocks as the boats whizzed by. People were smiling as the soaked up the sun. It was the summer he was supposed to be happy. He was supposed to be relaxed. But he wasn’t. No he hadn’t been happy since she had walked out of his life… again.

Just thinking about it angered him. Anger was better than sadness, Sidney thought as he tossed another rock into the blue water. Everyday he’d come out in his backyard and sit on the dock, just as Riley had done. He’d think things over, contemplate whether or not he should go back to Pittsburgh and find her.

But he knew that was wrong. Sidney knew deep down that he and Riley belonged together and that they would eventually come back together. He needed her. She was the love of his life. But he would let her do what she thought she needed to do. He’d let her find herself if she really needed to. Sidney wasn’t about to make a move that could mess everything up.

“Sid, it’s time to go.”

“I’ll be right there, Dad. Just give me a minute.”

Sidney and his family were going out to dinner, as they had for the past two weeks. They had made sure to stay away from the topic of his relationship. As a matter of fact, Try Crosby hadn’t spoken a word about Riley since she left.

Sidney stood and made his way back into his summer house. Somehow it felt empty to him now. Silly. He’d bought the house before they were together and it had felt fine to him. Come to think of it, Riley had only spent a few weeks in that house and now that she was gone if felt hollow.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Trina Crosby asked. Sidney knew that she missed Riley. She had always treated her like another daughter.

“Mom, do you really need to ask?”

“I don’t suppose I do, no.” She scrunched her face up in her ‘thinking expression’ and said, “I think you should invite some friends over. What about Jack? He always used to visit you. Call him up.”

He pondered over that for about a minute before responding. “That’s actually a good idea. I’ll do that when we get home from dinner.”

For the first time in two weeks Trina saw her son smile.

Chapter Forty-Four

2009-06-21T12:40:00.004-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Four

Riley Jacobs sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the deck, the water barely touching her toes. She’d come out here to try and reach some serenity. Her head had been pounding, her brain fuzzy for the past two days. Not to mentions she’d been in a sour mood since Troy Crosby had brought up the topic of her career.

At what was intended to be a fun family gathering, Troy had told Riley that he believed that she was only successful in her career as a broadcasting journalist because of the man whom she’d fallen deeply in love with, Sidney Crosby.

Sidney, being the captain of the city’s much loved hockey team, was always a topic in the media. The media, the field Riley had chosen to be employed in. In September she’d be working for a well-known news station and had had her doubts when offered a position at KDKA. At twenty-two – almost twenty-three – years of age, Riley was considered and known as one of the city’s top reporters. She was young and fresh, determined and competitive. She also had the looks and the skills to work TV.

But even with all of that she still questioned her sudden popularity in the city. Would she have made it this far if she wasn’t dating a hockey superstar? She didn’t know and never really thought about it – until someone who she was close with brought it up. Now, two days later, the question was still buzzing around in her brain.

Sidney had been careful around her. He was almost positive that his dad and Riley had gotten into an acrimonious dispute. He had come to this conclusion at their gathering when his dad had come back with an angry expression and Riley with a distant one. Not wanting to make things worse, Sidney had kept quiet about it.

But now he’d had enough. He and Riley had fought continually since then. He would try to be kind to her – he always was – but she would brush him off. When he’d comment about her attitude, she’s send him an acidic glare. Underneath it all, he was jealous. He was jealous because he knew that when she brushed him off she went and emailed Brett Sharpe. He didn’t like the fact that Riley, his own girlfriend, told Brett more than she told him. He couldn’t say anything, though, because every single time he did she rushed to Brett’s side, defending him immensely.

Riley felt safe with Brett. She felt as if she could tell him anything and know he wouldn’t judge her. He would only listen and give advice when he knew she needed it. She felt that she needed him. One of the first friends she had ever made in Pittsburgh was moving away. Kaylan Penton was moving to Berlin with her fiancé that summer. They had promised to stay in touch but Riley could tell they were drifting.

After all, she’d done something similar five years ago, hadn’t she? She had left the place she had grown up in to move to Australia for four years to get an education. She had left Sidney all those years ago so she could start a life for herself.

Maybe that’s what she needed to do now; she needed to find herself. But she couldn’t just pick up her things and travel the world. No, she had her family and friends to think about now. She had a career now.

But what if it was based on a false talent? Did she really have a journalistic talent, or were people just tuning in to get a good look at Sidney Crosby’s girlfriend?

Just thinking about it had her blood boiling. She thought rancorously about the comments Troy had made, but still couldn’t put them out of her mind. No, she couldn’t put them away until she proved to him, to herself that they were untrue.

With her mind made up, Riley strolled into the house. She made it all the way upstairs without running into Sidney. Satisfied with her sneakiness, she blew out the breath she’d been holding as she walked into the master bedroom. She sucked it back in as a surprised gasp when she nearly ran head-on into Sidney.

“Where were you?” He studied her face and noticed that she had calmed down a bit.

“Outside, I needed a minute to think by myself.” She walked past him and to her closet.

“Rye,” he began. “We need to talk.”

Without turning to face him, she responded. “Yeah, we do.”

“Look, we’ve been arguing a lot since—” he broke off when she pulled out her suitcase. “What are you doing?”

“I’m packing up my things.” This time she turned to him. “Sid, when I was sitting outside I thought it all over. I need some space, some time to… find myself. I don’t want us to break up, and it pains me to say this, but I think it would be best if we did take a little break from our relationship.”

“No.” He crossed to her, held her. “No, I need you. Riley, no, you are everything to me.”

She ordered her voice not to quiver, for her heart not to break. “Sidney, I’m sorry but it’s for the best. I love you, you know that. And you know I hate this but I need it, we need it.”

While he stood there silently, she packed. She fought back the tears that threatened to spill over and ignored the burn in her throat that felt like an untamed fire. When her suitcase was full she turned to him.

“Should I call a cab?”

“No,” he said, swallowed hard. “I’ll drive you.”

“I’ll be in the car,” she said as she walked past him.

He couldn’t believe what was happening, didn’t want to believe it. He was letting the only girl he’d ever loved walk right out of his life without an explanation. He would get one, he’d damn well get one if it killed him.

He sat in the driver’s seat next to Riley who was picking at her nails. A sign of nervousness, he thought as he stuck the key in the ignition.

They rode in silence. The only things that they could hear were internally. The rapid beating of their hearts was drowned out by the sound of their hearts breaking.

“Why are you doing this, Rye?” Sidney asked as he pulled up in front of the airport.

“It’s just something I need to do.” She pulled her suitcase out of the back seat. “I need to find myself.”

“This is a mistake.” His voice broke.

“Then it’s one I need to make on my own. Goodbye, Sidney. I love you more than anything.” She kissed him once, lightly on the cheek.

“Take care of yourself,” he said as he watched her walk into the airport. And out of his life.

Chapter Forty-Three

2009-06-17T17:58:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I am so, so, so sorry about the lack of updates lately. School is over in about four days - on Tuesday - and tomorrow we start our exams. Life has been crazy but it will calm down soon. Good news though, somehow I found a ton of inspiration for this story. I've already got the next ten, fifteen, chapter planned. And trust me, it will be good.

Anyway, I'm a little late on this, but hey, we still love to hear it. I was super excited that the Pens won the Stanley Cup. They deserved it. Oh, and I cried when Sidney lifted the Cup. I think it's love. =)
***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Three

The sun was out and shining which meant that most of the entertainment would be outside. Over the past three weeks they’d been at Sidney’s summer house, it had only rained three or four times which was staggering because usually out in the Maritimes it rained a lot.

Ben and Kim had arrived first, much to Riley’s delight. They had gawked over the house, easing the tension building in Riley’s neck considerably. The four of them talked on the front lawn for several minutes until Ben could no longer wait for a tour. Sensing some of his girlfriend’s uneasiness, Sidney sent Riley off with her brother and soon to be sister-in-law for a tour. As Riley led them into the house she cast one last glance Sidney’s way and her stomach clutched as she saw the Crosby’s car pull into the driveway.

She had given them a tour, trying to remember what all of the rooms were used for, and was making her way down the stairs when her Ben stopped her.

“Rye, what’s wrong?”

She was about to shrug it off as nothing but knew deep down that her brother could help her. He always had. “Ben,” she started. “I’ve got a little dilemma.”

He grabbed her arm and steered her into a room. “Go on,” he urged as he sat on a chair. Riley noticed that they were in the master bedroom.

“Okay.” She took a deep, relaxing breath. “So, you know Sid’s dad, Troy, right?” He nodded as she took a seat on the bed. “Well, normally we’re cool with each other but lately…” Riley trailed off as she walked away from the bed. She found that there were too many nerves bubbling in her stomach for her to sit patiently.

“Lately,” she continued. “He’s been cold and distant towards me and me only. Like, I don’t know if I did anything to upset him or something. Sid told me that he’d talk to him but that I’d have to face him and all.” She turned to stare hard out at the backyard. “I don’t know. I don’t know,” she repeated. “Maybe he just doesn’t like me.”

Ben stared at her for several long, gruelling moments. When she didn’t turn around he started to speak. He knew his sister too well to go and approach her when she was in this mood. “You think he doesn’t like you. Riley, I think you’re an idiot.”

She turned quickly, with an expression that could kill frozen on her face. “What?” The word came out quick and harsh. Her green eyes were turning a shade lighter. Her eyes always did that when she was angry. They’d go this light, insane green that could burn holes through the toughest of walls.

Ben smiled but kept his tone flat. “I said I think you’re an idiot.” Her eyes got lighter, her nostrils flared. “You’re an idiot, Rye, for thinking that he doesn’t like you. The Riley that I know would never think it, she’d go right up to them, look them straight in the eye, and demand why they were treating her the way they were. The Riley I know would never put up with anyone trying to belittle her.

“So, why have you let him?” Ben questioned as he watched the light shade her eyes had turned dim a bit.

Her expression had gone from seething to stupefy. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it firmly. “I haven’t, have I? Goddamn it. He just caught me off guard, that’s all. I’ve still got my attitude. I’ve still got my spine, damn it.” She paced around the room, and Ben knew that he’d given her all the advice she’d need.

“Then now would be a good time to put it to use because I think they’re coming in here.” Her expression changed again. This time she looked slightly nervous and scared, but before Ben could say anything, she pulled herself together. She replaced a vulnerable expression with a determined one. “Go kick some ass, Rye.”

And as she strode out of the bedroom and down the stairs, he knew she would.

Sidney’s parents had arrived just as Riley had gone off with her brother and his fiancée to give them a tour. His dad had no real expression on his face but that wasn’t much of a surprise. His dad never did.

“Hey Sid,” Troy, his dad, said.

“Hi Dad, Mom, and Taylor,” Sidney said, hugging each of them.

“Hi honey,” his mom cooed. “Where’s Riley?”

Sidney watched out of the corner of his eye his dad tense up and look around. “She’s inside with Ben and Kim. She should be out soon.”

“Oh, why don’t we just go in? Taylor and I have something to tell her anyway.”

Great, Sidney thought, my mother and little sister love her, but my dad’s got something against her. So much for a simple summer…

Riley was in the kitchen getting a drink for herself when she heard the steady footsteps behind her halt. She froze as she heard someone clear their throat. She blanked her face as she turned around to face Troy Crosby.

“Would you like a drink?” Her voice was polite, her eyes were empty.

Troy merely grunted at her, watching her with his cool, calculating eyes. When he turned his back to her to walk off, Riley spoke up.

“You know, that’s no way to talk to someone.”

He turned around with a look of sheer amusement lighting up his face. “Does it bother you?”

“No, not really,” she answered nonchalantly. “I couldn’t care less if you like me or not.”

“Who said I didn’t like you?”

She thought about sitting but couldn’t. Her blood was boiling; she was ready for a fight. “Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Crosby.”

“I don’t recall demonstrating in any way that I didn’t care for you.” He went to the fridge to get a drink.

“Oh, shut up.” Riley slammed the fridge door closed before his hands could reach in. “You’ve been cold and distant from me for the past month. So here’s your chance, tell me what I did to upset you.”

Troy took a minute for himself so he could calm down. He wasn’t expecting her to react the way she had. It surprised him. “You should know very well why I treat you the way I do.”

“What?” She was angry. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that you’ve no real reason to question me on my actions, seeing as the answer should be quite evident to you.”

“I’ve said it before and goddamn it I’ll say it again, what the hell does that mean?” Riley could see red now. “And don’t get all grammatically correct on me; remember who the English major is here.”

“Riley, why are you here with Sid?”

“I’m on vacation with him,” she said. “Don’t try to change the subject.”

“I’m not. Why did you get a two month vacation?”

“I got one because I received a promotion. In September I’ll be working for KDKA instead of Sports Guide.” She finished off her drink. “Mr. Crosby, I fail to see what this has to do with anything.”

“It has everything to do with this particular topic. Haven’t you ever wondered why you received that promotion?”

She looked him dead in the eye, and responded. “They told me it was because I’m a good journalist and TV reporter.”

He lifted a brow. “And did you believe them?”

“Yeah,” she said at length. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe you’re as far as you are in career not because of your talent, but because of who you’re dating?

“Think about it, Riley,” Troy continued. “Sidney is a very important person in Pittsburgh – which just so happens to be the city in which you work.”

He walked out of the kitchen, leaving Riley sitting there with an expression of complete shock.

When she heard the door close, she dropped her head in her hands.

Chapter Forty-Two

2009-06-06T13:51:00.003-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Two

“Morning, baby,” Sidney said as he kissed Riley on her forehead. He’d just stepped in the door, and much to Riley’s delight, held two cups of coffee and a little bag from Tim Hortons.

“No freaking way. There’s a Tim Hortons here?” She took the coffee that he offered her. “Did I ever tell you that I love you?”

“Once or twice,” he said with a smile. “I know how much you love your Timmies; as do I, so I figured that since we’re only here for the summer, why not indulge a little?”

“Yup,” she said, paused, took a bite of the doughnut he offered, “you are definitely the one for me.”

He laughed as they sat down in the den area. “I suppose that’s always good to know.”

“Of course it is. I just thought that I’d let you know.”

He shook his head at his girlfriend who he was so hopelessly in love with. “Oh, we’re having lunch with my parents at noon today.” He watched her stop mid-bite and tried to cover up the grin on his lips. “I just thought I’d let you know.”

“Sid, now I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but we’ve had lunch or dinner with your family for the past three weeks. Can’t we have a little time together, you know, just the two of us?” She watched confusion spread over his face just to have it replaced quickly with a loving expression.

“Yeah, of course we can. It’s just my parents barely ever see me throughout the season so when I’m home we try to spend as much time as possible together. But I can tell them we have other plans tonight, if you’d like.”

She felt bad – guilty. They spent a ton of time together over the past three weeks they’d been in Nova Scotia; Riley just didn’t want to have to face Troy again. She had called herself a coward when she had thought about avoiding Sidney’s dad. “Well… it’s just that we’re going to spend tomorrow with them because it’s Canada Day and all, so why can’t we just have today for ourselves, you know?”

“Of course, love. I’ll just tell them that we’re busy.” He picked up the phone and dialled his parents’ number. He spoke to her while he waited for them to pick up. “What did you want to do today? We could just stay here if you’d—Oh, hey, Dad.”

Riley pretended to pick at her nails while she listened to Sidney talk with his dad over the phone. She’d have to face him sooner or later. She chose later. Well, later would actually be the next day because everyone – including Riley’s brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law – was coming over to Sidney’s house for Canada Day. Again, she invited them for moral support if things got heated or awkward between her and Troy.

“They’re kind of bummed, but they understand,” Sidney said, startling Riley. “You ok?” He looked concerned and that made her feel even guiltier. He was perfect, she thought. He understood everything about her, and sometimes, she admitted, it was annoying but she loved every minute of it.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said quickly, too quickly.

“Don’t lie to me, Rye. What’s wrong?”

She thought about making something up but there was a look in his eye that told her to come out with the truth. She swallowed hard before speaking. “Okay. It’s just… it’s…”

“Riley,” he snapped. “Tell me.”

“Okay, okay. What’s up with your dad?”

“What are you talking about?” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.

“Normally we get along great, but ever since we got here he’s been distant and cold towards me. Did I do something to offend him?”

“This is been bothering you for the past few weeks?” At her confused look he smiled. “Hun, I can tell when something big is on your mind. You’ve been careful about not showing it but I can see it in your eyes.” He grabbed a hold of her hands and held them tightly in his. She felt safe with him, so she opened up.

“Yes, that’s what’s been bothering me. Normally, he’s all like ‘Oh hey, Rye, how’s it going?’ Where now he just stares at me, and it’s kind of creepy,” she said and pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve some of the pressure that was building in her head.

“I’ll talk to him about it, but I really think that you should. Straighten it out with him.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.

The next day Riley was sitting in the den checking her emails before everyone was set to come over. She had one from Ben confirming that they were on their way to Nova Scotia, one from her mom just asking how everything was, and one from Brett. She had told him about the whole Troy issue and he wrote back some advice for her.

Oh, Riley,

I guess everything isn't all smooth sailing out there. I understand completely how you feel and what you’re going through – I’ve dealt with something similar to that in some of my past relationships. All I can tell you is that you have to talk to him. Approach him and say, “Okay, Mr. C, what’s your deal? You don’t like me? Too bad, because I don’t really give a rat’s caboose; I love your son and that is not going to change any time soon.”

You see where I’m going with this, Rye? You need to toughen up, girl. I know you are the whole goody-goody kind of girl but, come on, speak up. From what you’ve told me, he wants you to be intimidated by him, that’s why he’s acting that was he is right now. If you’d only stand up to him and show him that you are not going to put up with any of this, then maybe he’d have a little more respect for you.

But I don’t think that he doesn’t like you. What’s not to like? You’re a smart, independent girl who’s got her head on straight. If he didn’t like you he’d come out and say it. Think about it, would a father that protective of his son really let him date a girl who was no good? No. I think he just doesn’t understand you, and maybe, just maybe, he’s a little intimidated by you.

Yes, he knows you from before, but, Hun, people change. He still may only know you as the girl Sidney dated when he was sixteen. You’re not seventeen anymore, you’re a grown woman who is quite capable of taking control of a situation when things aren’t going the right way. He also knows that you’re capable of breaking his son. Face it; Sidney is so ridiculously in love with you that you’ve become his everything. I’ve seen it in his eyes and the way he is around you. He needs you, and maybe Troy fears that if you were to leave Sidney for some strange reason, his son may fall apart.

So, all in all, just go talk to him. You need to know how he feels and he needs to know how you feel.

Let me know how everything goes.

-Brett.

Taking a deep breath, Riley closed her laptop and made her way out to the front lawn to join Sidney in welcoming everyone. She was finally going to stand up to Troy.

Chapter Forty-One

2009-06-01T17:51:00.003-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-One

“Riley,” Taylor began, “you totally have to hang out with us this summer. You know, do all the girly things.”

They were making lunch in the kitchen as Sidney and Troy were outside talking by the water. Trina had insisted on the meal being healthy, so they were preparing a salad. “You know I’d never miss out on the girly things. I’m sure there is a spa around here somewhere, right?” She looked at Trina.

“I’m sure there is,” Trina replied with a smile. “We’ll set a time then the three of us can go.”

“And get the full treatment, too.” Taylor added.

“Well, of course.” Riley chopped up some green pepper and looked over at Sidney’s mom and sister. Taylor was adding some tomato cubes as Trina was working on the chicken strips. “So, what have you guys been up to all year?”

“School and hockey,” Taylor said quickly.

“And how’s that going?”

“Good. I got all eighties this year in school and got seven shutouts this season.”

“Nice. You’ll give Sid a run for his money in hockey.” Riley smiled at Taylor. She loved Sidney’s little sister. “How about you, Trina, how’s everything?”

“Everything was crazy but it’s calmed down considerably. Trying to get Tay from school to hockey most nights was a little hectic. Plus, we would try to catch as many Penguins games as possible.” Trina looked out the window towards her husband and son. “It was kind of hard because Troy is always in Pittsburgh or traveling with the team, so I was usually doing it myself. But now everyone is home.”

Riley kept the smile on her face even though she felt some sympathy for Trina; her husband was leaving her alone with one of their children while he followed their other. “Well, I’m glad that you’ll get a break. Sid is so happy to be home even though he’ll tell you that it’s sooner than he wanted.”

Trina shifted her gaze from Troy and Sidney to Riley, and smiled. “Riley, you are perfect. Sidney is so lucky to have you. We’re lucky to have you.”

Stunned that the conversation had taken a different route, Riley was silent for a few seconds. “Thank you. Really, I’m the lucky one. I love your family.” She was going to ask about the look Troy gave her but decided against it. Maybe he was caught off guard that she had come along with Sidney.

Troy and Sidney walked into the kitchen laughing. Sidney came and stood next to Riley and kissed her forehead. Troy kept his distance. Riley saw the distant look he gave her when she glanced at him and made sure to reduce the amount of glances she’d throw his way.

“Lunch is ready,” Trina announced.

They sat at the kitchen table and make polite conversation. Riley was quiet for most of trying to figure out what was up with Troy. Had she done something to offend him? Impossible, she hadn’t seen him in months.

Everyone else seemed fine with Riley, so why wouldn’t Troy be? He’d always liked her. He had always shown nothing but kindness and affection for her. Well, there was that time in September when she and Sidney had reunited without either of them knowing, Troy had been unkind and distant then. But they’d made up, hadn’t they?

“Riley?” Sidney said it in a loving tone with just a hint of impatience and confusion bubbling underneath. “My mom asked you a question.”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry!” Riley pushed the thoughts and questions aside and focused on Sidney’s mother. “Could you repeat the question? I kind of zoned out.”

“It’s all right. I asked how your parents were, and your siblings.”

“Right. My parents are fine, so are my siblings. I haven’t heard much from Storm and Keaton lately but I’m assuming that they’re fine.”

“You should invite them over sometime.” This time Troy spoke.

Shocked, Riley turned to face him. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Riley, your family is welcome. We should’ve brought Ben with us.” Sidney said as he squeezed his girlfriend’s hand.

“I’m sure they’ve got plans of their own this summer. Enough, anyway, to keep them busy.”

There was a bit of a silence after that until Taylor decided to break it.

“We should go swimming,” she said and looked directly at Riley.

“That sounds like fun. But you have to wait at least half an hour until you get in the water after eating,” Trina said in such a motherly tone that Riley smiled.

“Did you bring a suit?” Sidney asked his little sister.

“No.” A frown formed on Taylor’s face.

“That’s all right; I probably have something that’ll fit you. You’re about my size,” Riley added as she scanned Taylor.

Sidney shot Riley a look that said ‘It better be appropriate’ she smiled at him.

Taylor and Riley headed upstairs into the master bedroom where Riley had all of her clothes. They talked on the way up and laughed when Riley had to stop a moment to think about which way she was supposed to turn once up the stairs.

“Alright, so what type do you want to wear?” Riley opened her suitcase and turned to Taylor. “One-piece, bikini, covers a lot, or doesn’t cover a lot?”

“Uh…”

“Now, I’m supposed to make sure that it’s an appropriate choice, but really, does it matter? I mean, it’s not like there are dozens of guys here. There are two: your dad and your brother. Mind you,” she said with some thought, “do you really want to look slutty in front of your dad? No. So we’ll go with conservative.

“I think I found a good one for you,” Riley continued as she pulled out a bikini that was orange and pink. She thought it was one of her more conservative bathing suits. “Do you like it?”

Taylor examined it, and smiled. “I love it.” She took it out of Riley’s hands then looked at her. “Which one are you going to wear?”

“See, I thought about that before I left Pittsburgh. I made sure to pack some things that weren’t so… revealing. Not that I have things that, you know, are it’s just when you go on vacation with your boyfriend and you know that there is going to be water and swimming…” she trailed off as Taylor’s expression got more and more amused.

“Go on,” Taylor urged.

“Shut up.” Riley laughed. “Anyway, my point is that I packed parentally-acceptable things. Ah, I found one that I guess is fine.” She held up a two pieced, army green bathing suit.

They changed and critiqued each other. After deciding that they looked fine, both Riley and Taylor made their way downstairs. It was empty so they looked out the door and saw Trina, Sidney, and Troy all sitting outside in the backyard. Sidney was in his bathing suit as well. Trina and Troy had opted to not swim that day.

“I’ll race you,” was all Riley heard Taylor say before she shot out the door.

“Oh, it’s on.” Riley mumbled and raced after her.

Chapter Forty

2009-05-29T18:21:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty

Riley awoke to the large sliding glass doors letting in the pale sunlight. From the big white bed she could see the deck and the beautiful blue water. As she stretched, she turned, and noticed that she lay alone in the large bed. Trying to find Sidney in this house would be impossible, she knew. So Riley took a few minutes to herself and stared out at the picture-perfect scenery that Sidney called a backyard.

He hummed a tune as he made his way up the steps of his summer home. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and walked barefoot through the house. He had all ready taken his dog out for her morning walk while Riley was still asleep. Before he had left, Sidney had opened the curtains and watched her sleep with the sun pouring out over her.

Now, half an hour later, he assumed that she was still asleep – though it was rare for her to sleep in – since he hadn’t seen her downstairs. He walked down the hallway and stopped dead in his tracks at the threshold of the master bedroom. For a few seconds he just watched his girlfriend sit cross-legged on the bed peering out the window. He looked closer and noticed something about her that he hadn’t truly seen before; she looked relaxed, completely at ease.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, not taking her eyes off the water and the boats that whizzed by. She hadn’t heard or seen him, but she sensed him. Her system was attuned to him. “Now, I see why you love it so much.”

“It’s captivating, isn’t it?” He walked over to the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

“Yes,” she murmured, “it’s very captivating.”

“It’s really nice out today. If you want we could go for a swim.”

“You’ve all ready been outside?” He was an early bird, she thought.

“Yeah,” he said as she stretched out on the bed. “I had to take the dog for a walk.”

“You have a dog?” Riley asked as he climbed on top of her, straddled her.

“Yes, she stays with me when I’m home for the summer and with my parents when I’m not. My dad just dropped her off this morning.” He kissed her on the lips once, twice, and lingered on the third.

“I look forward to meeting her,” she said with a smile. “But I have to take a shower.”

“Can I join you?”

She lifted a brow. “But you’re already dressed and I assume you’ve already showered, why would you need another?”

“I can think of many reasons. Besides, it’s just water and—” he broke off when the doorbell rang. “Crap. That’s probably my parents. My dad said they’d be stopping over sometime but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.” He looked at her, at her horrified expression. “Relax; I’ll keep them busy while you shower.”

“Owe you,” she said quickly as she rummaged around for clothes.

Sidney went downstairs to greet his family. He jogged down the steps towards the front door. When he opened it he saw his mom, dad and younger sister Taylor. They all wore bright smiles on their faces.

“Hi Mom, Dad,” he said as he hugged them. “Hi Tay,” he said as he picked her up. Even though she was a teenager now, at 13, she was still his baby sister. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

“We just had to come over right away. We’re so glad you’re home.” Trina, his mom said sweetly. “We brought you some casserole,” she said as she walked past him an into the kitchen.

“Thanks,” Sidney replied.

“So, it’s a shame about the playoffs,” Troy, his dad started.

“Yeah, but I don’t really want to think about it, you know? It still kind of hurts to think about it.”

Troy opened his mouth and was just about to speak when the sounds of girly squeals were heard in the kitchen. Both men walked quickly towards the squeals. When they got to the kitchen Sidney’s smile widened and Troy stood there caught off guard.

“You’re here! I didn’t know you were coming, Sidney never told me you were.” Trina said in a high tone as she rushed over to embrace Riley in a tight hug. “How long are you staying?”

“I actually have the entire summer off, so I guess I’ll be here until he gets sick of me.” Riley pulled Taylor in for a hug as well. “Oh, and before you go and condemn your son I’ll let you know that it was a last minute decision for me to come.”

“That’s wonderful, dear. We have plenty of time for Taylor and me to show you around. Although I’m sure Sidney all ready has or is planning to show you around, you need a woman’s perspective.” Trina said as she played with Riley’s hair. “You’ve changed your hair.”

Riley laughed. Trina had always been like a mother to her. “Yes. I cut it just before we left. Didn’t get too much off, but enough, you know? I also decided to change the colour a bit, lighten it up for the summer.”

“It looks great. The blonde highlights really show off the beautiful light brown you have as a natural colour. I like this cut; it shows off the cheekbones well. Your eyes look as green as ever.”

“Thank you. I liked this cut because it’s the perfect length for my face shape. They say that if you have a longer face you should have your hair to about your shoulders or higher. So I chose for the shoulders. I’m too scared to get it cut any shorter.”

“Why did you take the entire summer off?” Troy asked, speaking for the first time. His voice held no real emotion which was odd for when he spoke to Riley. “I thought you had a job.”

“I do have a job.” She tried to keep the tone light but the ending came out in a clipped tone. She was slightly offended with how he’d phrased it. “As for the holiday, I got a promotion so they gave me the entire summer off.”

Something flashed in his eyes. It was quick but Riley caught it. It looked like anger, just without the heat.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

2009-05-25T22:38:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

Alright, so I just wanted to let you all know that I've started a one shots blog. I've only one posting there right now but I do plan to put more up (I've gone a ton written all ready) and I eventually want to write some one shots about other guys on the team. I don't have any quite yet but if and when I do I'll let you all know.

Until then, enjoy chapter thirty-nine.

Please comment and thank you so much for reading!

-Sam. =)

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Nine

She stared out the window as Sidney drove them both back to his house. Riley loved Nova Scotia because it always reminded her a little bit of back home. Everything seems so serene, she mused as she watched children play outside their houses. The sun was out shining and the people were enjoying it. This was what Sidney needed. This was what she needed.

They pulled up to Sidney’s house a few minutes later and it was everything she’d expected it to be. It was secluded but not in the middle of nowhere. It was on the water, which she imagined was somewhere he spent most of his time. Even though it was a fairly large house, Riley loved it immediately.

Sidney pulled into the driveway and couldn’t have looked any more relaxed. He shut the car off and quickly walked around to open the door for Riley. The second she stepped out of the car she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

“What was that for?” He asked with a laugh.

“I don’t know. I just felt like it.” She smiled. “I am so excited to be here. To spend the entire summer with you.”

“I feel the same way, darling. Come on,” he said taking her hand. “I have to give you a tour.”

The house used mostly an open-concept. Riley thought that it made the house seem even bigger. Most, if not all, the walls were painted in very neutral colours – something different for Riley. But, she thought, it suited him. The furniture was also very contemporary. Nothing really stood out.

That was until he showed her the den or living room area. Everything in there was top of the line. The entertainment system was probably better than the stuff at Sports Guide. She imagined that this was where he spent a lot of time.

The kitchen blew her away. So much stuff, she mused, for a guy who couldn’t cook. Everything there had to be really expensive. The countertops were dark granite that had Riley standing over, admiring it for an entire minute.

“Whoa,” she said under her breath, but he heard her.

“I still have to show you the bedroom,” he whispered in her ear.

“The bed isn’t made out of gold or something, is it?” Riley asked as they walked down a long carpeted hallway, hand in hand.

He laughed, that rich sound she loved to hear. “No, love, it isn’t made out of gold. I imagine that wouldn’t be very comfortable.”

The room was massive, she thought instantly. Seriously huge, the furniture looked very soft and very tempting. There was a large plasma TV hung on the wall and several chairs and couches surrounding it. Then she saw the bed.

“Sweet Jesus,” she muttered as she walked towards it. Then blew out a breath, “Bet it’s comfy, eh?”

“Oh, you bet.”

“Looks like you could sink right in to and never resurface.”

He lifted her onto it as she gaped at the large white bed. He then climbed on top of her. “Why don’t we try it out?” He kissed her lips softly. The deepening the kiss, he ran his hands up and down her sides. “You know, like break it in and all.”

“Uh-huh. I see how you roll, Crosby.”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He backed away from her. His eyes were… innocent.

She snorted. “I never said that I didn’t like how you roll.” She reached out and dragged his mouth back onto hers.

Mouths ravaged, touches lingered, and pulses raced. They rolled playfully on the big bed as the birds sang outside. Nature could no longer be heard as their breathing hitched, then raced, as their moans got louder, as the sounds of skin against skin became faster and faster.

Clothes were shed quickly without any objections. Demands were made.

Riley was seeing stars as Sidney continued to increase the pleasure. Her breath backed up in her lungs as she tried to speak. He was hovering over her, watching her. She watched his face as her heart pounded in her chest. Then his mouth got to work and she lost every ounce of control.

He watched her muscles tighten then go lax. Then started it up all over again. He enjoyed driving her up and over the edge. His vision, too, was blurring as he slid into her. She tightened around him and he almost exploded.

As he drew her up to the point of madness again, he said her name. Then went over the edge with her.

They lay together in a sweaty heap of skin on the big bed. She sighed as she curled up in his arms. He wrapped one arm around her and rested his head on hers.

“So, I love this place.” Riley said with a smile as she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

2009-05-20T16:47:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Eight

“Hey, babe, can I ask you something?” Sidney asked when they were at home later that evening.

“You just did.” She giggled when he rolled his eyes and playfully punched her. “Ask away.”

“Obviously you know that I plan on going back home to Nova Scotia for the summer, and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me. I mean, I know you have to work and stuff, but can’t you take a few weeks off?”

She closed her eyes and almost purred when he stroked her hair. She was stretched out on the couch with her head on his lap. He had the TV on, the volume low. The curtains were closed because it was after nine and the sun had obviously set.

“Sid, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Okay.” He looked so terribly mortified that she laughed.

“You know how I had to go in to the station today for a meeting?” She looked up at him, face blank. “Well, it was a private meeting between me, Cheryl and Philip.”

“Who’s Philip?”

“He’s this big-boss guy.”

“Alright, continue.”

“Well, I handed in my last report for Sports Guide at that meeting.”

“Cheryl fired you?” He asked, looking confused.

“No.”

“You lost me.”

“Philip Andrews is with KDKA. I’ve met with him before and he said that he really likes my work,” she said. “He offered me a job there.”

“That’s wonderful!”

“It gets better, I don’t start at KDKA until September and Cheryl gave me the entire summer off.”

“So, you can spend the summer with me in Nova Scotia?” He asked; his eyes bright.

“I don’t see why not.” She said just before his lips crushed hers. “When do we leave?”

“Whenever you want,” he murmured against her mouth then neck.

“Hmm. How about next week then? I still have to pack…” she trailed off as his kisses got hungrier.

“Mhm. You can do all of that tomorrow, I’ll even help you.” When she sat up, he pulled her onto his lap.

She was getting the hint. “Then what are we supposed to do for the rest of tonight?”

“I have something in mind,” he said in a husky voice.

“Oh do you?”

“Yes, and I think we should take it very slow.”

“What’s the game plan, Crosby?”

She laughed when he picked her up and carried her into their bedroom.

A week later, they were all packed and ready. Sidney looked happier than ever about going back home. Riley on the other hand, was nervous. She told herself that it was stupid to be nervous because she’d already been to the Crosby house when she was a teen. She looked forward to seeing Sidney’s house, of course.

The plane ride there was like any other. She read a book while Sidney played on his PSP, like a child. She tried to muffle a laugh when one of the flight attendants flirted with Sidney, and went unnoticed because he was at a high level of his game.

As the plane touched down, Riley looked out her window. The sun was out and shining brightly. The birds were chirping. Riley smiled at Sidney. She loved the summer atmosphere.

As they were exiting the plane, he looked at her and wrapped his arms around her. This was what he’d wanted. He wanted the love of his life with him all summer.

“Welcome home, Riley.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

2009-05-14T19:17:00.003-04:00

Good news, I can reach my documents again! Thank you everyone for putting up with the delay and a special thanks to the anonymous poster who gave the wonderful advice on my dilemma.

But here is chapter thirty-seven!
Enjoy. :]

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Seven

On the way to the arena Riley filled Brett in on her news. He was thrilled for her and assured her that they would definitely keep in touch once she left SG.

When they pulled up Riley noticed that there were several other cars in the parking lot. She thanked Brett and made her way into the arena. This may be the last time she reported for the Penguins, she thought sadly.

As she walked in she was immediately greeted by one of her closest friends on the team, Jordan Staal.

“Hey, Rye,” he said and pulled her in for a big hug.

“Hey, Staalsy,” she replied. “Have you seen Sid?”

He pulled back. “Yeah. Last time I saw him he was in the dressing room with Mario. If I were you, though, I’d go check around the rink area. It’s pretty tough being in the dressing room still.”
“I know. Look, Jordan, you and the rest of the team did amazing all season. I mean you started off kind of lousy and you made it into the playoffs. I think that is definitely something to be proud about.”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Riley?” he said as she began to walk off. “He’s taking it pretty hard. Like, harder than everyone else.”

She closed her eyes for a minute before turning back. “I know. He’s trying not to show it around me, but I know.” She touched his arm. “He’s going to need more than just me. He’s going to need his friends.”

“I’ll be there for him.”

“I know you will.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

Riley walked off to find the love of her life. On her way there she ran into Mario and he quietly told her where she could find Sidney.

Turning a corner, she saw him.

He stood there, his back to her, leaning on the boards, facing the ice. His shoulders were slouched, his forehead resting against the glass. He stood there dressed in dark jeans, a grey t-shirt and a black sweater. He didn’t move the slightest inch.

She walked up behind him, silently, and wrapped her arms around him. She felt him tense as she rested her head against his back. They stood there like that for a few silent moments. He then turned in her arms and wrapped his own around her, whispering, “I can’t do this alone. I need you.”

Her heart broke.

“I’m here for you, baby.” She tried to make it as soothing as possible. “I’m always here.”

“Thank you.”

She was angled in a way where she could see an entrance way. There she saw a young, naïve-looking journalist who obviously got to do some summer report about the Penguins.
She saw him just as he saw her. When his eyes veered toward Sidney, they lit up. Knowing that Sidney was in no way ready to talk to a reporter, she shot him a death glare. He retreated.

“Let’s go home,” Riley said a few minutes later. “You don’t want to be here.”

They went home and Riley saw him relax slightly. She knew that he still found it hard to be at the arena – and she couldn’t blame him. Even though she’d never been interested in many sports, she knew what it was like to be so close to something and then have it taken away.

Over the next few days Sidney had gone to the arena to clean out his stall and chat with the guys before they all headed their own ways for the summer. It would be hard to not see these guys for a few months but she knew that he would desperately need the break.

Sidney was going out to lunch with a few of the guys and had asked Riley to join but she politely declined. She had a meeting with Cheryl and Philip Andrews from KDKA. Riley also wanted Sidney to spend his last few days before leaving for the summer with his friends.

She’d left half an hour after he had and tried to calm herself throughout the short drive. There’s nothing to be nervous about, she told herself. No, she wasn’t worried about the job so much. She was nervous about what she would do all summer without Sidney. Riley didn’t think that she could spend two full months without him.

She pushed the questions out of her mind the moment she walked into the station. There was a show being filmed, Brett was hosting. He slid a cool glance at her then back without missing a beat in his report. Talent, Riley thought, just oozed out of him.

“Good morning, or shall I say afternoon, Riley,” Cheryl said, hurrying over to wrap Riley in a motherly hug.

“Good afternoon,” was all Riley could get out before Cheryl was pushing her into the meeting room.

The meeting room had several windows that let in the beautiful summer sunlight that shined over the long, elegant oak table. In the room there were twelve dark, leather office chairs. The walls were painted a soft brown and sconces were set every few feet from each other. There were some plants located around the room, too.

Her gaze slid quickly but softly across the room and she saw, sitting in one of the leather office chairs, Philip Andrews. He was dressed, again, in a dark suit that almost matched his skin tone. He had a few sheets of paper set out in front of him but Riley assumed that he wouldn’t look at them once. He sat, back straight, smiling warmly at Riley.

“Good afternoon, Riley.” His voice was deep, professional.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Andrews.” She wasn’t sure what she should address him by. But she opted for the respectful one seeing as he outranked her. “It’s nice to see you again.”

He smiled then got down to business. “I assume that you’ve thought about the offer we talked about last week.”

“Yes, I have. But first, sir, I must thank you for this opportunity. It’s something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid.” Riley threw a smile at both him and Cheryl. “Now, about the job offer, I’ve chosen to accept it and leave my current one behind at Sports Guide.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Now, of course, you will not start off at KDKA at the top of the food chain. You may decline the position if you don’t approve of the position you will be assigned.”

She nodded. “Understood, sir.”

“Good,” he said swiftly. “You will not work sports. We want you to try out the locals. By that I mean plays, concerts, events and so on. It’s not such a popular area but if you work hard enough, I believe that you’ll excel quickly at KDKA.”

“Okay.”

“I am aware that your boyfriend is a hockey phenomenon, which is why I didn’t automatically assign you the position of sports – I like you too much to have the other reporters pick you apart.”

Since she’d kept quiet he continued.

“It isn’t the most popular thing, like I said before, but it pays better than what you were getting here.” He shot a glance at Cheryl, eyes full of laughter. “Do you have any questions?”

“Just one: when do I start?”

He laughed. He answered her as he began to shuffle the papers into his briefcase. “You start in September.”

“Riley, you deserve this more than anyone I know.” Cheryl said when Riley handed her the final report she’d written about the Penguins. “You think you don’t, but you do. I’ve never seen someone so determined, so focused at what they do as much as you are. You’re a natural, Riley, embrace it.”

“Thank you. It just feels so soon, you know? I mean, I’m twenty-two years old and I’ve already had people say I’m one of the best. It’s just… wow. What do you want me to do from now until September?”

Cheryl laughed, sweet and innocently. “Take the summer off, Riley. Spend it with your boyfriend.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

2009-05-01T18:48:00.002-04:00

Oh man, I am so excited for the second round of the playoffs. Hopefully the guys can shut down Ovechkin and get four wins. Either way, it'll be an interesting series.
But on with the story!
I hope you enjoy chapter thirty-six. Comments are appreciated. ;]

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Six

There he stood, looking quite intimidating. Riley didn’t know whether or not to be intimidated or impressed. Why would this very professional-looking man want to talk to her?

Well hell, why not take a risk and ask?

“Hello Riley,” he began in a deep voice. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Oh no, not at all,” Cheryl put in.

Riley looked at her, confused. “But I thought we had a meeting.”

“Oh, sweetheart, it isn’t about anything particularly important.” Cheryl touched Riley’s arm lightly – motherly. “Besides, it doesn’t really deal with you. You’re our best reporter so you don’t need any spanking.”

She laughed as she walked away. Even though Cheryl was the producer of the show, she gave off such a motherly vibe. She was in her sixties and was the cutest thing. Riley adored her.

“Well then,” Philip began. “Why don’t we go somewhere else and talk, shall we?” He motioned to one of the meeting rooms.

He was in his forties, Riley guessed. The suit he was wearing was almost as dark as his skin. He had a very polite, very professional way about him. This man was all about business.

“Have a seat,” he said, as he gestured to one of the large leather office chairs. “You’re probably wondering who I am and why I’m here.” He smiled, showing off a bright white smile.

“Have you checked the ratings?” He asked as he pulled out a notebook from his suit pocket.

“No, not recently,” she replied.

“Ah, well, maybe that’s where we should begin. Sports Guide is at the top. Everyone watches this show. When I saw this I asked myself why – not that I disagreed with it – because as I recall it’s a fairly new sports-highlights show,” he said, as he opened the notebook to show her the ratings.

“As it turns out,” he continued, “that most people watch Sports Guide because of its reporters.”
“We do have a good number of great reporters here. Everyone is extremely dedicated to what they do as a career. We pride ourselves on our performances as well as how much information we can get.” She looked directly into his eyes as she spoke.

“And she’s modest, too,” he murmured to himself. “Anyway, I wanted to see why, seeing as at KDKA we, too, pride ourselves on our performances. We don’t like to be second-best.” He smiled, quick and competitively. “So, I watched several shows over the past several weeks – and, I must say, I’m addicted. Sports Guide is an entertaining sports show that offers more than just highlights. Humour is widely dispersed throughout the shows.

“But, Riley, I must be completely honest with you. You are the best reporter on this show and one of the best I’ve ever seen. Your reporting style is unique. It’s not the typical ask-the-direct-question style for you; you bring a whole wave of comfort and ease when you interview and report. You make the show what it is – a hit.”

She sat there, stupefied. Here was this big man, probably way up there in his career, and he’s sitting talking to a young woman whose only been reporting for less than a year, and he’s raving about how good of reporter she is. The best, she thought dreamily. He had called her one of the best he’d ever seen.

“Thank you,” she said, a little dazed.

“Now, I didn’t come here just to compliment you, although you do deserve it. I came here to tell you that KDKA wants to be on top again. We want the best reporters in the city. I came here, Riley, to offer you a position, as a reporter, at KDKA.”
She had to use all of her strength to prevent her jaw from dropping. This was everything she’d ever dreamt of, but didn’t expect to get to this quickly.

“Wow,” she murmured. “I’m speechless right now.”

“Now, you don’t have to answer right away. Take some time, think it over. I’ll give you my card and you can call me when you’ve come up with an answer.” He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small white business card. “You’d be a great addition to the show.”
As he left she sat there staring at the card. That little white card was the ticket to her dreams. But, of course, before she made any major decisions she’d have to talk it over with Sidney. She’d also have to talk with Cheryl.

“How’d it go, sweetheart?”

Riley looked up and saw Cheryl standing in the threshold of the meeting room. The expression on her face and her body language portrayed no more than – with no other way of describing it – the image of a mother watching her child move on to higher things in life.

“He offered me a job.” The words came out in a dazed tone.

“Take it. You deserve it.” Cheryl patted her lightly on the arm as she spoke.

Riley looked up at her and smiled. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“That he was going to offer you a job?” Her smile was so big that the skin wrinkled around her eyes. “Of course I knew, sweetheart, Philip and I go way back. He called me last week asking if he could speak with you. When I asked him why, he told me that he had plans of stealing you away from me.”

“If I take this job—”

“Which you will,” Cheryl cut in.

“—I’ll be leaving SG behind. In a way I don’t want to do that. I love working here, with everyone.”

“Riley,” she began in a tone that reminded Riley of when her mother would scold her. “This job will boost your career so much higher than SG ever could. Trust me; you do not want to give this up.”

“I’ve wanted this so bad,” Riley told her.

“Take the job, Riley. Sometimes you have to be a little selfish. But before you do, could I ask you to do one thing?”

“Anything.”

“Could you do one more report on the Penguins? The last one; the one about the end of their season,” she said, and handed Riley a notebook.

“Sure, I’ll start today.”

Once Cheryl left Riley was about to walk out the doors when she realized that she had carpooled with Brett. Seeing as he was still in the meeting, she sat on one of the plush chairs in the lounge area and texted her brother until Brett came out.

Ben and his fiancée, Kim planned to get married in the summer; just a small wedding in Rimouski with family and friends. Riley made a mental note to tell Sidney about it. She was certain that he’d want to be there.

Half an hour later, Brett approached her. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” she said, with a smile. “Could you drop me off at the Mellon?”

“Of course.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

2009-04-25T20:28:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Five

The Penguins went on to win that game and the next three against Montreal. Riley was back in the Sports Guide station to recap the series and the intense game four.

“Both Marc-Andre Fleury and Carey Price were outstanding through sixty minutes of regulation, sending game four into OT tied at zero.

“With three minutes left in overtime, Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby put himself and the puck past Carey Price. They would check it and there was no need to correct it. The Penguins sweep the Habs, four games to none.”

They went on to play the Boston Bruins in the next round. Unfortunately, their magic didn’t allow them to sweep another team. The series went to game six in Boston, where the home team lead it three games to two.

“With two-twenty left in the third, Boston’s Zdeno Chara sealed the deal for his team by ripping a laser from the blue line; ending the Penguins’ 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Playoff run,” Riley reported in a voice that never wavered, even though it broke her heart to have to recall that disappointing night.

Sidney had come home late and in a sour mood after that loss. Riley saw him the next morning asleep on the couch in the living room. He looked exhausted, even in his sleep. She knew that the regular season and especially the playoffs had drained him – physically, mentally, and emotionally. He wouldn’t be back to his old self for a good week or two.

Not until he got away from the hockey atmosphere. Like that would ever happen, she thought. He was never fully away from the hockey world.

Sidney stirred, groaned, and eventually opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was his girlfriend staring at him, eyes wide with concern. Under all of that worry, he noted, there was fatigue. He knew he probably didn’t look too great himself, either. And she’d be all over him for that, too.

What he’d really needed now was a relaxing summer. And Riley. With both he would hopefully be able to recharge for the next season. He made a mental note to ask her if she would care to join him for the summer in his home province, Nova Scotia.

But for now he needed to try and put it all behind him, the season was over and he needed to remember that. He didn’t want any tension between them, especially now.

There would be some, though. There was no escaping it. Tension was already growing between the team. Once the game had ended and they’d made their way back to the dressing room no one had said a word. What was there to say? But, they’d been through it before, he mused. This, though, would be the first time he’d get over it with a woman. With his girlfriend. Sure, during the last offseason there’d been women who he’d shared his bed with, but not one who he’d cared for so much. Not one he’d give up anything to keep.

This offseason would be something entirely different. In a way, he was looking forward to it.

“Good morning, love.” Riley said as she raced past the living room.

“Morning,” he said groggily. “You’re up and moving early.”

“Yeah,” she said, handing him a mug of fresh, hot coffee. “I’d love to stay and chat but I’ve got a meeting in twenty minutes.” She kissed him lightly on the lips.

“Oh, I don’t remember you mentioning anything about it.”

“I just got word about it an hour ago.” She fussed with her hair in the mirror. Looking at her watch, she frowned. “Brett should be here any minute now.”

“Brett’s driving you.” He didn’t know why it angered him.

“Hmm. Oh, yeah; we usually carpool to work together.”

“Ah, well.” He nodded. “Have you had any coffee yet?”

She unbuttoned the collar of her green blouse. “No, we’ll grab something on the way there.”

“I see,” he murmured. “Have I met Brett?”

His tone made her turn to face him.

“I don’t think so, no.” She tried to hide the suspicion in her voice by passing it off nonchalantly.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak the doorbell rang.

“That must be him…” Riley trailed off as she sauntered over towards the front door. As soon as she opened it she was greeted with Brett’s smiling face.

Sidney scowled.

“Hey stunner,” Brett said, pulling her into a hug. “I got your regular on the way here.” He handed her a cup of hot coffee. “Now, if you don’t mind, could I use your washroom? There was traffic and a long line at Starbucks.”

“Thanks. It’s the third door on the left.”

As he headed off Sidney got up to stand next to Riley. He wanted a good look at Brett when he came back.

“He knows your regular, stunner?” he asked, with a brow raised.

“Err, yeah.” Normally she would’ve told him to take the stick out of his butt, but she realized that he was probably still irritable about losing so she let it go. “I’m not too sure of when I’ll be back, but I’ll call you if I’ll be any later then three, okay?”

“Yeah, all right.” He kissed her long and passionately. “I love you.”

Brett walked back towards the front door and saw Riley wrapped intimately around a young guy he took to be her boyfriend.

Riley looked over because she sensed him. She cleared her throat before speaking.

“Sid this is Brett, my co-worker and good friend.” She motioned towards him, smiled. “Brett this is Sidney, my boyfriend.” She kept the smile, bright and friendly, on her face even though she felt awkward.

“Nice to meet you,” Brett said, extending a hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise,” Sidney said, and shook his hand.

“Well, we’d better go,” Riley said, and kissed Sidney one more time before heading out the door.

They walked down the steps to Brett’s car. The weather was warming seeing as it was approaching the last half of May. The flowers were starting to make their mark on lawns everywhere. More and more birds were spotted sitting on trees throughout the day.

As they drove, Riley started to let her thoughts wander. She thought about the summer and how she and Sidney were going to work that out. He would obviously be doing something. But what? Riley thought, pursing her lips. What did he do during the summer? Surely he wouldn’t stay in Pittsburgh. How much time would they spend together over the summer?

Better yet, what would she be doing over the summer? Hopefully not covering baseball, she thought with a wince. She really, really didn’t like the sport. She could, however, see if there were any openings at other stations…

“So,” Brett began, pulling Riley out of her thoughts. “Your boyfriend doesn’t really care too much for me.”

“What?” She was shocked. “How do you know? Of course he likes you, why wouldn’t he?”

“Well, he seemed pretty tense around me, and I could understand why.”

“Sid? He’s just tense because they got eliminated the other night.” She tried to brush it off – wanted to – but couldn’t. “What do you mean, you know why?”

“Come on, Rye, you can’t tell me you don’t know why.” He looked over and saw he bewildered expression.

“I actually have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He sighed. “Riley, you’re beautiful. Trust me, you are, you wouldn’t be on TV if you weren’t – it’s a very shallow business,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest. “Any man, especially someone like Sid, would be, let’s say, protective of you if you were their girlfriend.” He smiled at her embarrassed expression. “He’s head over heels for you, hun.”

She gaped at him. “You think he’s jealous?” She threw back her head and laughed. “Oh man, that’s hilarious; Sidney, jealous.”

“Uh, why do you find this so funny?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“Because it’s so true. He won’t admit it but I know he doesn’t like it when I work with men. It’s funny because he’s the one worried about guys coming on to me. I should be worried about the girls that are offering to have his children.”

They walked into the station in good moods. They met up with some other people from the station and walked in together. The entryway was nice and open. The windows were large and situated everywhere, letting the beautiful sunlight shine in.

Immediately, they saw Cheryl, who was heading in their direction. The woman walked fast for being in heels. Oh crap, Riley thought as she looked down at her own feet. Yup, forgot to put on heels. She was standing there in her purple Converse. Blouse, dress pants, Converse.

“Good morning Brett, Riley, Julie, and Thomas.” Cheryl greeted warmly. “Can I speak to you for a moment, Riley?”

“Sure.”

Cheryl led her over to the far wall of the building where a man stood in a dark suit watching her intently. He seemed to be studying her, judging her.

“Riley, this is Philip Andrews. He works for KDKA. He asked to speak with you.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

2009-04-18T22:08:00.002-04:00

It's kind of a short chapter but there is, indeed, more to come. But I do have to say, how about those Pens totally kicking Flyer ass! The overtime game the other night had me on the edge of the couch holding my breath. A wonderful two-man advantage goal by Billy Guerin. :]

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Four

“Good luck, baby.” Riley kissed Sidney sweetly on the lips.

Baby, she thought as she walked towards the seating area of the arena. They’d both been calling each other that lately, along with others as well. She kind of liked it. It made things more intimate.

They’d been together for over half a year, Riley calculated. Only half a year and she’d all ready let down every guard she’d ever had for him; let him in. Yes, she mused, he now held the power to break her, the power to destroy her.

She probably had the same power over him, too. But now was not the time to hurt him, it was the time to be there for him. To understand.

They probably wouldn’t win the ultimate prize in all of hockey that year. Their competition was too skilled, too strong, too prepared. Their competition was too ready. Both Sidney and Riley know that, but they never spoke of it. Perhaps they should’ve, but there was never a right time for it.

And there never would, she thought sadly.

All she could do for Sidney right now was to support him. They started their playoff run in fifteen minutes. How far would they go? She’d asked herself that many times. How would Sidney react to losing the Stanley Cup again? Riley only hoped that he wouldn’t take it too hard and shut her out.

They had, after this game, another three guaranteed. She would make sure that she’d be present for all of them. She’d make sure to be encouraging to Sidney. To be optimistic for him.

Deep into thought, Riley nearly bumped into several fans. Shaking off her thoughts she walked to where she would sit whenever she came to a game; with the other girlfriends. She saw them, sitting there looking gorgeous as always.

“Hello ladies,” Riley greeted with a bright smile.

“Rye, come sit next to me!” Vero patted the empty seat next to her.

It had taken a little while, but Riley now felt completely comfortable sitting with these women. At first she had been a little intimidated by them, thinking that she’d be judged – and judged harshly because of who had introduced her to them.

But they’d been so warm and so kind to her. They’d been quite welcoming to her. Some didn’t understand why she continued to carry on a career that inevitably gave off a lot of stress. She’d merely pointed out that she’d worked hard for years to get that job and that she wasn’t giving it up any time soon.

Riley chatted along with them as they, along with everyone else, awaited the drop of the puck. They talked about clothes and shopping then somehow drastically but subtly veered off to the topic of trashing the opposition. She had laughed when she heard some of the creative things those women came up with.

Once the anthems were sung, the teams positioned themselves for the puck drop. The Penguins won it and spent the majority of the first period in the other end. Their defence was strong, very rarely letting the opposing team slip past centre ice. The forwards were strong as well. They fired off a lot of shots on net but Carey Price was astounding between the posts.

The first period went by quickly because there weren’t many whistles. Off-sides and penalties were kept to a minimum. Hits, however, were thrown more than ever. The game was played at a faster pace during the playoffs. There truly was nothing better than playoff hockey.

With the time winding down in the first, the score still tied at zero, a Montreal player laid a massive and arguable hit on defenseman Kris Letang. He went down and stayed there for several minutes.

“Oh God,” Vero whispered as she grabbed a hold of Riley’s hand, held tight.

The Penguins captain, however, would have none of that. Sidney went at the guy full force. For the first time since they’d started dating, Riley saw Sidney drop the gloves. She was having an internal battle between being excited or frightened. She tightened her grip on Vero’s hand and sat on the edge of her seat, holding her breath the entire time.

She let it out audibly when Sidney’s fist collided with the other guy’s face, knocking him to the ice. The refs got in there and pulled the two apart. Both players were lead to their team’s dressing rooms. But before Sidney stepped off the ice he shot Riley one dazzling smile.

Chapter Thirty-Three

2009-04-09T17:59:00.003-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Three

“What did you do?” Riley stared at Sidney wide-eyed.

“I simply told him to back off,” he replied, smugly. “I also told him what’ll happen if he doesn’t.”

“You threatened him, didn’t you?”

“If that’s how he chooses to perceive it.” He backed out of the driveway. “Look, Riley, I love you – ridiculously so – and he’s a slug. I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe and happy,” he said before she could respond. “And, I really don’t care if you want me to or not.”

She sat there stunned. His answer wasn’t what she had expected to hear from him. When Sidney said or did things like this Riley could feel her heart melting. He had, she knew, so many sides of him that are very rarely exposed to many people.

She turned to him, smiled. “Thank you.”

He quickly glanced at her, smiled, and took her hand in his. “You’re welcome.”

A few minutes later they arrived at the arena. They were practicing in the Mellon Arena as Southpointe was being occupied for the day. The arena seemed empty when they walked in, but later proved otherwise when Coach Dan Bylsma ran past them chasing Jordan Staal with a large water bottle.

Riley watched them race by her and Sidney and down the hall. They were screaming and laughing the entire time. Like children, she thought. The guys seemed to be having more fun.

“He’s a good coach,” Sidney said as he and Riley made their way to locker rooms. “I have to get changed now.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “Practice starts in fifteen minutes.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze then disappeared through the large door that was marked with a large picture of a penguin.

Riley walked over to the ice and picked a seat that was a few rows up. She never liked being in the first row at a hockey game. When she was seated she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. For the first time in who knows how long, Riley wasn’t expected to report back to her boss with a full article on how practice went. This time it was different. This time she was just there to watch the love of her life play the sport that he enjoyed.

Hockey, she mused. Hockey was what brought them together the first time, six years ago. And hockey was what had reunited them. Hockey was a huge part of both their lives. It was his career and hers. It was what had brought them to where they stood now.

Shaking her head, laughing a little, and getting comfy, Riley prepared to watch the show.

As she watched, she pulled out her notebook. The newspaper she occasionally wrote for had asked her to write a little introduction for the readers about the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The idea of it was more descriptive then anything. They wanted the readers to feel like they were there, watching the game for themselves.

She started it off slowly, it wasn’t due for a few more weeks but she decided that this was how she’d pass some time.

She could picture it all perfectly.

The lights were set to a low dim, the announcer’s voice boomed. The crowd roared. Spotlights displaying the picture of a large, fierce-looking penguin criss-crossed over the freshly cleaned ice. The chants began just seconds before the home team stepped on the ice. The crowd got louder.

A few boos where hollered when the visiting team stepped on. Both teams, consisted of twenty men each, warmed up on their end of the ice. Both set up in the widely popular butterfly drill. Pucks crossed from end to end, passed tape to tape, and shot into the net. Some stretched, some were being interviewed, and some skated around scoping for colourful, homemade signs with interesting sayings on them.

Everything came to a halt when the national anthems were sung. Five skaters and a goalie of each team stood on the ice and faced the flags; the other fifteen players stood on their respective benches and bowed their heads in respect.

As the home team’s national anthem began the crowd cheered and sang along loudly, their hands on their hearts.

Once over, they prepared for the puck to drop and the show to begin.

Yes, she could see it all. She could feel the intensity and only hoped that her readers would too.

Looking up, Riley saw that all of the guys were standing at one end of the ice, coach at attention. He was giving instructions for a new drill. And Sidney would be leading, naturally.

Soon after, they switched to another drill. This one seemed to be more physically draining than the others. It dealt more with fore checking and back checking – a vital part in the game.

Turning her head at the sound of feet walking across the sticky floor, Riley smiled at the woman dressed in a black tracksuit who looked like she’d just stepped out of the spa. Her long black hair tied loosely in a ponytail, her skin shining, and her makeup-less face glowing. Yup, Riley thought, she looked like she’d just been pampered for a good few hours.

“Hey, Rye,” she said it so sweetly with her beautiful French accent.

“Hey, Vero. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m good. How about yourself? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I’m doing well. And yes, it has been a while.” Riley closed her notebook and shoved it into her bag.

As Vero sat in the seat next to Riley, they began to talk about clothes, hair, makeup and boys.

Chapter Thirty-Two

2009-03-29T19:07:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Two

“Rye, I don’t know what to do.” Sidney sighed as he reached toward her.

The Penguins were playing their first game of the 2008-2009 playoffs the next day against Montreal. Over the past several weeks people had gone to extremes to criticize Sidney. He had taken it all in stride and blown off insults and the comments people made when picking apart his playing.

But everyone had their breaking points.

“What do you mean?” She knew exactly but wanted him to talk it out.

She’d comforted him every time someone criticized him. Because, she thought, people were just cruel sometimes. Riley thought that Sidney was receiving way too much negativity from people, and the media especially.

“They expect me to do everything. Like, if we don’t win the Stanley Cup, it’s my fault. If we lose a game, it’s automatically my fault. I can’t do everything. I already have a lot to stress about now with being in the playoffs; I don’t need the media up my ass for not smiling enough or not doing enough commercials or photo shoots – how the hell am I supposed to do everything they ask of me? It’s not humanly possible. So what if I don’t smile enough? We finished fifth in the Eastern Conference overall and are fighting for the Cup again this year – the year after losing in Game 6 of the finals – and they’re miffed because I don’t smile enough? Christ.”

He stalked the bright living room as the fury and frustration seemed to melt away. “I just don’t get it. I mean, I know I’m supposed to portray this image of the face of the NHL – I get that. It’s the whole deal of me having to give away my personal life so I can answer the same boring questions by some reporter who doesn’t know the slightest thing about hockey.” He sat down with a huff. “I just don’t get it,” he repeated, quietly.

Riley sat next to him on the leather couch and put her arm around his shoulders. She rested her head against him. “Do you want to know what I think?” She asked in a loving tone.

He looked at her and after a few seconds, smiled. “Sure.”

“I think that you’re doing an unbelievable job with handling the media, the fans, the criticism, and the intense schedule you live by. Sometimes, though – and I say this with love – you need to learn how to say no. Now, with being in the playoffs, you need to focus on your game. Who cares what the media says. Who cares what people say? You don’t know them personally. All that matters is what you think. You just need to go out there, put on a smile, and do what you do best – dominate at hockey.” She stood and pulled him up with her. “Although, you could shoot a little more often.”

He stood there, holding her, for a few moments. That was exactly what he needed to hear. He needed, he mused, to know that his girlfriend was on his side. Riley was always on his side, he thought with a smile. “Thank you.” He kissed her. “And I’m more of a playmaker than shooter.”

“No you’re not. You’re an all-round player. Plus, I’ve seen your shot; it’s good, so use it.”

How had she turned a serious conversation into a laughing matter? He couldn’t figure it out. It was just another one of her qualities, he thought lovingly. “God, I love you.”

“I know. Now, come on, you’re going to be late for practice.” She pulled him towards the front door.

“Wait, you’re coming to practice?” He stared at her, curiously.

“Yeah, I don’t have to go in today. The new intern, Brian, is going to fill in for me all this week.” She smiled; thinking of how much potential Brian had showed when she’d first met him.

“Wow. Do they usually let interns take over for a week?”

“Well, he’s very good at reporting but he’s not doing the whole show on his own, Brett will be there to assist him.”

“Brett?”

“Sharpe. Brett Sharpe. He’s one of our top reporters – and one of my closest friends, too.”

“Ah. I see.” Sidney nodded and pulled out both their jackets from the closet. “We’d better get going then.”

As they walked down the steps from the front door and to Sidney’s silver Range Rover they heard someone holler something at them. Riley looked over first and her smile vanished when she saw Cooper walking towards them.

Sidney looked over when he felt Riley tense. He placed his hand on the small of her back and nudged her toward the car.

“Get in.” He unlocked the doors. “I’ll deal with him.”

“Don’t.” Her eyes were pleading as she got in his Range Rover.

“Hey, can I speak with her?” Cooper stood there looking at Riley who was sitting in Sidney’s car, her attention on picking her nails.

Sidney stepped in front of Cooper, blocking his view of Riley. “No,” he spat. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to even ask that.”

“Look, dude, I just want to talk to her.”

“Well that’s just too bad. Now, I suggest you get off this property.” Sidney’s voice was laced with hate and disgust.

“What’s your problem? You’re so damn protective of her. I think Rye can take care of herself, she doesn’t need her superstar boyfriend to fight her battles.” He shut his mouth when he saw the glimmering hate in Sidney’s eyes.

“My problem is you, you slug. And yes, I am very protective of my girlfriend. I know she can fight her own battles – I’ve seen her do it. But this is one I choose to fight for her. So, I’m going to warn you right now, stay very far away from Riley or there will be a problem. And, you don’t want to piss me off.”

“Whatever you say, dude. But you can’t tell me to stay away from Riley – I’ll go near her whenever I want.”

That did it. “I doubt that she’ll appreciate that. But you could always try. And let me tell you this, if I hear that you’re bothering my girlfriend – I’ll deal with you myself. If that’s not enough, I know that there is an entire NHL team that adores her and like to think of themselves as her older brothers – not to mention that her older brother is now living in Pittsburgh. I’m sure that they would love to beat you’re face in.” And Sidney smiled.

“Is that a threat?”

“No. I’m simply informing you of what would happen if you harass Riley.”

“You know what, fine. I’ll leave her alone. But don’t think for one second that I won’t be reporting on you – and you’re relationship with her. You’re what got me this career—”

“No, you copying Riley’s work is what got you your career.”

He went silent. His eyes went blank. His entire face went blank. He swallowed hard. “I’ll stay away from her.” He whispered it because he was too scared to find all of his voice.

“Good.” Sidney turned and got into his Range Rover.

Chapter Thirty-One

2009-03-26T22:37:00.000-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-One

She arrived at the end of the practice. A few of the guys had already left, while some were still in the showers. Riley decided to sit for an extra few minutes in the stands knowing that Sidney would be near last to leave. She was sitting there letting her thoughts wander when she heard someone sit down next to her.

“Hey,” Kris Letang said.

“Hey Kris,” she said, her face lighting up. “How are you?”

“I’m good, how about you?” Kris and Riley had always gotten along together well. “I haven’t seen you around at practice in forever.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” she said with a short laugh. “I forgot how much I miss it.”

“Yeah, there’s never a dull moment at one of our practices,” he smiled when she slid a curious glance at him. “Today, for example, Max skated from one end at full speed, dove, and crashed into the boards. He said it was a hell of a ride.”

Once Kris left, Riley made her way towards the dressing room. She crossed paths with Hal Gill on her way and he told her that only Sidney and Max were left and that she could go on in. And that’s just what she did.

As soon as she opened the door she heard laughter. Max was explaining his exhilarating expedition to Sidney, who laughed at his team mate and good friend. As she got a little closer she could see Max acting it out.

Then Sidney looked over.

“Hey babe,” he said as he walked over to Riley.

“Hey,” she said as he embraced her in a hug.

“You didn’t mention that you were going to drop by.”

“I didn’t think I’d have time to,” she pressed her smiling lips to his. “Hi Max,” she said as they pulled away. Max was standing next to her and Sidney, wearing a smirk. He had done one of those fake, awkward coughs when Riley and Sidney kissed.

“Why don’t you two go have sex in the showers?” Max seemed to be joking.

“Well… I was planning on it, but it would be rude since you’re still in the room,” Sidney replied in a voice that sounded like he meant it.

“I could always leave… or join.” Max stayed straight-faced while Sidney’s eyes popped open wide. Riley had to muffle a laugh with a loud cough.

“Seriously?” Obviously caught off guard, Sidney stuttered for a response.

“Yeah,” Max said easily. “You know, I’ve always wanted to—”

“Err, Max, I really don’t want to know.” As Riley said this she patted him on the arm.

“I see. I’ve got to go, I’ve got a date in ten minutes,” Max said as he picked up his phone off the bench.

“Have fun,” Sidney called after him. He then turned to Riley, “I wasn’t kidding about before,” he then pressed his lips to hers. “I really do want you,” he murmured against her neck, “now.”

Later that day, Riley and Sidney sat in the living room watching TV while eating pizza.
The pizza had arrived as soon as they got in. They had decided to take an evening stroll and ended up at the park.

While there, Riley saw a puppy and awed about it to Sidney. She wanted another puppy after Sachi had to be put down because his internal organs were too damaged to function properly. He had lived another few months after being brutally abused and Riley was satisfied that he ended his life in happiness. For once in his short life, he was safe.

They walked back home, hand in hand, while the sun was setting. They tried to jump ahead of their shadows on the sidewalk but failed miserably.

Once home, they settled into bed and it was another hour or so before they actually fell asleep.

Chapter Thirty

2009-03-19T17:29:00.003-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty

Sidney and Riley arrived at Famous Dave’s at five after. They met up with the other two couples inside the restaurant. Upon their entry, a few girls noticed Sidney and screeched his name, all while throwing themselves at him.

“Hey guys,” Riley said as she and Sidney sat down at the table.

“Hey,” Ben said, trying to keep from laughing. “Did you guys cause all that commotion?”

Sidney flushed slightly then answered. “Kinda,”

All throughout the meal Kaylan and Kim talked weddings, Riley joined in most of the time. The guys talked cars when they weren’t being dragged into the wedding conversation. They were sitting at a large table near the back of the restaurant; far from those dreaded screaming girls.

After enjoying a nice lunch with family and friends, everyone parted ways. Ben and Kim both had to go meet with an apartment owner, Kaylan and her fiancé Jordan McGraves both had to work, and Riley and Sidney were free for the rest of the day.

On the way home, Sidney held Riley’s hand in the car. They talked of topics of no real importance and enjoyed every minute of it. They were both at ease. Every now and then Riley would tease Sidney on his driving skills; she thought that he drove a little too slow.

Once home, they both let out a long, relaxing sigh. Riley bolted to the living room and flopped down on the couch, in total comfort. Sidney stood back and watched her. She’s hardly ever at ease, he thought. Which was true, it was an odd thing to see Riley act so carelessly, so freely. He thought that it was because when she was filming for the sports show she had to put on an act, so to speak. She always had to be so poised and so professional. But when she was at home, she could be lazy, loud, wild; politically incorrect.

He walked over to the couch, which his girlfriend was taking up most of, and lifted her up bridal-style and sat down. At her complaining groan he chuckled and set her down on his lap.

“Do you want to get married?” Riley asked, idly

“Are you proposing?”

“What?” She opened her eyes and looked up at his smiling face. “No. No, I meant it more, like, do you ever want to get married?”

“Ah,” he said as understanding spread across his face. “Sure. I mean, I don’t see why I wouldn’t.”

“Oh.”

“Why, you don’t?”

“I don’t know,” she answered coolly. “I mean, I don’t think it’s really necessary.”

“Oh?” He straightened. “And why not?”

“Well, I always thought that if you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with someone – you know, like soul mates, sort of thing – then you’re going to be with them, no matter what.” She had thought about this before, but never said anything.

“Rye, what brought this up?”

“I guess I’ve never really understood why people make such big deals about getting married and weddings and stuff. And I think with seeing how Kim and Kay discussed their wedding plans so… vitally, I still don’t understand it.”

“Mhm.” He nodded.

“I mean, if you truly love someone, why do some people think ‘oh if you don’t propose then we’re done.’” She sighed. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

He laughed. “No. Not one bit. Actually, I think it’s kind of attractive how you can speak your mind so openly.”

“Thanks,” she said sarcastically. “It’s not always such a lovely trait.”

Several days later, while Riley was at the station Cheryl pulled her aside. Riley had just finished filming the half hour show that would air the same sports highlights continuously for that whole morning, and then the channel on which it aired would show fishing or poker.

“Great show, as always,” Cheryl praised.

“Thanks,” Riley smiled.

“No problem. You’re perfect for this job, you’re young, smart, gorgeous, poised, you have a beautiful voice – I love the bit of Australian.”

“Again, thanks,” Riley laughed. This was odd, she thought.

“Okay, so I need you to do something for me,” Cheryl began. “We have this young guy, Brian, and I want you to train him since you’re one of our best journalists.”

“Oh. Okay, yeah sure. When would you like me to start?”

“Next week sometime,” Cheryl smiled. She knew Riley would be the best example of talent and discipline. “He’s a great kid, really. Attractive, too.”

Since Riley could sense that Cheryl was hinting, she sighed. “Cheryl, I have a boyfriend.”

“Ooh, I know,” she said it in such a way that reminded Riley of her grandmother. “But I really appreciate this, dear.”

And with that, Riley headed to the arena to watch the remainder of the Penguins’ practice.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

2009-02-28T17:22:00.002-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-Nine.

The sun shone in, illuminating the entire room. Riley stirred and eventually opened her eyes to the blinding light. She looked over to the clock and gaped when she saw that it was well after ten in the morning. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept in that late. She rose; finding herself quite reenergized, and headed off into the bathroom for a shower.

Riley always enjoyed the feel of hot water running down her body. The heat always seemed to numb away aches and pains. And it helped ease people to relaxation. She stepped out of the glass shower and wrapped herself in a white cotton towel.

When she walked back out into the bedroom she saw that Sidney was still sleeping in the middle of the bed. She chose a light pink bra and black boy shorts for underwear. Seeing as it was Sunday, and with her new schedule Riley didn’t have to work weekends, she chose a simple purple track suit. She left her hair down, not bothering to dry it.

Riley hummed her way to the kitchen. Everything seemed to be working out. With a cup of coffee in hand Riley decided it was time to see if Sidney was up. If he wasn’t then she’d have to do the honours.

She watched him roll and flop from side to side, realizing that he was probably awake. “Sidney,” she cooed. He moved slightly then stopped. “Sid, it’s time to get up.”

His eyes opened and focused on Riley standing in the threshold, leaning up against the door frame with a white mug up to her smiling lips. He studied her for a few seconds longer and finally came to the conclusion that she was happy. Completely content. He hadn’t seen her look like that in forever. “Morning,” he croaked then cleared his throat. “You look well rested.”

She smiled as she walked over to lean on the dresser. “As do you,” she replied. Riley wanted this moment to last a lifetime. Just the two of them together, no disruptions, no friction and nowhere to be at certain times and places; this was serenity. This was what love and life combined together should be like.

Yes, everything was working out. But how long would it last? No one knew. How long would the peace last? How many more Sundays would there be of sleeping in and lounging around? Most importantly, how long would Riley and Sidney last? No one has those answers so there really isn’t a point in dwelling on the negative what-ifs when you can live happily in the positive present.

While Sidney showered Riley sat on the couch and flipped through the channels on TV. The phone rang and Riley danced her way over to the phone. She truly was in a good mood. Probably one of the best she’d ever been in.

“Hello?” she said politely.

“Hey Rye,” Kaylan’s voice rang through.

“Hey Kay, how’ve you been? I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“I’m good, everything’s perfect.” Kaylan said in a silky voice.

“Oh? Perfect, huh? Do tell.” Riley said with a smile even though her friend couldn’t see it.

“Yeah, well, I’m getting married!” Kaylan, Riley’s best friend screeched.

“Married?! Oh my god. Since when and is it to Jordan?” Riley asked excitedly.

“He asked last night and yes, it’s to Jordan. I’m marrying Jordan!” she said in an elated voice.

“Wow. Well congratulations to both you and Jordan.”

“Meet us at Famous Dave’s at noon; bring Sid and your brother and his fiancée.”

Ben and Kim were staying in Pittsburgh for a few more weeks while they went house hunting. Ben had some friends who lived in the area so they were currently staying with them. Since Riley didn’t know their home number she called his cell phone.

“Hello?” he sounded bored.

“Hi Ben,”

“Hey Rye, what’s up?” she smiled; he still treated her like a little kid; like his little sister.

“Are you free today at noon?”

“Probably, why?”

“Kay called and she wanted me to ask you if you and Kim are free to go out to Famous Dave’s for lunch.” She scowled jokingly when Sidney came in the room and took her coffee out of her hand, drinking most of it.

“Where are we going and why?” Sidney asked as he wrapped his arms around Riley.

“Shut up,” she hissed, then muttered a quick ‘not you’ to Ben.

“Okay, Kim and I will meet you guys at noon.” Ben said.

After hanging up Riley explained their plans to Sidney, to which he approved simply because he adored Jordan. When Riley would joke that he had a man crush on Jordan he would reply “I respect him because he has a good taste in sports and cars” Jordan was a long-time Penguins fan and frequently discussed cars with Sidney.

They planned to leave at 11:30 in order to make it to the restaurant for noon. Until then they used their time wisely by engaging in a make-out session.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

2009-02-14T15:26:00.005-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-Eight.

While Sidney drove Riley wondered what he was doing. Where would they be going? Why? Just when you think that he’s predictable he goes and does something like this, Riley thought with a smile. She had already asked him a dozen times where they were going and all he did was look at her and smile. “Sid, where are we going?” Riley asked again.

He looked at her and gave her that poster boy smile. “You’ll see,” he said then drew his attention back to the road. He wasn’t going to tell her anything.

“So, you’re saying that I’m not allowed one teeny, tiny ounce of information even though I’m being good considering the fact that you’re kidnapping me?” Riley settled into a comfortable position.

“Pretty much.” After that there was silence. A content one, though. He enjoyed seeing the confusion on Riley’s face when they continued to drive farther and farther from their home. “Close your eyes,” Sidney said after they turned a corner. “And no peeking,” he added quickly.

Oh jeez, Riley thought but did as she was told. When the car stopped Riley’s heart started to race. She heard her door open and felt Sidney’s arms lift her off the seat and out of the car. But he didn’t put her down. “Sid, I can walk,” she said but wrapped her arms tighter around him.

“I know.”

They were seated in a quiet and private section of the restaurant. The lights were set to a low dim as candles were lit, setting the perfect romantic mood. The walls were covered with dark, seductive red wallpaper. The table had a lovely silk tablecloth over it in a shade of deep red. There were two tall candles lit in the centre of the table.

As Riley looked around and took in everything she possibly could of the room Sidney stared at her with intense eyes. “Do you approve?” he asked in a husky murmur, raising a brow.

Baffled, Riley tore her gaze away from the scenery to look at Sidney who sat across from her looking gorgeous. “Yeah, did you even have to ask?” The question was rhetorical, and they both knew it. Now, looking at him with more concentration, Riley realized that Sidney was wearing a dark suit. Black or dark blue, she couldn’t tell from the lighting. His gorgeous curls were gelled back, as usual.

Trying not to be obvious, Riley glanced down at herself. She couldn’t remember what she was wearing but hoped to God that she would look somewhat decent in her elegant surroundings. Good, she thought with relief. She was still in the clothes that she had worn to
work that morning.

Even though the weather had been chilly, Riley had worn a little black dress. The dress had a high neckline and a flattering draped front with a fitted bottom, the back was also low and open. With it, Riley wore silver open-toed high heels. [a picture of the dress here: http://www.edressme.com/d595acj.html]

A waiter came by with a bottle of expensive wine and placed it on the table. As Riley placed her hands neatly on the table, Sidney grabbed a hold of her left hand. Riley’s heart fluttered.

Awed and feeling like a fool, Riley looked up at Sidney with an embarrassed expression. “Sidney,” she began. “I have to ask – why did you do this?” She definitely felt like an idiot when he smiled at her and slightly cocked his head to the side.

“Riley, love, there are many reasons why I would take my beautiful girlfriend out to dinner. But there is a reason – or two – for why I picked tonight.” He paused, giving off the impression that he was pondering which reason to tell first. “Did you know that it has been exactly five months since I first asked you out?” When she raised her eyebrows in pure astonishment he let out a soft laugh. “No, I guess you didn’t,” still smiling he looked deeply into her eyes. “The other reason is because today is a day for celebrating love. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Oh God was the first thing that went through Riley’s mind. Valentine’s Day could not already be here. But it was, she realized. That would explain why there was so much red everywhere in the restaurant. “It’s Valentine’s Day?” Riley said absently. “Well shit. I totally forgot.”

He laughed and kissed her hand.

All throughout their mouth-watering meals Riley was mesmerized by this other side of Sidney she had only seen tidbits of before; the romantic side. He said some of the sweetest things she had ever heard, did things that awed her even more. She was hopelessly in love with Sidney Crosby.

As the evening started to come to a close a slow love song was played over the restaurant’s radio. Sidney stood and pulled Riley up along with him. He got the satisfaction of watching her eyes widen when he pulled her close to him and started to dance, slowly, romantically. “Now, I can’t dance so I’m hoping you’ll lead,” he murmured in her ear.

Riley merely nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. This was not the Sidney who played hockey in the NHL for a living, this was not the Sidney who was outrageously boring on camera, this was not the Sidney who sat on the couch watching TV every day when Riley would come home from work, this was not the Sidney who teased her when he flipped on the channel for Sports Guide and Riley’s face popped up on the screen. No. No, this was the gushy Sidney, the one who could turn his strong, independent girlfriend into mush by showing that he truly cared for her by a few words and actions. And that’s just what he did when he whispered in her ear. “I love you.”

When they got back home the love and romance didn’t stop. Sidney gave Riley a single scarlet rose.

In the bedroom, Riley and Sidney rid each other of their clothes. Slowly Sidney lowered them to the bed where they remained locked at the lips, limbs entwined. Their hands roamed the other’s body as if this would be their last encounter.

Sidney trailed soft kisses down Riley’s neck, across her torso, stopping to suck her breast, and down her legs. He slid both his hands up her legs and stopped at her thighs, just shy of where she wanted them. Riley reached up to bring Sidney’s lips to her own. When they met the heat increased. He nibbled on her bottom lip and was aroused by her low moan.

His hands got to work, determined to bring her to climax. He kissed all over her face and neck, making every nerve in her body feels like a live wire. They rolled, fighting for control, when Sidney brought her to her first of many climaxes. Looking deeply into her eyes, he slipped inside of her causing her to gasp out in pleasure.

After bringing them both over the edge Sidney pulled Riley into his arms where they drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

2009-01-30T18:50:00.002-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-Seven.

“You’re never home!” Sidney had shouted at Riley one day when she arrived home at 2:30am. She was working two shows for the time being while the company searched immensely for another sports analyst. She was also doing some written work for a newspaper that showed interest in her and offered a safety net in case things didn’t work out in the end at Sports Guide.

After a month of long hours spent everywhere but home, many stressful cases of writer’s block, and continual bickering with the one she loved Riley was drained. She felt as if everything she’d put so much effort and care into would crumble in front of her own eyes at the wrong word said or the wrong action. To make matters even worse, the Penguins were in a slump and out of a playoff spot. Luckily they’d showed some signs of turning around in the past few games but Sidney still had his frustrations and doubts and did not always keep them where they belonged: on the ice.

There’d been hateful things said, tears shed, and even some things thrown when one of their disputes had heated up. Still, Sidney and Riley tried their damndest to plough through their disagreements and frustrations and remain together – where deep down, they were they’re happiest.

There was one way Riley had found ways to keep her temperament intact and even relax, a little. Her friend, co-worker, therapist at times, peacekeeper, and saviour Brett Sharpe was her only sense of sanity. He’d made her laugh when she’d thought of strangling others, helped her finish articles on time when she was up to her ears in them, sat quietly and listened while she spilled her fears, stresses and problems, held her back when she set after an intern who’d rubbed her the wrong way, and offered her a drink when she’d really needed one. He was one of the reasons why she kept going back to work extra hours when they’d asked her, she enjoyed his company.

One morning in early February Riley awoke to the sound of her alarm. Looking outside she saw that it had snowed, yet again. She rolled out of bed trying to be quiet so she wouldn’t wake Sidney. She frowned when she realized that it was still dark outside, that’s depressing, she thought.

After her shower she wandered towards the kitchen to get some coffee. Soon after Sidney emerged from their room showered and dressed. “Morning,” he mumbled as he made a beeline for the coffee machine. “So, what time did you get home last night or should I say early this morning?” he asked in a sour tone.

Here he goes again, she mused, we can’t even have a nice breakfast. “Early this morning,” she said. “I got home at about one.” Anger flashed across his features. Riley tried to hide her smile by taking a gulp of her hot coffee.

He walked over to her and took the mug of coffee out of her hand and placed it on the counter. “You’re going to wear yourself out – No, I’m not finished,” he said as she opened her mouth to protest. “I also miss you; we never spend any time together anymore.” Moving in closer, Sidney leaned down to kiss Riley sweetly on the lips. His arms wrapped around her waist and her arms flew up behind his neck, he was just about to deepen the kiss when a horn honked from the driveway. Sidney cursed while Riley laughed, kissed him one more time and left.

“How’s everything?” Brett asked once Riley climbed into his truck.

“Everything’s good, how about you?”

“Good, good.” Brett was quiet for a moment while they were stopped at a red light. “So, you’re only doing one show today?”

“Yeah, it’s such an oddity.”

When they arrived at the TV studio Riley was told right away that Cheryl wanted to speak with her. I swear if they ask me to fill in for more people I’m going to go insane, Riley thought on the way to the producer’s office. The door was open but Cheryl was facing the other way, so Riley knocked and took a few steps forward, hesitantly.

“Miss Jacobs,” Cheryl greeted politely.

“Mrs. Namara,” she replied sweetly.

“How are you this morning, Riley?”

“I’m good, thank you, how are you?” Riley answered, biting her lip to stifle a yawn.

“Oh, I’m good. Don’t worry I wanted to speak with you because I have good news,” Cheryl added quickly when she saw nervousness in Riley’s eyes. “One, I’ve found people who will take over the extra shows you’ve been so graciously covering. And two, my niece just moved back into the city – she just graduated from university – and has agreed to write for you. So now all you have to do is read it, isn’t that great?” Cheryl said, excitedly. “You’re one of my best journalists I’ve ever had so I figured that you would deserve this more than anyone – but don’t tell them that.”

Riley stood there, frozen and silent. She had so many thoughts running through her, so many things she wanted to say. Thank you, thank you, thank you! This meant her hours would be shortened and she could spend more time with Sidney. No, I want to write and research! I don’t want people doing it for me… She’d picked a career in journalism because she loved to write not sit in front of a camera and look pretty.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Namara.” Riley said when she could finally find her voice.

“You’re welcome!” Cheryl said in a sing-song tone. “Ah, well, I shouldn’t take up any more of your time; I believe you have a show to film?” She said looking at her watch.

“Yes. Uh, thanks again.”

“It’s my pleasure, like I said before, you deserve it.”

The rest of the day passed without much excitement, a laugh here and there but nothing to tell others. Riley was able to leave at 4:00pm. She wore a smile the whole time while Brett drove her back to her house. He pulled up in front of Riley’s driveway. “That’s a nice vehicle you got there,” he nodded towards Sidney’s Range Rover. “Why don’t you drive yourself?” Brett joked.

Even though Riley didn’t care too much for small talk at the moment, she was too excited to tell Sidney about her day, it was hard to not smile at Brett. “It’s not mine,” she grinned. “It’s my boyfriend’s.”

She expected to see his smile fade when she mentioned that she had a boyfriend and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't. He cared for her, a lot, but as a good friend and co-worker. “Ah, well, tell him I approve of his taste in cars. Anyway, see you later, Rye.” She waved and he drove off.

When Riley walked in she was expecting to hear the TV on since Sidney was home. She laughed when she saw him come barrelling down the stairs. “Keep your coat on, we’re going out.” He slowed his pace as he approached Riley. He placed his hands firmly on her waist and she on his. He gave her an innocent kiss for a few seconds then deepened it. He pulled away a moment later and gazed into her eyes. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “Come on, let’s go!”

Chapter Twenty-Six

2009-01-14T22:15:00.002-05:00

It's a short chapter, I know. The reason for it is that I've got an idea for this story and right now I'm leading up to it and well, I don't want to have one ridiculously long chapter. Trust me, I've had plently of time to think about where I want this story to go and I've also started a new story which is not Sid-related and not posted. It's the only thing I could do to keep my sanity - I've been sick for the past week with the flu and you can only watch so many talkshows before you lose your mind.
Anyway, enjoy chapter twenty-six! :]

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-Six.

The dog had serious injuries that would take time to heal. He had several broken bones, a stab wound, and he hadn’t eaten in two full days. Hearing this news made Riley sick to her stomach, she couldn’t believe that someone could do such a thing to a innocent animal. The disgust quickly transformed into pure outrage.

“You can pick him up in two weeks, but you’ll have to be very careful with him and he needs to be on a special diet…” The woman at the front desk of the vet’s office said.

A few days later Riley and Kaylan were sitting in Riley’s living room watching TV and talking about the weekend when Sidney walked in the door. He seemed to be in a good mood which stunned Riley a bit because they had only won one of the three games on that road trip; he must’ve been happy to just be home.

Kaylan and Riley told him about the abused dog and how Riley felt towards it. She gushed over how adorable the puppy was even though she thought that he might not have much time left. She then sheepishly admitted that she had adopted the dog.

Sidney’s response to Riley’s news was as expected; he laughed.

The days continued to pass by at a quick pace and Sidney was away a lot on road trips and Riley was forever at the station working on upcoming shows. To make matters worse, Bandit, the dog that Riley had saved was not taking well to his new lifestyle.

One night Sidney was out at a players’ meeting at the arena and Riley was at home relaxing. This was one of their rare chances to be together this month and Sidney was told the other day that this meeting needed to be attended by everyone. He promised to be back by 9 o’clock and no later.

Just then Riley’s cell phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Miss Jacobs?” a voice asked.

“Yes it is. May I ask who’s speaking?” Riley replied tiredly. The past few weeks had been very exhausting for her at work.

“Sorry to bother you at this time but I was informed that we need you to be here to film some more shows and we need you to host another TV show, seeing as the expected anchor did not show.”

“Right now?” Riley asked, trying to suppress a groan.

“Yes, I’m very sorry to disturb you at this time but it is needed and much appreciated,” the woman replied.

“All right, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

After hanging up Riley then rushed to find a pen and paper to leave Sidney a note explaining why he would come home to an empty house.

Sidney,
The station called and they need me to do some filming and apparently I will be doing another show, too. I’m sorry about this, love. I know its bad timing but I can’t do anything about it. They didn’t mention how long I would be there so all I can say is don’t wait up if I’m not back soon.
I love you.
Riley.

With that, she left.

This type of thing continued for the next few weeks. Except that Sidney was home a lot of the time Riley was working and vice versa. Even though the relationship between Riley and Sidney was strong, their time apart due to work was taking a toll on their tempers and inevitably their relationship.

Chapter Twenty-Five

2009-01-02T17:00:00.002-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-five.

The weeks had flown by so quickly that it might leave some dazed. Christmas with the families had been wonderful. Everyone cracked up when Riley had handed Sidney a top-of-the-line GPS system with specific locations all ready programmed in. Another round of laughter erupted when Sidney had mentioned to Riley that he booked two spots for an all-day spa and she asked if he would be accompanying her. He made it very clear that she could bring anyone she wanted with her – except him, of course – suggesting Kaylan and topping it off by rolling his eyes.

New Years had been interesting as well. Both families, the Crosbys and Jacobs’, stayed until the third of January. When it came to the countdown and the obvious kiss everyone crowded together in a large party room that was rented and decorated for this occasion. They kicked the New Year off all together; the Jacobs’, the Crosbys, the Lemieuxs, and the entire Pittsburgh Penguins hockey organization – and their families, too.

Sidney pulled Riley closer to him, if that was even possible, when the countdown hit five and continued all the way down to ‘Happy New Year!’ With his hand on the small of her back and Riley on her tip toes the two were lost in their own world as they shared their first kiss of the New Year.

One chilly morning in late January Riley was getting her coat on and trying to find her keys as she was making her way out the door on her way to work. Sidney had already left for the morning skate; he had to arrive earlier than everyone else because he had three interviews to do beforehand. Riley turned around after locking the front door and was instantly hit in the face with the bitter cold winter weather. She rushed over to her car with her arms wrapped tightly against her chest, holding her coat tightly shut.

Once in her car she stuck the key in the ignition anxiously waiting to hear the wonderful sound of her car’s engine roaring to life. That didn’t happen. In fact, nothing happened at all. Throwing the driver’s side door open, jumping out, and slamming it shut Riley hurried to get inside her warm house. “Stupid piece of junk...” she muttered.

She waited in her living room tapping her foot at the speed of light. A few minutes later she saw a big black SUV pull up in her driveway and honk its horn. She was out the door in a flash.

“Really Marc, thank you so much for this,” she said sweetly as she climbed in to his massive vehicle.

“It’s my pleasure,” he replied in that adorable accent of his.

“We were coming this way anyway,” Max said with a smile.

“Oh well, I appreciate it no matter what,” she said politely.

“So, where exactly are you going anyway?” Max asked, eyeing her from head to toe.

“To work,” she said with a laugh.

“Dressed like that? No wonder you got the job,” he smirked.

“Excuse me? I got the job because of my journalistic work.”

“Max, she’s on TV every morning. She has to look good,” Ryan Whitney intervened shaking his head.

“Yeah but… Sid’s a lucky man.” Max said.

Once Marc and the guys dropped Riley off at the studio she walked right in and immediately texted Sidney. ‘I’m going to need a ride after work. I’ll explain later.’ A few minutes later she received a text back, surprised that it was from Sidney. After all he should be doing an interview. ‘All right, I’ll come get you after practice.’ After reading that she laughed a bit to herself, thinking that he probably snuck his phone in to the interview and was quickly texting away while the reporter looked in another direction. ‘Thank you. Love you <3’ she wrote back quickly. ‘Love you too, more than you’ll ever know’ he wrote back.

A few more days passed and Riley was keen on getting a new car since she had lost all hope in ever reviving her Mustang. After searching the internet for days she finally found a car that caught her attention, the 2009 Volvo XC60. One problem though, it would not be available in the United States until March. So she continued to look for something that she could at least settle for. That was when she came across the 2007 Jeep Patriot.

After deciding that the Jeep would do she and Sidney set out several days later to lease this vehicle. Test driving it was interesting; Riley tried to see how fast she could get the Jeep to go – Sidney flipped. They were told that they could pick up the car in a few days.

“Okay, seriously, I cannot wait until you can finally drive yourself to work again,” Sidney spat one morning while on the way to the station with Riley.

“Oh that is real mature, Sidney.” Riley fired back.

“You’re music is absolutely dreadful,” he said, shaking his head while glaring out the windshield.

“It is not!” Riley gasped.

“Yeah, it really is,”

“And what would you prefer?” Riley glowered at him.

“Anything but this,” he said, motioning his hand towards the car’s speakers.

“Fine, how about this then,” Riley said as she changed the CD that was currently in the stereo.

“No.”

“What?!”

“This is worse,” he said as he reached over to turn the music off.

She smacked his hand away. He whipped his head around to glare at her.

“What is this?” Sidney asked in a calmer tone.

“’She Left Me’ by Go:Audio. And before it was ‘If You Run’ by You Me At Six.” Riley answered.

The day that Riley got her Jeep she was practically glowing. She had deeply missed not being able to drive herself anywhere since she didn’t have a working car and Sidney wouldn’t let her drive his Range Rover. She had made sure to bring along her collection of CDs. She put in a random disk without looking and burst out laughing as soon as the music started. Sidney stared at her like she was crazy.

“Can I ask what is so funny?” he finally asked after watching her laugh for a good solid minute.

“Do you remember Matt Camalleeri?” Riley asked, still laughing.

“Um, no?” Sidney looked at her, bewildered. “Oh! Wait, the kid who was obsessed with snowboarding and skateboarding?”

“Yeah, him,” she had calmed down but she still had a huge smile lighting up her face. “Well when he tried to teach me how to snowboard he played this song over and over again and he kept saying, ‘this song just makes you better’

“Anyway, it didn’t. I sucked out loud. Seriously, I don’t know how people do it; their feet are basically locked in to the board and you’re going downhill at a terrifying speed. But he believed so deeply that the song would make me a better snowboarder that now this song just cracks me up.” Riley finished with a quiet laugh.

“What song is it?”

“‘How We Do’ by Mount Sims.”

The days that had once flown by were now slowing down to an unbearable pace. Maybe it only seemed that way to Riley because Sidney was gone on a four day road trip. He called whenever he could but Riley still felt like it wasn’t enough. Of course she’d never tell him this because, a) it would make him feel bad about his career that he loves so much, and b) it would make her sound needy and dependent on a man, something she worked so hard against.

So to pass the time one night, Riley went out for a late night drive. She took some back roads and such mainly to avoid the downtown part. While she was driving and signing along to her music she saw something lying on the side of the road. Her gut was warning her to keep on going and to not get out but she did the opposite.

Getting out gave her a closer and clearer view on the mysterious figure that now looked to be dead on the side of the road. It was a small, innocent puppy. Immediately tears welled up in her eyes as she ran over to the poor animal. With her hand just inches from the body she hesitated wondering if it would be safe to touch it. It was too dark for her to see much of anything so she ran over to her car to get a flashlight and a blanket.

As she approached the puppy again, this time with a source of light, she gasped aloud; the poor dog that looked to be a young Rottweiler that had been kicked numerous times and maybe even stabbed. Instinctively, she unfolded the blanket and began to wrap it around the abused dog when its head shot up but didn’t have enough strength or energy to bite.

Riley rushed to get the dog in her Jeep and then raced to the nearest animal hospital. As she drove down the dark side road she wondered how many places would be open late on a Thursday night. She also wondered if the dog would even live long enough for a professional to examine it.

Chapter Twenty-Four

2008-12-24T17:55:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-Four.

One week ‘til Christmas and everyone seemed jollier. To spread the holiday cheer houses were lit up, stores and restaurants had that hidden mistletoe waiting for the unsuspecting victims. Mother Nature had gladly dropped a foot or so of beautifully white packing snow all over the city. The entire city looked like a snow globe.

Everything seemed at ease. People all over the city wore huge smiles and walked gracefully. But of course there were those last minute shoppers who rushed in and out of stores looking for gifts.

Both Sidney’s and Riley’s family were making the trip up to Pittsburgh to celebrate the holidays. Troy, Trina, and Taylor would be coming up on the 20th and Antoine, Eliza, Ben, Keaton, and Storm would be arriving on the 21st. Riley’s family had decided to stay at a hotel since there was five of them and they would not fit in Riley’s house. There was, however, enough room for Sidney’s family but they ‘didn’t want to be a pain’ so they offered to stay in a hotel as well.

Sidney and Riley would both spend the day with Sidney’s family when they arrived and then Riley would spend time with her family after. There was going to mass confusion and stress throughout this family gathering, but aren’t all holidays stressful?

“What are you thinking about?” Sidney questioned when he noticed that Riley was silent for a while.

“Just about how everything is going go,” she answered as she took a bite of her food.

“Everything is going to be fine,” he assured her. The last time the two family’s spoke with each other was back when Sidney and Riley were teens.

“I hope you’re right,” Riley sighed, Sidney rolled his eyes.

“You’re making things more stressful then they already are… stop.” He said with a smile.

The next day Sidney and Riley headed to Mario’s house to discuss times and such of when they should be arriving. They had all planned to spend Christmas day at the Lemieux house – since it was the only house big enough to hold everyone. There was no way Riley’s little place could hold sixteen people. Sidney and Riley spent the rest of the day lounging around the Lemieux house.

“Hey Rye,” Lauren said during a commercial.

“Hmm?”

“How old exactly are your siblings?” she asked with more than a hint of curiosity.

“Well my brother Ben is a year older then I am, making him twenty-three. Keaton and Storm are both sixteen.” Riley answered with a smile that quickly turned into a frown.

“Oh, are they twins? And why are you upset?” Lauren said as Sidney turned to look at Riley with some concern.

“Yeah they’re twins, and I’m upset because they’re so grown up now. The last time I saw them they were eleven.” Riley said as Sidney put his arm around her.

“Aw, well at least you’ll get to see them again. But what do they look like?” Lauren asked.

“Lauren, stop asking so many questions!” Sidney said, noticing how Riley was still slightly upset.

“No it’s fine. My brother Ben, he’s tall and he’s a blonde,” Riley said with a laugh. “Keaton, the last time I saw him, he was basically a spitting image of Ben. But who knows what he looks like now. And my little sister Storm, ah she was a cutie that’s for sure. Storm has black hair and green eyes. She was always small but who knows, she could’ve grown three feet!” Riley said with a laugh as her mood changed again, only this time she was ecstatic.

Sidney went to go pick his parents up from the airport while Riley finished cleaning up the house. She wanted her house to be spotless, not only for Sidney’s parents but because she knew that her mom was a complete neat freak. She was walking past the front door when she saw the doorknob turn slowly. Riley took a deep breath and put on a huge smile.

“There she is,” Sidney said looking at Riley with a loving expression.

“Hey Troy, Trina, Taylor, and Sid,” she said with a wave.

“Hey sweetie, how are ya?” Trina greeted as she walked over to embrace Riley in a motherly hug.

“I’m good, how are you guys?” Riley asked as Troy wrapped her in a hug.

“We’re good, a little tired from the flight but good.” Troy said with a smile.

“If you want you could always take a nap in the guest room,” Riley offered.

“Ah, we’ll survive. But thank you anyway.” Troy said.

They spent the day touring some of Pittsburgh and then at Riley’s place. They spent the rest of the evening catching up on everything that had gone on in the past few months. Taylor was excited to see Riley’s family again, she had only met them once but she was too young to really remember a lot. After a while Sidney’s family headed over to their hotel for the night.

The next day Riley spent most of the morning on the phone with her mother. They would be arriving in an hour and they wanted to discuss transportation details. The Jacobs’ had assured Riley that it would be better if they rented a few cars while they were staying.

Sidney had taken his parents and sister to go see Mario and his family, all while Riley waited anxiously for her family to pull into the driveway. Every sound made her heart’s speeds increase, car doors slamming, feet trudging through the snow, people talking, and the one sound that made her smile widely – a very impatient knock on her front door. Riley sprinted towards the door to be greeted by bright smiles.

“Mom, Dad!” Riley screeched, pulling both her parents in to warms hugs. “Keaton, Storm!” She pulled them into hugs as well. Her smile turned into a slight frown when she counted only four people standing in her doorway. “Where’s Ben?” She asked disappointment evident in her voice.

“He’s coming, dear. Your brother wanted his own car so they could look around a bit, without having to bring the whole family along,” Eliza, Riley’s mother answered through her thick French-Canadian accent.

“Oh. Wait, they?” Riley asked. She hadn’t heard anyone mention that Ben would be bringing someone with him.

“Yes, they, Ben brought Kimberly with him,” Eliza said with a smile.

Kim was Ben’s long-time girlfriend that everyone loved. She had always been like a sister to Riley. They would go shopping together on weekends back in Rimouski. At first Ben insisted on joining them but after spending the entire day in dressing rooms watching his girlfriend and sister try on clothes he got bored and opted to hang out with his guy friends instead.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Riley ran to answer it. “Slow down,” her father joked, “it could just be Sid.” Riley laughed and answered, “Nah, he just lets himself in.”

“Ben, Kim!” Riley screamed as she pulled them too, in to hugs.

“Jeez Rye, indoor voices,” Ben smiled and rolled his eyes.

“I can’t. I’m too happy,” she said as she led them to the living room where the rest of the family was.

“Ah, Ben, care to tell us what you were up to when we arrived? You just rushed out of the airport with Kimmy,” Antoine, Riley’s dad asked with a brow raised.

“Oh yeah, about that…” Ben trailed off as he wrapped his arm around Kim and pulled her closer to his body. “Well we–” He was cut off by the sound of a group of people talking. Just then Sidney walked in to the all ready crowded living room with his family in tow.

“Trina!” Riley’s mother exclaimed as she jumped up from the couch and bolted to Mrs. Crosby.

“Oh Eliza, you look wonderful,” Trina cooed.

“As do you,” Eliza returned in a tone that wasn’t as gentle as Trina’s.

“Troy,” Antoine greeted, extending his hand outward.

“Ah, Antoine, how are you?” Mr. Crosby said, starting the conversation off politely. Both Sidney’s father and Riley’s father had always got along exceptionally well, even years ago when they met the odd time.

“Hey,” Sidney mumbled as his hot breath caused Riley to slightly shudder.

“Mmm… hey,” she replied in a lingering tone, almost sounding like a low moan. Sidney turned her around in his arms so they stood face to face.

“So, when did everyone arrive?” He asked, gesturing towards the Jacobs’.

“About forty-five minutes ago.”

After being reacquainted with everyone they all decided to go out to eat. They picked a new restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh and then they filed into various vehicles. Taylor, Storm, Riley and Sidney all went in his Range Rover, Troy, Trina, Antoine and Eliza rode in the car that the Jacobs’ rented and Ben and Kim took the BMW that they rented.

The restaurant with people but Sidney – being the current hockey god in Pittsburgh – ended up scoring a private party room. The room was secluded; they had to go down three different hallways and two fairly large wooden doors to get to the expensive looking room.

“So Ben, you never did finish telling us what you were up to before because someone–” Riley paused momentarily to glare jokingly at Sidney, “–interrupted.”

“Oh yeah, all right…” he said sounding nervous. “Kim, do you want to say it?” Ben asked as he directed his attention to his beautifully average looking girlfriend.

“Okay. Ben took me to some quiet park and we sat down on a bench near a massive fountain…” as she described the scenery, Riley remembered the day that she and Sidney spent the afternoon there relaxing together in front of that very same fountain. “Then the next thing I know he’s in front of me, down on one knee, promising to love me forever and ever, and then he asked me to marry him.” Kim finished, her huge smile matching her fiancée’s.

They were now standing next to each other, Ben’s arm wrapped around her waist while she showed off the gorgeous ring on the third finger of her left hand.

“You left out the other half of the story,” Ben reminded.

“I know, I’ll let you mention it.”

“All right, we’ve been talking about this for a while and now it just seems right,” he automatically directed his attention to Riley, who was hanging on his every word. “Kim and I have decided to move out here, to Pittsburgh.”

“Seriously?!” Riley was shocked. “First you’re getting married and now you’re moving out here,” she said quietly.

“Uh, yeah...?” Ben said warily.

“That’s…” she whispered almost to herself. “That’s awesome!” She erupted.

They smiled.

“So Kim will finally be my sister?”

They all laughed.

Chapter Twenty-Three

2008-12-19T15:48:00.003-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-Three.

“Just be careful,” the doctor warned Riley as she was on her way out the door.

“I’ll try,” she said with a small smile.

Several minutes later Riley stepped out into the cold weather and looked at the ground that now had a slight layer of snow on it. She sauntered over to her car; as soon as she got in she blasted the heat, or tried to anyway. After having cool air shoot her directly in the face for a few minutes Riley accepted the fact that there would be no more heat filling up her car until she got it fixed.

This was a time of year that many people, including Riley hated driving in with a passion. The roads would either be wet from melted snow and slush or covered in snow and ice, adding even more danger to driving. This time around the roads were wet from a thin layer of snow that had fallen in the early morning.

As she pulled into her driveway she noticed Sidney’s Range Rover had some snow on it meaning that he had been there for a while. Riley walked up the steps that led to the large black front door. Walking in she was instantly hit with a sweet aroma that finally allowed her to relax.

“Hey babe,” Sidney greeted as she seated herself next to him on the couch.

“Hey,” she said with a smile.

“Where have you been all day?” Sidney asked as he snaked his left arm around her waist.

“Well first I had to stop into the studio to get some things and such. While I was opening a drawer my thumb got caught in it so I pulled back by instinct and dislocated my thumb, I had to go to the doctor after and that’s where I just was,” Riley said with a nervous laugh.

“Is it okay now?” he asked with great concern in his eyes.

“Yeah, the doctor put it back in its place, turns out it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was,” she said with a shrug.

“Wow, at least you’re okay. So I got some dinner since I figured once you got home you probably wouldn’t want to cook,” Sidney said as he stood up, pulling Riley along with him.

They walked into the kitchen and he pulled out some Greek food. He made sure to get a smaller amount for Riley since she couldn’t eat large amounts of food. They ate the delicious meal in the spacious kitchen with Sachi standing by the table with pleading eyes. “You’re not getting anything you pig,” Riley said to her dog that had now placed his head on her lap. Sidney just shook his head smiled at how adorable his girlfriend was with animals.

After dinner they made their way into the living room to watch TV for the rest of the evening. They cuddled up on the couch; Sidney had his arm around Riley as she rested her head on his shoulder. “So can you pick me up after work tomorrow? I have to take my car in to get the heat fixed,” Riley said as Sidney flicked through channels at a million miles an hour. “Yeah sure, I get out by 2:00 at the latest,” he replied as Riley placed her hand on his, “Slow down… you’re making me dizzy.”

The next morning Riley woke up quite sore after a wild night that she had endured with Sidney. He on the other hand, seemed to be fine, more energetic if anything. She took a hot shower to relax her muscles and got out just before he could intrude. Riley put on some light make-up while Sidney belted out horrible renditions of what used to be considered a good song while he took a shower.

Riley drove to the nearest auto-mechanic on roads that had not yet been cleared of the early morning’s snow. Sidney followed directly behind her. She explained what she wanted done and was told that she would get her car back in a few days since they were booked for the day. After doing so, she climbed in Sidney’s Range Rover and they made their way to the studio.

After kissing her loving boyfriend goodbye Riley walked into the filming section of the studio. She was thankful that she didn’t have to make multiple trips to arenas and other places on this chilly December day. All she had to do was briefly summarize the day’s show and introduce the next person who would talk seriously about football, a sport Riley could not cover in great detail.

For the show she was dressed in a grey long-sleeved V-neck shirt with a dark plum tank top on underneath and possibly the most comfortable black dress pants she had ever worn. Her hair was put in a high ponytail with her side bangs accenting her gorgeous green eyes beautifully.

She inhaled deeply as the countdown started. ‘Three, two, one’ were what she saw just before the red recording light flashed on.

“Good Thursday morning Pittsburgh, I’m Riley Jacobs and I’ll be joining you on this chilly December morning to fill you in on all the latest sports news that you get first on Sports Guide. Grab yourself a fresh cup of coffee and prepare to enjoy the show. Today we’ve got highlights of the Steelers game and everything else that went on in the NFL last night. Just before I pass it on to our football expert I’d like to give you a look at tonight’s hockey schedule. The baby Pens play tonight against the Binghamton Senators and the ‘grown up’ Penguins play the Minnesota Wild. Now off to Derek Reed who is joined by Elijah Thomas and Tyrell Yard…”

Once she saw the red light on the camera shut off she stepped off of the set and instead of changing right away like normal she watched the three guys who claimed to be experts goof around on live TV. She got caught up in a rather pointless conversation when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. She turned around and saw Sidney staring down at her lovingly. They stood there gazing into each other’s eyes as the world around them was passing by. Sidney then leaned down and kissed an awaiting Riley sweetly on the lips with his arms still wrapped around her waist and her arms now linked around his neck. “I have to change then we can leave,” Riley whispered to him. “Let me come with you,” he said as Riley raised her right brow.

As soon as she stepped into the dressing room Sidney pushed her up against the wall, his lips crashing down on hers in a fiery kiss. He then moved from her lips to her neck as she entangled her fingers in his dark curly hair. “You… look… amazing,” he mumbled as he continued to nip at her neck. “So do you,” she moaned back. His hands trailed down to the bottom of her shirt and he proceeded to pull it off. He did the same with her tank top. He then made his way down to her pants and unzipped them in no time at all, letting them fall to her ankles as she kicked them off. Riley now stood pressed up against a wall in a TV studio dressing room in just her radiant red underwear. Sidney then began to snake his right arm around her back to unclasp her bra, “Sid, not here,” Riley breathed. He let out a frustrated sigh. “But why..?” he whined. “Because I work here and I’d like to keep a stable job,” she said as she searched for the pants that she arrived to work in. “Fine, but when we get home I’m having my way with you,” he said in a low voice.

Chapter Twenty-Two

2008-11-22T11:23:00.005-05:00

Sorry it took a little while to post, I am currently swamped in assignments, ISU's, homework, and an essay on top of that [I'm taking the academic or 'advanced' courses so that's why I've got so much]. I'm trying to write and post as much as possible but be patient because like I said, I'm swamped in school work. Thank you for your lovely comments, and just so you know I am open to constructive criticism. =]

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-Two.

Sidney had moved back in with Riley and they were trying to work everything out. The guys had begun to win a few more games but they still weren’t where they wanted to be and making the playoffs was their main goal. Generally Riley and Sidney were happy; things were back to where they should be.

“Come to the game tonight, we’re playing Toronto,” Sidney said while Riley was sketching out some more details on the new room design.

“Well that was random.”

“I know, but come, please,” he begged with the puppy eyes.

“I don’t have a ticket stupid!” Riley said in a ‘duh’ tone.

“You’re dating the captain, stupid!” Sidney said mocking her tone.

On the way to the rink Riley turned up the music when one of her favourite songs came on. She started dancing in her seat and singing along with every line, causing Sidney to break out into laughter. They got to the spot where this one guy waits every time. Sidney had told her about it before and she didn’t believe him at all. This was the first time she had actually witnessed it. “Here he is,” Sidney said as he slowed down. “Oh my god, you weren’t kidding.” Riley said as he rolled down the window. “Is this your girlfriend, Sid?” the guy asked loudly. “Yeah,” Sidney said, “Damn she’s hot!” the guy hollered; Riley burst out laughing.

They got to the arena and walked in together, hand in hand. No one was really there yet so Riley walked into the locker room with Sidney. They sat down on the bench in front of Sidney’s stall. Sidney kissed her and pulled her onto his lap. They sat there lost in their own intimate world that they didn’t hear the door open.
“RILEY, OH MY GOD WE THOUGHT YOU DIED! DON’T JUST LEAVE LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!” Marc and Max shouted as they rushed over to her.

The rest of the guys had a similar reaction as Marc and Max did when they walked into the locker room. The room started to fill up quickly so Riley told Sidney that she would make her way to her seat. Sidney followed her out of the room and into the hallway. He pushed her up against the wall and started to kiss his way down her neck, then back up to her lips, his hands roaming. They were interrupted by a man clearing his throat, looking up they saw that it was the one and only Mario Lemieux.

“Sid,” Mario greeted with a smirk.

“Heyyy Mario,” Sidney said. “Riley this is Mario Lemieux, Mario this is my girlfriend Riley.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said extending his hand.

“You too,” Riley said shaking his hand firmly.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Mario asked Sidney.

“Yeah I was just telling Rye where her seat is…”

“Oh I’m sure you were.” Mario said with a laugh.

After that Sidney went into the locker room to get dressed and Riley made her way to her seat. She found out that she would be sitting with the rest of the girlfriends/wives. She got along fairly well with them, her favourite though was Vero. She was very welcoming and naturally a genuine person.

The guys got on the ice for their warm ups and Riley continued to talk with the girls. When she would look down at the ice she would catch Sidney’s glance the odd time. Other than that, he was a pretty focused boy. “Predictions?” Vero asked filling the empty silence. “5-2 Pens,” “5-4 Pens,” “6-1 Pens,” were what the ladies shouted out.

The game was a nail biter with the Pens opening the scoring in the first three minutes with a beautiful goal by Max. Then they netted another one courtesy of Geno, and then the Leafs got on the board thanks to Jason Blake, then a few minutes later Alex Steen scored. The Penguins won it 6-4 goals by Max, Geno, Jordan, Sidney, Kris, and Tyler. Once the final buzzer sounded Riley got up and headed down to the locker room with Vero and the other girls. Sidney was, of course, one of the last one’s out of the room.

“Ready to go home?” he asked as he leaned down to kiss Riley’s forehead.

“Didn’t you want to go and celebrate with the guys?” Riley asked confused.

“Nah, I’d rather go home tonight,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her out the door.

“Okay.”

Once they got home Riley decided that it was best to not ask Sidney why he didn’t want to go and celebrate with the guys. She went and sat on the couch while he changed. After a few minutes Sidney joined her in the living room.

“So what did you do while we weren’t speaking to each other?” Sidney asked, bringing up a topic that Riley would prefer to forget about.

“I basically just looked for a job then I found the one that I have now. I’ve mostly been working and hanging out with some friends,” Riley replied. “What about you?”

“I’ve been busy with the team and stuff,” he answered.

“So what are you doing tomorrow?” Riley asked on a brighter note.

“We leave for Ottawa,” Sidney answered simply.

“Okay, kick Heatley’s ass for me.” Riley said with a laugh.

Sidney left the next morning before Riley had even woken up, but he was kind enough to leave her a note of when they would be playing, when they’d be at practice, and when they’d be leaving Ottawa.

She headed out later that day to do some Christmas shopping. The malls were packed with people, creating extra stress for Riley. She was already stumped on what to get the boy that has everything he’ll ever need, plus the fact that when he wants something he can get it almost by the snap of his fingers.

Chapter Twenty-One

2008-11-12T21:10:00.012-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty-One.

Riley hosted the show with perfection. She was very poised and professional during the entire show; if you hadn’t known any better than you would’ve thought that she’s been doing it forever. Everyone one praised her on a job well done.

After talking with everyone Riley made her way out to the parking lot that was now emptying out quickly. She walked over to her silver Mustang GT that now looked oh so lonely in the large grey lot. She was grateful that there was no snow yet, saving her a lot of time. Finally she had some peace, in that whole ten or so minutes of bliss. That is until some jerk on his cell but her off. It was then where the aggressiveness kicked in.

Once inside her warm home, Riley took out a pad of paper and began to create design plans for the two spare bedrooms that she currently used for storage. She had taken some courses before on how to design properly. At first she had taken them for fun, now she was happy that she did take them.

She had come up with the idea that the room would have light coloured hardwood floors and dark maroon walls. The room had a good amount of windows so she decided to take advantage of it. All in all, the room design looked like this:

Satisfied with the design, Riley put the pad of paper down on the table just as Kaylan walked in while hollering, “I got pizza!” Riley jumped up from the couch nearly falling because her left leg had fallen asleep. “I love you!” Riley shouted when Kaylan came in with the box of hot pizza. “Oh, only because I have food, right?” she said as she took a pillow off of the couch and sat on it on the floor.

“So what’s going with you and Sid?” Kaylan asked out of the blue.

“We’re just going through a rough patch in our relationship,” Riley answered.

“I’m not the media; tell me the truth, what’s going on?” she asked sincerely.

“I don’t know,” Riley said with a sigh. “Everything was going fine, and then everything went wrong, you know?”

“Well, when did it start going wrong?” Kaylan asked.

“It’s nothing, really. We’ll get over it eventually. You don’t need to worry about it,” Riley said shaking her head but avoiding eye contact with Kaylan.

“Rye, just tell me. I’m like your best friend; I worry about you and not seeing Sid come around for a while now really makes me worry,” she said sweetly.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” Riley started. “It all started when I lost my job, then Cooper wrote about Sid and me dating, I couldn’t find a job, and then the guys started losing games and Sid…” she said as tears began to well up in her eyes after the last part.

“Sid what…?” Kaylan asked looking quite concerned.

“He… he would get really angry and I’d tell him to calm down and that they’d get better, he would eventually cool down but one time he didn’t,” Riley said as more and more tears formed. Kaylan swallowed hard and motioned for her to continue. “And he pushed me, not too hard or anything but when I approached him again he said hurtful things and when I tried to kick him out he didn’t go so I threw a shoe at him.” Riley choked out as Kaylan got up and pulled her into a comforting hug.

“Was that the last time you two spoke?” Kaylan asked, still holding Riley in a tight hug.

“Yeah,”

“You need to talk to him, pronto.” Kaylan said seriously.

The next day Riley woke up, her eyes still a little red and puffy, her make-up and hair was a complete mess. “Ugh, crying sucks big time,” she groaned as she got up out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Coming out fresh and clean from her hot shower Riley put on light make-up and plastered a smile on her face.

She got to the TV studio and started talking to some of the cameramen. They always had such a great sense of humour. Once more and more people arrived Riley was met by Cheryl asking her if she had a moment. She did so she walked off with Cheryl to a quieter place.

"You were amazing yesterday,” Cheryl started the conversation off with.

“Thank you, I’ve been observing since I started,” Riley said with a smile.

“I was wondering, would you like to be Kristen’s full time replacement?”

“Oh my God, yes I totally would!” Riley exclaimed joyfully.

“Great, if you do as good as you did yesterday then we might have a similar position for you when Kristen comes back.” Cheryl said, watching the smile on Riley’s face grow even bigger.

"Thank you, so much.” Riley said as she searched for words.

Riley got on with her day, she was in and out of the station all day long but this was her daily routine. She loved the job that she had, she loved the adventures that she got to take [okay they weren’t extreme but she had fun] and most importantly she loved meeting new people and dealing with different people every day.

She was sitting in a comfy executive looking chair walking to some people when she heard some high-pitched squeals. Riley turned around to see Sidney standing there with the most confused and frightened expression she had ever seen. She giggled slightly and then got up and walked over towards him. Some of her female coworkers who were surrounding him looked at her with wide eyes. She motioned for him to follow her to wherever she was heading.

Riley pulled him into an empty office room and closed the door behind them. They stood there awkwardly for a few moments. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind wondering what he was doing her and how he knew she would be at a TV station.

“Hi,” he managed to get out.

“Hey,” Riley replied quietly.

“How’ve you been?” he asked.

“Good, you?” she replied.

“Good. So, you work here?” he asked desperately trying to ease the tension.

“Yep for a couple weeks now,” she replied simply.

“Ah, I see. Uh… I missed you,” he said with sincerity and fear in his eyes.

‘Uh I missed you?!’ Riley screamed in her head. ‘Way to word that properly, buddy.’ She

criticized mentally. “I missed you too,” she replied as a wave of relief flew through Sidney’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I should’ve talked about it instead but I didn’t and this is all my fault,” he said, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.

“No it’s not. I’m partially to blame for this as well. I wasn’t exactly been the easiest person to deal with after I lost my job… and I’m sorry for it,” she said as he walked closer to her.

“All’s forgiven?”

“In a sense but we need to work something out. You need to learn that I have my own life that involves my career, I need you to be able to accept that and take it seriously. I have to be independent and I need to learn that your life can be quite stressful.” Riley said seriously.

“We can work this out, I know we can. We belong together and these past three or so weeks have been so hard without you. Riley I use you for strength and most of all my sanity.” Sidney said as he looked deeply into her eyes.

“It’s going to take some work but I’m willing to try,” Riley said as Sidney smiled and pulled her into a hug.

“We’re going to make it work, no matter what.” Sidney said, still holding Riley close.

Riley tilted her head up to look at Sidney while still enveloped in Sidney’s huge hug. He leaned down and their lips collided in a kiss that was filled with fireworks. They didn’t want the moment to end but eventually it had to so Riley pulled away. Instead of walking out of the room she surprised him but hugging him tightly, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers.

Chapter Twenty

2008-11-07T18:23:00.004-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twenty.

As the days passed it got closer and closer to saying goodbye to November and hello to December. That meant hearing Christmas songs go from joyful to painful. Riley had been searching for a job since she had lost hers, but unfortunately, was unsuccessful. Sidney and the team had begun to watch their winning streak come to a halt. They had lost five of the last six games. Sidney was not in the greatest of moods because of the slump that they were in. He blamed the losses on inconsistency and selfishness. After practices and games he would be in such a bad mood that Riley would try to find reasons to leave the house. Most of the time she said that she had job interviews when really, she would just drive around in her car. She had found a spot that was peaceful and would usually go there to think things through.

She had tried to tell Sidney numerous times that they team would get better and that this was just a bump in the road but every time he would just start yelling, saying hurtful things to her. When she’d had enough Riley would get in her car and drive for an hour or two, hoping that when she got back Sidney had calmed down. Most of the time that was the case but in one particular scenario he had not cooled down and he had pushed Riley out of the way. He hadn’t used too much of his strength but when Riley approached him again he glared at her and said things that cut her like a knife. She picked up a shoe and told him to leave, when at first he did not do as she said, she proceeded to throw it at him.

They had not spoken since then and neither of them tried to contact each other. On Monday, November 24th Riley had a job interview at a local TV station. The company had been around for eighteen months and was doing quite well. The position that she applied for was to be a journalist, not a TV anchor. Normally the woman who Riley would be writing for would do it herself but she was six months pregnant so the company was willing to hire someone to do it for her. Not many people had applied for this job yet because it was just new to the ‘market’ and most people wanted to be on TV rather than writing for someone who would be.

Riley was fine with those obligations, she just wanted to get back out into the work force. She had nailed the interview and was later offered the job at Sports Guide. This took her mind off of Sidney for the most part but she desperately wanted to share her good news with him. But she figured that they both needed some time apart, Riley needed to clear her head and start over. While Sidney needed to calm down and refocus on his career. Riley was grateful that this position didn’t deal with the Penguins. Well in a sense it did, she would be reporting new about the Baby Penguins. She took advantage of this; she was able to find out news about the ‘adult’ Penguins and mostly Sidney.

Riley had met with mostly everyone at Sports Guide. The TV anchors seemed really welcoming and sweet, instantly making Riley feel a sense of belonging. Kristen, the woman who Riley would be writing for, was very grateful that Riley was willing to do this for her. They talked for a while and instantly clicked. She used this as a learning experience, she observed everyone there, trying to find ways to improve. Mainly she watched the older, more experienced journalists/anchors soaking up all of the information and tips that they gave her. After hours, Riley would get together with her younger coworkers to just unwind.

There were usually five of which that would go out regularly. All within the range of twenty to twenty-six years of age. She had begun to meet more and more people over the course of her time at Sports Guide because another temporary position had opened as well; the company needed someone to fill in for Kristen while she was on maternity leave. Still, Riley and Sidney had not spoken. They were now approaching two and a half weeks of silence.

She figured that he would eventually collect his thoughts and maybe then they could work something out. But until then, they were keeping their distances. Riley no longer tried to follow the Penguins. She didn’t watch the games, she didn’t go to the games, she didn’t read up about them, and she stopped all contact with the guys. She needed to focus on her own life and her own job, without those two things she felt useless. She had been raised to be independent. Both her parents had worked when she was a small child and they had brought her up to think that a life depending on someone was no life at all.

She had begun to think that maybe Sidney being out of her life for now was best. The truth was that she couldn’t handle everything at once. With the loss of her dream job, a good friend, and her privacy all thrown at her in one time sequence she just wasn’t able to handle that heartbreak that came with a relationship.

Riley began to feel like she had stepped outside and watched her life move on without her. She felt like she had no control over what had happened and what would come. She so desperately wanted to start on a clean slate.

Her phone vibrating loudly interrupted the conversation that she was having during her lunch break with her new found friends. She glanced at the screen to see who was calling and noticed that it was Marc. She had been ignoring the team’s calls for a few days because she simply couldn’t handle it. She let it go to her voicemail, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip while doing so.

“You OK?” Mike, one of the journalists who Riley would hang out with on a daily basis asked.

“Yeah I’m fine,” she replied, wiping a solitary tear away.

It was now December 17th and still Sidney and Riley had not spoken. Riley had pushed all of her thoughts and memories of Sidney into the back of her mind as she walked into the TV studio. She always stayed around to see how the show went. When she walked in she ran into Cheryl, the producer of the show.

“Riley, are you free right now?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Riley replied, some Australian accent slipping out. Living in Pittsburgh for a little while now was slowly eliminating Riley’s accent and replacing it with a Canadian/American one.

“Great. I need you to do me a favour,” Cheryl started, “Could you go and host the show?” she asked as a smile slowly crept on to her face.

“But I thought you guys were hiring someone to do that,” Riley replied, confused out of her mind.

“Yeah, well see… no one really did it for us, you know? I mean they were all good but not good enough. So, we figured that hey, you wrote it so you could very well present it better than anyone. So how about you give it a try?” Cheryl implied just before Riley bounced up and down screeching ‘thank you, thank you!’

Riley was sent to hair and make-up then to wardrobe. It was like her heaven had arrived. She was dressed in an emerald green short-sleeved blouse, complimented with a tight fitting black skirt. Her hair was straightened and left to hang beautifully. She was told to read everything off of the little TV screen beside the camera and to look pretty. After the countdown she live on national television.

“Good evening Pittsburgh. I’m Riley Jacobs, filling in for Kristen Macpherson. Tonight we have an awesome show for you, filled with hockey highlights of both the Baby Pens and the grown up Penguins.” She said with a bright smile. “Your Wilkes-Barre/Scranton guys are off to a phenomenal start in the season…”

Chapter Nineteen

2008-11-04T16:40:00.001-05:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Nineteen.

The next day the Penguins had a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Sidney was at practice before Riley had even woken up; he had left her a note explaining that he had to get to the arena early for more practice. Riley just shook her head thinking about how crazy and dedicated this boy was to hockey.

She had her breakfast then stepped outside to get the mail and newspaper. Once inside, she opened the newspaper up to the sports section. She always liked to see what her former coworkers had been up to. The title on the front page was written in large black letters. ‘Sidney’s Secret Spilled’ and under it there was a picture of Sidney and Riley looking pretty cozy in the park. As she flipped the pages she saw several more pictures of Sidney and Riley; some of them they were holding hands, some they were hugging, and some they were sharing a kiss. She began to read the article it starting off as, “All you ladies out there who adore Penguins’ Captain Sidney Crosby, you’re not alone. Sid the Kid has a lucky lady in his life and it doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere, anytime soon. So attention to all the bleach blonde barbies step aside, Sidney likes natural, educated women. Riley Jacobs, a former Penguins journalist and ‘The Next One’ have reportedly been dating for the past several months. Maybe that’s why he’s been on an impressive scoring streak…” The article went on to describe all of their public outings and such. Riley was shocked, not only does this man steal her job he portrayed her picture and personal life to everyone.

Riley now felt like this was all one big bad dream. How would she get a job as a sports journalist now? Everyone would now know that she was dating one of the NHL’s star players; and it’s not like she could just deny it – the article had the pictures to prove it. Her head was spinning and her mind was racing. Sidney would be back from the morning skate any minute so she decided to wait and tell him about the article that is if he didn’t already know.

Looking out the window, she saw Sidney pull up in his silver Range Rover. He walked up to the door and opened it. When she was home throughout the day Riley usually kept the door unlocked knowing that friends would pop in and out randomly. He walked into the kitchen to get a drink, saying hello to Riley on his way. After doing so he made his way over to Riley in the living room.

“How are you?” he asked, putting his arm around her.

“I’m alright, but I want to show you something…” she said as she reached over and took the newspaper off of the glass coffee table.

“Alright…” Sidney said with some confusion.

“Here’s Cooper’s first article!” Riley said, purposely acting horrible at being excited.

Sidney sat there reading the article, Riley tried to tell what he thought about it by his facial expressions but he showed none whatsoever. She sat there watching his eyes quickly moving from left to right as he read the article as quick as he could comprehend it. After he finished the article he placed the paper down on the table, still not saying a word and remaining that stone cold, emotionless expression. Riley sat there, staring at him intently. She didn’t want to say anything but the silence was killing her. Sidney then, after a little while of painful silence, spoke up.

“Well…” was all he said. Riley looked at him wanting him to say more. “What do you think of it?” he asked wanting to make sure he knew what she thought before he said anything.

“You really want to know what I think.” Riley said quickly, she was about to explode and Sidney had a look as if he were expecting it to be huge.

“I… I think that…” she stuttered as Sidney looked absolutely horrified for what was about to occur. “I think that you should confirm our relationship.” He sat there for a few seconds looking confused as ever.

“You do?” he asked timidly.

“Yeah, I mean how could we deny it now? That is if you want to tell people.”

“You’re sure that you know what’s going to happen when I say that you’re my girlfriend, right? There will be people that won’t like you and they might give you a hard time and…” he said but Riley cut him off.

“Sid I know. I can stick up for myself you know,” she said.

“I know you can and that’s one of the many reasons of why I love you. It’s just… some people are going to be jealous and I don’t want to cause you any problems,” he said sincerely.

“Sid, you’ve already caused a lot of problems for me,” she paused looking at his expression. It was like he was trying to apologize with his eyes, “I’m sure I can take whatever else your crazy life is going throw at me.” She concluded with a smile.

“Alright, I just hope you’re prepared for what’s to come…”

Soon after Sidney had to head out again to do some interviews, he had three booked for the day, which in the end, took up most of his ‘free time’. In each of them Sidney was his usual boring, lifeless self except when he was asked if he had a girlfriend or not.

“So Sid, do you have a girlfriend?” One of the reporters asked.

“Yes I do actually,” he replied, a little bit of life evolving within him.

“Oh really, care to share some details?” He asked, clearly surprised by Sidney’s previous response.

“Her name is Riley and that is all I am willing to share.” Sidney replied, losing what little life he had gained but remaining that famous smile.

“Alright fair enough, but just answer this, is she pretty?” the guy asked, raising his right brow.

“She’s gorgeous.”

Chapter Eighteen

2008-10-31T22:52:00.008-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Eighteen.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m replacing you,” he said coldly.

“Miss Jacobs, you should go.” Paul said before Riley could say anything.

Riley walked out to her car in the cold November weather, trying to hold back hot tears that were forming quickly in her eyes. Once she got inside her car and blasted the heat the tears began to fall freely. She was upset that she had just lost her job and infuriated at why Paul wouldn’t give her any details on how he knew these untrue things.

As she was walking out of Paul’s office for the last time she overheard a bit of what Cooper and Paul were saying. Things like, ‘…Copied my work? Horrible… I’m sickened… today?’

She drove home to quickly redo her make-up and to change her clothes before heading back out to the arena. She couldn’t believe that she spent four years in university working her rear off just to keep her dream job for only several months.

It was now past two, meaning that the boys would be off of the ice by the time Riley got to the rink. There hadn’t been any snow yet but the forecasters had predicted that there would be by the end of the week. The temperature throughout the week had been in the low positives, Celsius that is, and quickly approaching the zero mark and below.

Before stepping out into the cold weather Riley looked in the mirror in her car and plastered a fake smile on her face. She decided that around the guys she would pretend that everything was ok.

Walking into the arena she spotted a group of girls sitting in the stands giggling and gossiping. When Riley got closer she noticed that someone was still on the ice, even though practice had ended half an hour ago. Knowing it was Sidney; Riley decided to sit a few rows back from the glass. The giddy girls looked back at Riley a few times and whispered a few things to each other, all of which Riley rolled her eyes.

Soon after Sidney glanced into the stands and saw Riley sitting there, he winked and smiled, causing the gossip group to break out into a bunch of ‘Oh my God’s’ and ‘He so wants me’. Riley had to put her hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. Sidney collected everything and made his way to the gate. The clan of barbies jumped out of their seats and screeched ‘Here he comes!’ Riley remained in her seat and enjoyed the show.

After being brutally rejected by Sidney the girls looked at Riley and started a ‘diss’ conversation. “I wonder what she’s waiting for,” the leader said idiotically. “It doesn’t matter, if Sid won’t go for us there’s no way he’ll go for her,” another one said coldly. “Well duh, she’s so plain why would he ever want her?” The bleach blonde one said, cocking her head to the right. Riley decided that they weren’t worth her time or energy, so she sat there and listened to their insults.

Once they left a song popped into Riley’s head; one that she hadn’t heard in ages. She began to sing it quietly while she sat in the stands staring at the sheet of ice.

When I was 7
They said I was strange
I noticed that my eyes and hair weren't the same
I asked my parents if I was OK
They said you're more beautiful
And that's the way they show that they wish
That they had your smile
So my confidence was up for a while
I got real comfortable with my own style
I knew that they were only jealous ‘cause

People are all the same
And we only get judged by what we do
Personality reflects name
And if I'm ugly then
So are you
So are you

There was a time when I felt like I cared
That I was shorter than everyone there
People made me feel like life was unfair
And I did things that made me ashamed
‘Cause I didn't know my body would change
I grew taller than them in more ways
But there will always be the one who will say
Something bad to make them feel great

People are all the same
And we only get judged by what we do
Personality reflects name
And if I'm ugly then
So are you
So are you

Her phone vibrating interrupted her song. She flipped it open to see a text from Sidney. ‘Come to the locker room’ she smiled to herself and headed to the locker room. Normally she would wait outside but since nobody was there but Sidney she decided to go in and wait. When she walked in she saw Sidney putting on his jacket, Riley stood there quietly watching him.

He looked up and saw her standing there in dark jeans and her grey pea coat, leaning up against the doorway. “So how’d the meeting go?” he asked casually as he approached her. “Uh, well I lost my job.” Riley replied, anger rushing through her again. “What, how?” he asked quickly. “Cooper.” His expression changed from confusion to anger, “What did he do?” he asked in a low, pissed off voice. “Apparently he told Paul and others that I copied his work and used it as my own…” she said as tears began to form again. “Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed, his own anger coming to a boil. “So he’s replacing me and I’m left to find a new career. The only problem is that now I have a reputation as a plagiarizer,” she said as her lower lip began to quiver. He pulled her into a huge comforting hug. “So he’ll be here every day interviewing us?” he asked as she rested her head on his chest. “Pretty much, why?” she asked looking up at him with watery eyes. “Just wondering,” Sidney said.

The rest of the day went by slowly and uneventful. The next day Kaylan returned from her month long European vacation. Her boyfriend, Spencer had brought her along with him on his business trip. While Sidney was at practice Kaylan decided to pop over and get caught up on everything.

“Hey girly!” she said, enveloping Riley in a huge hug.

“Hey Kay! I missed you so much,” Riley said once they let go of each other.

“Ditto girl, ditto.” Kaylan said being her same old goofy self.

“How was the trip?” Riley asked, anxious for some good news.

“It was awesome. He’s awesome. Everything was friggen awesome!” Kaylan said with a huge smile. “So what did I miss, anything juicy?”

Riley began to tell Kaylan about the whole ordeal involving Cooper and getting fired. She didn’t want to bore or bring down Kaylan so she kept it short. Riley also filled her in on other random things that had happened. Kaylan showed Riley all of the pictures she had taken on her amazing trip and recalling everything that had happened in each picture. Sidney arrived home an hour later and Kaylan was still there. “Oh you’re back…” he sighed, pretending to be quite disappointed. “Damn straight! But you know you missed me,” she said, standing up to walk over to him. “Uhh… yeah,” he said unconvincingly. She playfully hit him on the shoulder. “So how was the trip?” he asked laughing. “Good, good.”

Kaylan stayed for a little while longer then decided to go home and rest. The jet lag had been catching up with her. Once she left Sidney came and sat next to Riley, placing his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. “So, how was practice?” Riley asked as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Good, so I kind of told the guys about Cooper and all so then when he came in to interview us everyone refused to answer his questions, gave him a hard time and best of all, they booed him.” Sidney said laughing. Riley started to laugh not only because it was hilarious but also because the guys would do something like that for her, that and they were just having fun.

Chapter Seventeen

2008-10-26T21:39:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Seventeen.

Riley woke up the next morning wrapped up in Sidney’s protective grasp. They had a few minutes to spare before getting up and starting a busy day so she just laid there in his arms, feeling completely safe and happy.

“Morning beautiful,” he said as he kissed the top of her head.

“Morning,” she said as he pulled her on top of him.

“What time is it?” he asked after a couple of minutes had gone by.

“Eight forty-five,” Riley replied, rolling off of Sidney so she could get ready.

“I hate mornings…” she heard Sidney mumble just before she closed the bathroom room door to take a shower.

They sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast completely silent. It was a content silence though. Mornings like this were normally quiet, for many reasons. Sidney was usually preparing for practice, Riley was planning out her day, and they were still half asleep. The only conversation that was really made was when Sidney asked Riley if she was going to practice and she replied with a simple, “Yup.”

As they were cleaning up the phone rang and Sidney ran to it, picking it up like if it got to the third ring it would explode.

“Apparently I am going into the office today instead of going to watch you guys practice.” Riley said as she hung up the phone.

“But you were just there…” Sidney said with a confused tone evident in his voice.

“I know, but Paul obviously has other plans instead.”

They made plans that instead of carpooling together to the arena like they had planned, they would take their own cars and when Riley could leave the office she would head over to the Mellon. They both had to be at there at 11:00am and no later. “Seriously we need to leave now…” Riley whined as Sidney pinned her up against his silver Range Rover. He refused to do what Riley had said and continued to press himself up against her and kiss her hungrily. “People are going to start staring,” Riley said as she tried to push Sidney off of her. “So?” he smirked. “So, I don’t want my picture plastered all over the news for macking on Sidney ‘The Next One’ Crosby.” He pulled away and stared at her. “Would it be such a problem if people knew about us?” he asked seriously. “You know how I feel about that Sid…” Riley said as she walked towards her car. “No I don’t. I don’t understand why it would be such a problem if people knew.” He said looking slightly hurt. “Your teammates know, Mario knows, close friends know. People know, just not everybody.” Riley said as she put her bag in her car. Sidney just looked at her with an expression like he was expecting more of a reason. “Look, we’ll talk about it later. But for now, we’re both going to be late if we don’t leave.” She said as she got into her car.

Riley walked into the tall office building with a great deal of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Paul usually never called anyone in for a brief meeting; he wasn’t that kind of boss. But as soon as the elevator doors opened to the fourth floor she wiped her nervous expression right off her face and replaced it with a happy, confident one.

“Miss Jacobs,” Paul said in a strictly business tone.

“Good morning, Mr. Patterson.” Riley replied, trying her best to sound confident.

“Please, have a seat.” He said motioning towards the empty chair. Riley sat down as nervousness overtook all of her emotions.

“Now,” Paul started in a stern tone, “I am going to keep this short and sweet,” he said looking directly into Riley’s eyes. “I have heard from some people that all of your work that I thought was spectacular isn’t as great as I was led to believe,” he finished off in the same strict tone.

“What do you mean?” Riley asked, trying to cover her nervousness.

“What I mean is that I found out that you plagiarized the information about the Penguins, therefore, your services as Montgomery-Review are no longer needed.” He said with a stone cold expression to match his monotone voice.

“Wh- what? I- I never copied it, I wrote it all. What?” Riley stuttered. She couldn’t believe what this man had just said.

“Don’t argue with me Miss Jacobs. I saw with my own eyes someone with the exact same work as you and I hired him myself before I hired you,” he said, his patience decreasing at a rapid pace.

“But I thought no one else worked with the Penguins but me,” she said as tears began to cloud her vision. She would not cry though, she had to show her strength.

Just then there was a knock on the door but Riley just looked straight and ignored it. Paul on the other hand instantly changed his tone from stone cold to joyful. “Ah, Mr. Orson, how are you?” The other man, Mr. Orson, replied but Riley was too lost in her own thoughts to pay much attention. “You’re free to leave Miss Jacobs. But on your way out please hand over the materials the company supplied you with to Leslie at the front desk will you, your replacement will need it.” Paul said suddenly sweetly from the door. Riley mumbled a ‘yeah’ from her seat.

It took Riley a minute or two to recollect her thoughts before she got up. As she turned around her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing in the doorway with a huge smile on his face. “Cooper?”

Chapter Sixteen

2008-10-20T17:55:00.004-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Sixteen.

“So I have practice, I’ll be back around two,” Sidney said as he put his black trench coat on.

“Alright, I have to head into the office today anyway,” Riley said as she walked over to kiss him goodbye.

She had already stopped in a few times seeing as it was now early November. The hockey season had already begun and the Penguins were off to a great start. Riley had to go in to talk to Paul since she had missed it last time due to illness. Thankfully though, someone who applied for a position at MR Sports gladly filled in for her.

“Ah Miss Jacobs, feeling better?” Paul asked as Riley walked into Paul’s office.

“Yes, much, but the good news is that I got a lot of work done,” she replied as she sat down.

“Oh I’m sure you did.”

She continued to show him what she had written, but he seemed quite unimpressed with her writing. He didn’t say anything about not liking it but Riley could sense it by his facial expression.

As she walked out of the building and to her car all she could think about was why Paul had looked bored during her mini presentation. She had thought that she had done a good job on it.

“Hey Rye!” Cooper called as Riley walked up to her door.

“Oh hey,”

“So uh, what are you doing for the rest of the day?” he asked coming a little too close for Riley’s comfort.

“I don’t really have anything planned at the moment…” she said as she opened the door.

“Well do you mind if I hang around with you for a bit?” he asked, inviting himself in.

“No, not at all…” she replied somewhat unsure about her decision.

“Great.”

Sidney would be home in an hour, so Riley could use some company. As much as she would rather sit on the couch alone and watch TV in her sweats, she did enjoy his company. “Could I have something to drink?” Cooper asked when they got in the living room. “Yeah sure, what would you like?” Riley asked as she stood up to walk into the kitchen. “Uh, water’s fine.”

While Riley was in the kitchen getting Cooper a drink he flipped open her laptop that she had placed on the coffee table and opened the document titled ‘A Year with the Penguins!’ He then copied it onto an email document and sent himself a copy of Riley’s work.

“Hey babe,” Sidney said as he sat down next to Riley on the couch.

“Hey, how was practice?” she asked as he pulled her close to him.

“It was good, you know the usual, skating, passing, and shooting drills.” He concluded.

They sat there talking about their morning festivities as they were cuddled up with each other. This is what Riley had missed, Sidney going on and on about certain plays and all of his hockey talk - even though she didn’t understand a thing about hockey. She enjoyed the time she spent with him.

As Sidney rambled on and on Riley felt a feeling that she had never experienced before, contentment. She felt like everything was in its place and that everyone was where they belonged. She would never admit to Sidney that in Australia, before the surfing incident, she had second thoughts about leaving Rimouski and Sidney. When she was with him as a teen, they were forever having an enjoyable time. Laughing, joking around, and goofing off were what they did most of the time. One thought had been bouncing around in her mind for a little while, had playing in the NHL for three full seasons changed Sidney?

Another question that her self-debate had touched on a few times before was did she love, like actually love him? When they were sixteen and seventeen they had said to each other – like many teenaged couples – ‘I love you’, being in Australia for four years had changed Riley’s opinion on just about everything, including her take on love. Did she really love Sidney Crosby?

“Were you even listening to me?” Sidney asked, sucking Riley out of her thoughts.

“Huh… oh yeah, totally,” she said as she re-entered reality.

"No you weren’t, you were thinking about something… something important,” he said, looking deeply in to her eyes.

“What do you think love is?” Riley asked bluntly.

“What?”

"What do you consider to be love?” She asked completely serious. He noticed this and his grip around her waist tightened.

“Well, I think that love is when you meet someone and you can only think about them, when you put them before yourself, when nothing else in the world matters but them, when everything goes wrong and you feel like throwing your hands in the air and giving up… until you see them… when you see them everything seems to brighten, when no matter which way life takes you… you seem to run into them again and you’re just amazed by them…” Sidney said the last part as he looked directly into Riley’s peridot-coloured eyes. Riley was silent as she thought about every single word that had just come out of Sidney’s mouth.

“I love you Riley, I always have… and I always will,” he whispered in her ear.

“I love you too, Sid. I never stopped,” she said, barely audible.

Chapter Fifteen

2008-10-11T22:33:00.005-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Fifteen.

As they sat there talking and cuddling Riley had closed her eyes. When she opened them again she saw a man in the distance sitting on a bench watching them intently. When Riley saw this she stared for a few seconds then looked away.

“What time is it?”

“Five o’clock,” Sidney answered, looking at his watch.

“I’m getting tired, let’s go,” Riley said as she stood up.

“Alright,” Sidney said as he stood up beside her and grabbing her hand.

They walked back to Riley’s house hand in hand again. They continued to talk on the way home; surprisingly they still had things to talk about after talking for a few hours straight. When Riley and Sidney arrived at her house they were instantly greeted by Sachi. “Why didn’t we take him with us?” Sidney asked shaking his head while laughing.

“So for dinner, what do you want?” Riley asked as they walked into the light orange kitchen.

“Depends, are we ordering or actually cooking it?” Sidney asked as he wrapped his arms around Riley.

“Either one is fine. What do you want to do, cook or order in?” They both thought about it for a moment then answered at the same time, “Order in.”

“Chinese? Greek? Pizza? What do you want?” Riley asked using her hands as a weigh-scale.

“Hmm, I haven’t had pizza in a while,” Sidney said.

They ordered a Hawaiian pizza and it arrived half an hour later. They sat on the couch watching TV. After they finished their dinner they cleaned up and cuddled back up with each other on the couch. They got caught up in a random movie that was on and once it was over it was 11:45pm.

“Jeez, it’s late,” Sidney said looking at his watch.

“Yeah…” Riley started, “We better get to bed.”

“Alright,” Sidney said as a slow, sly grin spread across his lips.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up off of the couch and easily lifted her up into his arms, bridal style. “Uh Sid,” Riley said as she grabbed onto him for dear life. He responded by letting his lips crash down onto hers in a fiery kiss. He carried her to her room where he dropped her down on the bed. He climbed onto her kissing every inch of skin all the way up to her lips. They met in yet another fiery kiss. They slowly started to undress each other; tugging off her pants Sidney broke the kiss and said, “You just had to wear skinny jeans, didn’t you?”

Once they had stripped each other down into their underwear Sidney looked deep into Riley’s eyes and asked with complete seriousness, “Are you sure you want to do this?” Riley looked at him and responded with a smirk, “I was ready the first time, wasn’t I?” He looked at her and said, “Yeah, but it’s been four years. Are you sure you want to just jump back into… everything?” Riley looked at him and raised her right eyebrow, “Yeah, why do you think we’re going to fast?” When he didn’t respond for a few seconds Riley was just about ready to climb out from under him and put her clothes back on. He sensed this and a slow smile crept onto his face, “Are you kidding? I’ve wanted to do this for weeks now!” And so they continued on with their… activities.

The next morning they woke up and freshened up. As Riley walked out of shower she wrapped herself in a towel and walked into her bedroom to see Sidney already fully clothed and watching TV. “You’re not ready yet?” he whined seeing her in a yellow fluffy towel. “No because I had to wait for you to take your shower first,” she answered as she looked through her closet for something to wear. “Well you could’ve taken one with me,” he said as he walked up behind her. “Oh yeah, because that would save time,” Riley responded sarcastically. “Well hurry up then, because we’re going out for breakfast.”

They went to an IHOP that was nearby. The place was near empty so they took a table near a window. They ordered when the waitress came by and then started up a conversation.

“Why didn’t we just go to a Tim Horton’s?” Riley asked as the waitress brought over their breakfast.

“Because there aren’t many around,” Sidney said with a laugh.

“So you haven’t done anything about that yet, huh?”

“I’ve tried, believe me.” Sidney said as they ate their breakfast.

A few people had walked by the table and said hello to Sidney and some asked for autographs. Some of them looked at Riley strangely but she just smiled in return. She thought that she saw a man in the background writing something down but Sidney caught her attention when he squeezed her hand lightly.

Chapter Fourteen

2008-10-06T22:32:00.003-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Fourteen.

Riley awoke to a loud barking. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she heard Sidney trying to hush Sachi. Riley rolled out of bed and quickly glanced at the clock to see that it was 10:30am. She had clearly slept in.

“Morning,” Sidney said as he grimaced in pain.

“What’s wrong babe?” Riley asked, and then panicked. Babe? I did not just call him that... A goofy grin appeared on Sidney’s face then was quickly replaced with a look of pain.

“I kind of injured myself at practice…” he trailed off.

“How?” Riley asked with a loud sigh.

“Well, I was trying to nail a scoring move when my foot slipped and I pulled my groin,” he said
sheepishly. Riley burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny…” he whined.

“Sorry,” she muttered. She tried to contain her laughing but when she saw Sidney trying to sit down she cracked up again.

“Stop it!” he hollered from the living room. “What are we doing today?”

“I don’t know what do you want to do?” Riley asked as she made herself some breakfast.

“Staying here would be nice,”

Later Riley went to go get dressed, even though staying in her pyjamas was tempting she had to get dressed. As she was looking through her closet her cell phone went off. Spencer, Paul Patterson’s assistant was calling to tell her that she had to go in for a brief meeting about the assignment she was working on about the Penguins. She was told to be there in forty-five minutes, which was cutting it close but was possible. She was told to bring everything that she had written with her so she could present it to them.

Dressed in medium blue cowl-neck tunic, dark blue skinny jeans, 2 ½ inch heels, her lime green medium-sized purse, and her plaid trench coat, Riley headed out into the cool October weather. As she headed out the door she informed Sidney that she would be leaving for a short period of time, again. While she was walking down the steps to the driveway she ran into Cooper.
“Where are you headed?” he asked as he looked at her up and down.

“Oh I have to step into the office for a brief meeting,” she said quickly, trying to point out that she was in a hurry.

“Oh, well I don’t want to keep you then. But we should hang out again,” he said as he moved closer to Riley. Sidney was watching from the living room window and did not like what he saw.

“Yeah, sometime. But I really have to go now,” Riley said as she got into her car.

“Alright, I’ll see you later then.” Cooper said as Riley pulled out of the driveway.

She checked her reflection in the mirror in her car one more time before heading in to meet her boss. Her hair was looking good, down and curly. Her makeup done to perfection; deep purple eye shadow, black eyeliner, and a touch of lipstick to complete the look.

She walked into the seven story office building and made her way to the fourth floor. The building was new and everything in it was close to top of the line quality. Nice black granite tile floors and a sleek grey colour for the tall walls. There were modern yet elegant couches and chairs in the lobby. The elevators were a shiny gold colour, almost matching the colour of a gold wedding band perfectly.

As she walked to Paul’s office she said hello to several of the people who actually acknowledged her. When she knocked on the already open door she saw Spencer and Paul talking then turning to look at the young woman at the door.

“Ah, Miss Jacobs, you’re here.” The man, Paul, who was probably in his early forties said from his oh so comfortable office chair that only he was allowed to sit in.

“Mr. Patterson… Spencer.” Riley nodded towards both men.

“Why does he get called ‘Mr. Patterson’ and I just get Spencer?” The younger man, Spencer who was roughly in his mid twenties asked jokingly.

“Because I am the boss,” Mr. Patterson implied with a cocky grin.

Riley presented all of her information that she had gathered over the past three weeks and the two men seemed to be really impressed with how everything was going. The three of them went over the expectations of this special project of Riley’s until they were all on the same page. It was set that once every two weeks Riley would pop into the office to update everyone on everything and to receive news and/or updates on anything.

After being in the office for an hour and twenty minutes, Riley was finally able to leave. She packed up her things, said goodbye to her coworkers, and left. On the drive home she remembered about the fairly long dream that she had, but she pushed all of the thoughts about Australia and Toby out of her mind when she pulled in to her driveway parking beside Sidney’s silver Range Rover.

“Hey, I’m back,” she said as she took off her coat and hung it in the milk chocolate coloured closet.

“Hello, so who was that slug you were talking to when you were leaving?” he asked as he placed his arms gently around her waist.

“Who?” Riley asked as she turned around in his arms.

“That guy, he’s like your neighbour or something,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her sweetly on the lips.

“Oh, you mean Cooper?”

“Yeah that slug,” he said in a jealous tone.

“Oh don’t! He’s a nice guy,” Riley protested.

“He’s a slug.”

“Oh stop it, don’t call him that!” Riley said as she rolled her eyes and playfully hit Sidney on the arm.

“He is! I see the way he looks at you, complete and utter lust,” he said as he pulled her closer to
him.

Riley let out a loud sigh and shook her head. She knew that Sidney would not give it up so she did. Deep down she did have an odd feeling about Cooper but let it slide. He was her neighbour and that would not be changing anytime soon. Just then Sachi came running in from the back door, taking Riley out of her thoughts. He came running at her holding his favourite toy, a white teddy bear. Riley would throw the toy in the air and Sachi would jump three feet to catch it. At first he would fall but he perfected it after multiple attempts.

After a while Riley was getting bored, she was desperate to get outside and relax. She asked Sidney if he wanted to go outside to a park nearby for the afternoon and at first he groaned but eventually agreed. He was dressed in blue jeans fit to perfection, a white tee with a black zip-up sweater overtop, running shoes, and over course the ever so popular black Reebok hat.

The park wasn't too far away so they decided to walk to it. As they walked hand in hand, they admired the developing neighbourhood that Riley resided in. The moment was almost perfect, minus the chilly breeze that would come by every now and then. Riley had a feeling, a feeling that someone was following them.

Sidney and Riley spotted a bench a little bit down the path in the beautiful park. The bench was across from a beautiful, large, circular fountain. For a small suburb it was a pretty big park. The grass was exceptionally green, the trees were healthy, the bicycle paths were clear and wide, and overall the park was definitely a relaxing spot.

Sidney pulled Riley close to him on the bench and put his arm around her waist as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Chapter Thirteen

2008-10-01T22:16:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the wait, I have been absolutely swamped in homework, projects, and tests that I haven't had time to even write! I am trying my best to post at least once every week, I cannot tell you the exact day, it may be a Saturday or it may be a Tuesday I'm not sure. One thing is for sure though, my hockey season has started up again meaning that Saturday mornings and Monday evenings there will be no posts. Anyway, sorry for the rant, please comment and enjoy!

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirteen.

On July twenty-second Riley arrived in Sydney, Australia. Once she stepped outside she was in complete awe. It was so beautiful, it truly was paradise. She saw the nice, sandy beaches and then the water, oh the water. So blue, so clean, she couldn’t wait to swim in the water. But first she had to find her apartment. When she found the apartment she went up to the front desk to ask for her keys.

“Hello,” a woman who was in her mid 30’s said through a thick accent.

“Hi, I just got here and I was told that this is the place where I will be living.

“Alright, I’ll just need your name and some ID.” She said politely.

“Riley Jacobs,” she said as she pulled out her ID.

“Alright Miss Jacobs, just take the elevator on the left up to the eighth floor then you should find your room easily. Your room is room 885 it should be on your left when you exit the elevator.” The woman said. “Oh and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to your neighbours!” she said cheerfully.

Riley spent the next few weeks unpacking and getting settled in. She had met her neighbours the first week and they were all around her age and there was this guy who she already had a tiny crush on. His name was Toby and he was originally from Sydney, Australia. He was tall, about 6’1, short blonde hair, icy blue eyes, nice build, basically the one person who could take Riley’s mind off of Sidney.

“So uh, I was wondering…” Toby said in his amazingly sexy accent. “Would you like to go out on a date with me?”

“Yes! I mean uh, sure.” Riley answered a little too excited.

“Great! So I’ll call you later, alright?” he said as he nodded his head towards her.

“Uh-huh.” Was all Riley could spit out.

They dated for a while and then eventually became boyfriend and girlfriend. They seemed to get along really well; they both had a love for water. Toby loved, absolutely loved to surf, while Riley loved to just swim. She had taken surfing lessons one summer in Rimouski so she was able to kind of keep up with her boyfriend.

People were heading up to the shore line while Riley and Toby were a ways from it. They were in their own world and just having fun. They saw a wave coming in and decided that they were going to surf on that one, since it didn’t look too bad. As it came closer it got bigger and Riley had an uneasy feeling about it as she saw it gain in height. She looked at Toby for reassurance and he nodded, signalling that it was going to be fine. They stood up on their boards as the wave came towards them. Just then the wave split in two, Toby, being the one who grew up surfing knew how to handle the situation, where Riley, who didn’t have the slightest idea of what to do panicked. Before she could say anything the wave had gained even more strength and she lost her balance. The wave forced her under and her board up ahead of her. The waves came rushing back at a rapid speed from the shore – bringing her board along with it. The surfboard hit Riley right in the head, instantly knocking her out of consciousness.

She awoke a few hours later in a hospital room, alone. She didn’t understand why she was there and why her head hurt so much. She sat there pondering over her thoughts for fifteen minutes until a doctor came in.

“Hello, Miss Jacobs,” he said brightly.

“Hi…”

“How are you?” he asked as he picked up her chart.

“Oh… I’ve been better,” she replied.

“I bet. Do you know why you’re sitting here, in a hospital bed?” he asked, seeing if her memory had been suffered during her little incident.

“Not really,” she said as her head started to hurt more than before.

“Alright, that’s expected. You did hit your head pretty hard,” he said slowly, letting it seep into her mind.

“I did?” Riley questioned.

“Yeah, do you want to know what happened?” he asked in a soft tone.

“Sure,”

“Well, I take it as you went surfing with a young man by the name of Toby Lander?” he half asked.

“Alright,” Riley replied, wanting to know what else had happened.

“Well, you were surfing on this huge wave and it split into two waves, causing you to fall in between the two. Your board flew out from under you and then came rushing back at quite a forceful pace and basically hit you square in the head. You were knocked unconscious for three and a half hours.” He concluded, leaving Riley puzzled.

“Oh,” she said quietly.

“Do you remember any of this?”

“Honestly, I don’t really remember who Toby Lander is,” she said with a sigh.

“You should regain most of your memory back over the next week or two.” Dr. Thomas replied with a genuine smile.

Just as Riley was about to ask Dr. Thomas another question there was a knock on the door. There stood a young man and a young woman. The man being tall and quite good looking, Riley was mesmerized by his gorgeous blue eyes. The woman was shorter than he was; she was about 5’8. She had light brown hair with green eyes. Riley looked at them, completely confused. Dr. Thomas welcomed them in the room as he told Riley that he would check up on her later. The two young strangers took the seats near the bed.

“Hey Rye,” the woman said in a soft tone.

“Hi,” Riley replied with a shaky voice. She was on the verge of tears because she had no idea who anyone was or even who she really was.

“Do you remember us?” the young man said quietly.

Riley shook her head from side to side with a frown evident on her face. “I’m really sorry that I don’t know who you are…” Riley said, barely above a whisper.

“It’s alright, well then we might as well introduce ourselves. I’m Brooke and this is Toby,” she answered with a small smile.

“Oh hi,” Riley said with a smile. “So how exactly do I know you guys?”

“Well, we’re like best friends and Toby is… your boyfriend,” Brooke said as she hesitated at the end.

Chapter Twelve

2008-09-23T22:43:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Twelve.

“Sidney, we missed you,” Trina, Sidney’s mom said as she gave him a big motherly hug. “I missed you too mum.” Sidney replied as he introduced Riley to the family. They all seemed nice and welcomed her into their home for a few days. Sidney showed her around the house and made sure to save the best part for last – the “rink” that his dad had made in the basement.

“This is where it all started,” Sidney said as he walked over to the area.

“It’s cute,” Riley said as Sidney gave her a strange look.

Riley spent four days with Sidney and his family before heading back to Rimouski. She liked it a lot in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia and considered one day going back. Sidney would be spending a few more days with his family in Nova Scotia and would return to Rimouski on February twentieth.

On May seventeenth Sidney came back from a hockey tournament in which they placed second. “Hey you know what?” Sidney said as they walked to a park. “What?” Riley questioned back as she grabbed Sidney’s hand. “We’ve been dating for three months and two days,” he said with a smile. “I see you’ve been keeping track,” Riley said with a smile, she too had been keeping track but would not admit that to Sidney. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. “A normal one…”

On May twenty-second Sidney took Riley out to see a movie that had just come out, she didn’t find it interesting at all but made sure not to say anything because Sidney loved it. When Sidney was walking Riley to her door he leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Just as he was about to turn and leave Riley grabbed his arm and stopped him. “No one’s home,” she said seductively. “Wh-what?” Sidney stuttered. “I have the house to myself,” Riley said as she opened the door. Sidney had a confused expression plastered on his face. But before he could say anything Riley whispered in his ear, “Stay with me tonight,” his jaw dropped instantly. It took him a few seconds but he finally caught on to what Riley was implying. Then his lips crashed onto Riley’s in a rough kiss. He pushed her up against the front door and kissed along her jaw and then down her neck.

Riley led Sidney to her room as he pushed her lightly down on her bed. Riley tugged off Sidney’s shirt, as Sidney unbuttoned her black blouse. He threw it on the floor and climbed on top of her. He then pulled off her dark jeans, leaving her in only her underwear. Riley soon pulled off Sidney’s pants, not once breaking the passionate kiss. Just as Sidney was about to unclasp her bra he stopped and Riley looked up at him with confusion. “Are you sure?” he asked her, looking deep into her eyes. “Yeah, are you?” she replied with a smirk. He nodded and they continued with their passionate, memorable night.

On July seventh Riley received a letter from the University of Sydney in Australia. As soon as she saw who it was from her heart started to race, her mind was also racing at the thought of being accepted or at being rejected. “What are you holding, sweetie?” her mother Eliza asked. “A letter from the University of Sydney,” Riley replied. “Well open it!” her dad, Antoine said. “Alright,” Riley’s eyes moved from side to side at the speed of light as she read what the letter said. “Oh my gosh! I got it!” she screeched. “Congratulations!” her parents both said at the same time as they got up to hug her. “What’s going on?” Ben asked as he walked into the kitchen. “I got in to the University of Sydney!” Riley said, jumping up and down.

On July tenth Riley was sitting on her bed typing away a storm on her laptop when Sidney stormed in her room. Her parents were gone for the day with the rest of the family so she was home alone.

“Uh hi,” Riley said, surprised that Sidney was standing in front of her.

“When were you going to tell me?” he asked just below a shout.

“Tell you what?”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” he said in a rude tone. This made Riley’s temper flare.

“Excuse me? Don’t you come into my house and demand that I tell you something when I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Riley said sternly. She was never afraid to have her voice heard.

“When were you going to tell me that you were leaving, huh? When were you going to break it off with me? Why did I have to hear about you going to Australia from my teammates!” he shouted, obviously hurt but this was no way to confront her about it.

“I was going to tell you tomorrow, and hope to god that you would understand!” Riley exclaimed as she stood up.

“Sure you were…” he said sarcastically. Riley hated it when people used sarcasm with her when she was trying to be serious.

“What you don’t believe me?” she asked quickly.

“Oh no, I believe that you’re leaving. You want to know why?”

“Sure, why not.” she replied as she sat down.

“Because it’s for you, you get to move somewhere where you’ve always dreamed of leaving. You can start over and be who you want to be. You can forget about everything here and everyone here,” he said, his eyes burning into hers.

“You’re right it is for me. I am the one who got accepted and I don’t know why you are in such a bad mood about it! I thought you, of all people would be happy for me. Its university Sid, this is opening doors for me, why aren’t you happy for me?” Riley questioned, calming down slightly.

Sidney just shook his head, mumbled a few things, got up and left without saying goodbye. “It’s sad that it has to end this way!” Riley shouted from her room when she heard him walking down the stairs. He didn’t reply.

Chapter Eleven

2008-09-20T12:24:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Eleven.

“Alright everyone out of the pool,” a seventeen year old Riley shouted as she blew her whistle. It was mid March so everyone decided to go to the local indoor pool for some fun. Riley worked as a lifeguard at the pool because she loved swimming as a kid and always wanted to be a dolphin when she was younger. Her parents had put her through swimming lessons at a young age – for safety precautions, they always said that it would come in handy if she ever skated over thin ice on a pond. Yeah, they wanted her to play hockey, like most of the children in the area. Riley never really had an interest in skating, so she stuck to swimming.

“Guys seriously, get out of the pool now,” she said as she walked over to the edge of the pool so she could get a closer look at the five young guys in the pool who refused to follow her directions. They all looked around her age, some a little younger and some a little older. They finally noticed her standing there, taping her foot on the cold, wet tiles. “Alright, alright,” one of them said as they all climbed out.

A few of the guys were checking her out on their way to the changing rooms. Riley was too tired to notice anything, she had just spent four hours at the local pool. Riley walked around the pool making sure that no one was still there or that no one left anything behind. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a male figure on the other side of the pool area staring at her. Her eyes widened as she looked up and walked towards him.

“Hi,” he said with a smile.

“Uh, hi,” Riley stuttered as she tried to find the right words. She had only been learning English for a few months and was able to carry on a small conversation.

“I’m Sidney,” he said, flashing her that famous toothy grin.

“I’m Riley,”

“You’re beautiful,” Sidney blurted out.

“Uh… thank you,” Riley said as she blushed.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked bluntly.

“Uh, no.”

“Well then, would you like to go out some time?” he asked, now shyly.

“Will it get you to leave me alone?” Riley joked.

“For today,”

“Then yeah, sure,” Riley replied as she smirked and rolled her eyes.

Riley went home after that conversation. She parked her car on the driveway of a nice home. It was a nice four bedroom home. It fit her and her family’s lifestyle perfectly. The house was in a nice and quiet neighbourhood. “Bonjour Rye,” Ben, Riley’s older brother said as Riley walked in the door. “Bonjour Benny,” Riley teased.

A few hours later the family sat down for dinner. At the dinner table sat Riley’s mother Eliza, her father Antoine, her older brother Ben, her younger brother Keaton, and her younger sister Storm. Ben was a year older than Riley and Keaton and Storm were six years younger than her. Ben was tall, about six foot, blonde hair, blue eyes, muscular. Keaton was taller than his fraternal twin sister, Storm, he had blonde hair, blue eyes, basically he was a spitting image of his older brother Ben, just without the muscles. Storm and Riley had similar facial attributes, the medium-sized lips, slightly slanted eyes, and the same nose. But Storm had jet black hair and piercing green eyes. She was a small little girl who was too cute.

They had a nice dinner and then went their separate ways after. Riley was lying on her bed doing homework when Ben knocked on the door. They tried to speak as much English as they could, since they both were learning for future career requirements. “Hey,” Riley said as she looked up. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked as he walked into her room and sat down on her over-sized purple chair. “Uh-oh, girl problems?” Riley teased. The two had always been close, mainly because they were practically inseparable when they were toddlers. “No, but what’s up with you?” he asked as Riley closed her books. “What do you mean?” she asked as she lay back on her pillows. “You seemed… quiet at dinner, almost as if something or someone was on your mind,” he implied with an eyebrow raised. Riley ended up “spilling the beans” and telling him all she could about her day at the pool and gushed over how cute she thought Sidney was.

On March fifteenth Riley spent a longer time in the bathroom getting ready for her date with Sidney. He had previously asked her out a few days before but they were both busy on the days in between. She did light make-up and wore a black skirt with a bright purple short-sleeved blouse.

Sidney soon arrived at her door, looking absolutely stunning for a sixteen-year old that is. On their date they talked a lot. Mostly about: family, dreams, interests, likes and dislikes, and much, much more.

“I had a great time,” Riley said as Sidney walked her to her door.

“I did too…” Sidney said trailing off, almost as if he wanted to say something more but decided against it.

“We should do this again sometime,” Riley said as Sidney’s face lit up.

“Totally, so I’ll uh call you,”

“Okay, goodnight,” Riley said with a smile, and then lightly kissed him on the cheek.

“Alright, goodnight,” Sidney said as Riley walked inside.

They went out a few more times over the course of the month of January. The two got along really well and were slowly becoming inseparable. They were now officially boyfriend and girlfriend, even though everyone already considered them that.

On April fourteenth, Sidney brought Riley back to Nova Scotia with him. She was super excited to meet his family for the first time. She also was nervous of what they would think of her, especially about her being a year older than Sidney.

“Hello,” Sidney hollered when they walked into his parents’ house.

“Sid?” a woman called back from another room.

“Yup, we’re here!” he said in a kiddie voice.

“SID!” a little voice screamed, then soon after a little girl came running over to Sidney.

“Hey Tay, how are you?” Sidney asked as he picked her up.

“I’m good,” she replied as he put her down.

“Riley this is my little sister, Taylor. Taylor this is Riley, my girlfriend.” Sidney said with a smile.

“Hi Taylor, how old are you?” Riley asked as she bent down to Taylor’s level.

“I’m seven, how old are you?” she asked with a curious expression.

“I’m seventeen,” Riley replied to the adorable little girl.

Chapter Ten

2008-09-12T22:34:00.001-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Ten.

They sat there on the couch for hours, at some points talking nonstop and at others sitting in complete silence. Everything had finally been put out there in the open and they both felt like two huge weights were lifted off of their shoulders. During one of their silent moments Riley leaned back, wrapped in Sidney’s arms and she closed her eyes. Then she asked, “So now that we’ve cleared the air... what exactly are we?” Sidney tightened his grip on her and said in a calm voice, “Whatever you want us to be,” Riley looked at him with a huge a smile and gently kissed his lips. She then said, “How about we give the whole boyfriend and girlfriend thing another shot,” Sidney smiled and pulled her in for another sweet kiss. “I’d like that,”

Sidney spent another hour or two at Riley’s house before heading back to the Lemieux’s house. Yes, Sidney still hadn’t found his own place, but he swore that this was the year. Riley went to bed shortly after.

The next day Riley woke up to her phone buzzing ridiculously loud. She stumbled over to it and saw that she had a new text from Sidney, ‘Up for our coffee ritual?’ Riley smiled then frowned when she saw the time. ‘Yeah sure, but can I ask you something, why are you up so damn early?’ she put her phone down and walked to her closet to pick something to wear. She raced over to her phone when it started to buzz off the table again. She flipped it open and the message from Sidney read: ‘Great! I had to do some early media stuff…’ Riley continued to message Sidney as she got ready.

When Riley walked into the coffee shop she was immediately met by Sidney as he embraced her in a massive hug. They then made their way to a table. The whole time they talked Riley and Sidney both had huge smiles on, happy that they had made up and finally - after four years - had cleared the air.

“So what are you doing after work today?” Sidney asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Well I have a few errands to run, but other than that, nothing really,”

“Alright, do you want to do something then?” Sidney asked.

“How about you come over to my place after,” Riley suggested.

“Alright,”

The work day flew by for Riley, which was obviously a good thing. After the practice she got into her car and made her way to the animal shelter. She had previously bought a dog who was a only a year old and was badly abused. Riley fell in love with this beautiful Doberman when she first saw him a week ago. His name was originally Burger but Riley decided to name him Sachiko. The name is originally a female Japanese name but he wouldn’t know the difference.

Riley brought him home, along with some toys and all the other dog necessities. Sachi didn’t trust many people because of his past, which was understandable. He mainly didn’t trust men, so that would be a challenge for Riley. He was an aggressive dog at times which turned a lot of people off him, but Riley saw the softer side of him. The side that could be affectionate, when Riley first saw him she asked if he could be let out of the cage so she could get a better look at him. The two simultaneously had some sort of bond that Sachi had only had with her.

“What is that?” Sidney asked instantly as he entered Riley’s house.

“This is Sachi, I adopted him,” Riley replied with a proud smile.

“Why?” Sidney asked cautiously.

“Because I felt bad for the poor thing, and we have a special bond.”

“Alright, you do know that dogs are a lot of work, right?” Sidney asked as he walked over to the couch where Sachi was laying down.

“Yup. And that’s why you are going to help me take care of him,” Riley replied as she sat down next to Sidney. Sachi instantly came and sat next to her.

“I’m what?” Sidney asked looking at Riley, completely shocked.

“Well you are always over here and he could be like our baby,” Riley said. At the sound of ‘our baby’ Sidney’s eyes widened.

Things were a little awkward after that but Riley didn’t notice – she always referred to animals as her ‘babies’ but Sidney on the other hand was a little shocked at the term. They spent the rest of the evening talking and playing with Sachi. Sidney soon saw the nice, affectionate side of Sachi and for once in a very long time, Sachi trusted a man.

It was getting late, around one am or so when they noticed the time. “I better go…” Sidney said as he stood up and stretched. “You don’t have to…” Riley said quietly but loud enough that it was audible. Sidney gave her a questioning look but Riley responded with a reassuring smile. “Are you sure?” Sidney asked slowly. “Yeah, it’s late and I’d feel bad making you drive home at this hour,” Riley said as she stood up alongside Sidney. “Oh so it’s not because of your infatuation with me?” Sidney questioned playfully. “No,” Riley replied sternly, waiting for Sidney’s surprised reaction, and then she cracked a smile.

Riley grabbed Sidney’s hand and led him to her bedroom as Sachi followed behind. Sidney stripped down into his boxers, causing Riley to stare at his amazing body. Riley changed into a pair of red short-shorts and a graphic t-shirt that said ‘I’m a tough cookie’ she then made her way over to her bed. “Tough cookie, eh?” Sidney said with a smirk. “Yup,” Riley replied with a smile as she lay down next to Sidney. Riley cuddled up with Sidney and rested her head on his chest. Just as they were ready to turn out the lights Sachi jumped up on the bed and rested his head on Riley’s legs.

All three of them quickly drifted off to sleep and Riley had a dream about her past. Her dream consisted of her time before Sidney, with Sidney as a teen and her time in Australia, and all the events that occurred.

Chapter Nine

2008-09-06T17:52:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay, I have been quite busy with school lately. Thankfully I survived the first week. Please comment and enjoy! =]

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Nine.

Riley looked up, shocked. Troy stood there giving her a stony expression with his arms crossed. Riley closed her book and he approached her.

“So, you and Sid are...?” Troy said fishing for words.

“Over. Congratulations you were right,” Riley said with no emotion.

“That didn’t last long...” he said trailing off.

“Yeah well you’re partially to blame here,” Riley said now her temper rising.

“Me? What did I possibly have to do with you lying to my son?” he said coming pretty close to crossing the fine line.

“Let’s face it, okay. You don’t like me, you never did. And I don’t think that you ever will fully approve of a girl that Sidney dates,” Riley said shaking her head.

“So, it’s my fault that you two broke up because I am protective of my son?”

“Okay look, I was going to tell him, after all I just found out the day before--”

“Whoa, just found out?” Troy said, interrupting Riley.

“Yes, but there’s no use for me to even tell you because Sidney and I probably won’t be making up,” Riley said looking away from Troy.

“Why don’t you just tell me and we’ll see where things go,” Troy said sweetly with a warm smile.

Whoa that did not just happen. Was he being nice? He’s never nice! This cannot be happening; I thought Trina was the nice, sincere one.

“Alright, it’s kind of a long story but I’ll shorten it since we don’t have a lot of time,” Riley paused looking at Troy as he nodded.

“Basically I didn’t know it was Sidney, or well I knew it was him just not that we dated. When I was in Australia I went surfing one day and this huge, mega-wave came up from under me and I lost my balance and fell off my surf board and hit my head off of it, making me unconscious. I woke up later that day in a hospital room not remembering a thing, making things difficult since you know I was in university. Anyway, I got most of my memory back, like I remembered family, friends who I kept in touch with, school stuff and those things. But I didn’t remember Sidney,” Riley said with a frown.

“I had no idea,” Troy said looking shocked.

“No one did, but Sidney wouldn’t let me explain why I hadn’t realized it was him. He just went into this big speech about how I was selfish for leaving and such when again I tried to explain to him that I had to leave. I had no other choice. I couldn’t just wait around for Sidney to finish school I was a year older than him, it was bound to happen sometime. And even if I did stay, he would’ve left anyway to play with the Penguins,” Riley said as she looked at Troy for his expression.

“He doesn’t think things through, he was just looking at it from his point of view,” Troy said with a small smile trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter I mean I doubt that we are going to make up.”

“Well we’ll see how things go, why don’t you talk to him,” Troy suggested.

“I’ll see, but I have a question, why all of a sudden are you being so nice to me?” Riley asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Well don’t tell anyone this because I might get a reputation as a softy,” Troy said then paused to smile at Riley.

“When you left Sidney was heartbroken, devastated even. I saw the way he looked at you, even then that you were something special to him. Then seeing the way that he talked about you on Friday and even yesterday, just something about the thought of you lifts his spirit. That was also another clue that you were his ex. Anyway, I can just see that he cares about you a lot, even though he may act like a complete selfless moron at times, he means well,” Troy said as Riley’s vision started to cloud with tears.

“Thank you, Troy,” Riley said as they stood up.

“No problem, I just couldn’t bear to see my son upset again, over the same girl!” he said with a laugh and pulled her into a hug.

They stood there, hugging in silence until the guys barged through the door. “Awe Sid’s dad and girlfriend are having a heartfelt moment!” Max shouted as he made the weirdest expression. Sidney was behind Marc-André Fleury who was behind Max, making Sidney within earshot and he could also see the two hugging. He was shocked, utterly shocked. He never envisioned the two standing like that.

Troy and Riley both made their way out of the locker room so the guys could get changed. Riley had to go back in afterwards so she could do an interview after they were changed.

When Riley went back in to the locker room after the guys were done getting ready she did her interviews and saved Sidney for last. Something about the mood had changed, he seemed relaxed. As Riley turned around to leave Sidney grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back to him. “Can we talk?” he asked with pleading eyes. “Yeah sure,” Riley replied her voice barely above a whisper. “Okay, give me five minutes,” Sidney said as Riley nodded and made her way out of the locker room.

Sidney came out five minutes later, like he had said. He said goodbye to his parents since they were going back to Nova Scotia. When they were saying goodbye Troy pulled Riley aside for a few moments, while Sidney was talking to his mother. Troy and Riley talked for five minutes or so and Sidney kept looking over at them. “I hope everything works out for you two,” Troy said to Riley as they were walking back to Sidney and his mom and sister. “Thank you so much Troy, really I mean it,” Riley whispered quietly but loud enough for him to hear.

After they left Sidney and Riley made their way to Riley’s house. When they got in they walked straight into the living room and before they could sit down Sidney pulled Riley into a huge hug. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear as she closed her eyes and nodded while saying, “Me too,” They stood there for a few minutes in silence, no one really wanting to start off.

After a few minutes they pulled away and started talking. Riley had explained to Sidney that four years ago she couldn’t wait around for him to graduate – she had to start a life of her own. Sidney had explained to Riley that he was heartbroken when she left and how he would’ve liked to have known about her applying to the university. They talked for an hour and a half when Sidney asked, “So what was with you and my dad today?” This shocked Riley, she wasn’t expecting this question. “Oh we were just talking,” she answered simply. He looked at her with uncertainty then said, “No I mean he usually doesn’t approve of anyone so why would he trust you? No offence.” Riley smiled at this and thought quickly about her answer then replied, “Maybe I’m just special,”

Chapter Eight

2008-09-01T16:38:00.001-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Eight.

Riley made her way to the stands as the practice began. Even though she and Sidney were not on the best of terms, he still captivated her attention. It is pretty hard not to watch him anyway, but Riley could not take her eyes off of him. A part of her wanted to just tell Sidney what she had tried telling him years ago, but another part of her wanted to never talk to him again, not after the way he had talked to her.

Ten minutes before practice ended Cooper called and since Riley had already written enough down she answered. “Hey Coop!” She said cheerfully. “Hey Rye!” he said with the same cheerfulness. They talked about random things; they even got onto a topic of toast. Cooper had Riley laughing the whole time; Sidney had glanced over at Riley a few times. And every time he looked Riley was laughing at something crazy he had said. This angered Sidney, a lot. But Riley was not trying to make him jealous and he knew that—making it even more aggravating.

After practice Riley went down to the locker room to interview the guys and all that stuff. She eventually made her was over to Sidney and she was very professional about it. “Look can we talk?” Sidney asked after Riley finished asking him about the practice and thoughts for the upcoming season. “No,” Riley replied simply. “What?” Sidney asked as he stood up. Most of the guys and the media had left a few minutes ago. “No,” Riley repeated as she closed her notebook and put away her microphone that the company gave her. “What do you mean no?” Sidney asked, his voice getting louder by the second. “No as in no I do not want to talk,” Riley replied with a smirk to finish off her smart-aleck remark. “Why?” he asked now getting frustrated. “I’m on my lunch break... now,” Riley replied looking at her watch. “So then we’ll have lunch,” Sidney said, obviously wanting to talk badly. “Can’t, I’m already having lunch with someone,” Riley replied as she was walking out of the locker room. “Tell Kay that you have other plans,” “I’m not having lunch with Kay,” Riley replied as she walked away and left the Mellon Arena.

Riley and Cooper had agreed that they would meet at the new restaurant that had recently opened near the Mellon. As soon as Riley pulled up she saw Cooper and walked over to him. “Waiting for someone?” she asked from behind him. He turned around with a huge grin on his face and enveloped her in a big hug.

They were seated off to the side, near a window that had a nice view of the city. They made small talk until the waitress asked for their orders. After that they continued to talk, Riley’s back was to the door so she couldn’t see who was coming in. In the middle of their conversation Cooper said, “Oh my god, it’s Sidney Crosby!” Riley’s eyes widened and her heart started beating faster. ‘What is he doing here?’ Riley kept asking inside her head. “Oh what a coincidence,” Riley said trying to act astonished. “Not a fan, huh?” Cooper asked with an eyebrow raised. “Not at this moment in time,” Riley said as she looked away. “Alright, well to be honest, I don’t like him either,” Cooper said with a smile.

They continued to talk about god knows what for another hour when they decided to leave. Riley had left to use the restroom while Cooper still sat at the table talking to the people around him. As Riley was making her way back to the table she felt a hand grip her arm tightly.

“Where do you think you’re going?” an all too familiar voice said from behind her.

“What are you doing?” Riley asked as she turned around to face Sidney.

“Me? What are you doing?” he asked looking slightly angry.

“What are you talking about?” Riley whispered quickly.

“Who is that guy?”

“Why does it matter? Are you jealous?” Riley asked with an eyebrow raised.

“No, I’m just curious of who you are having lunch with,” Sidney replied with a smirk.

“You’re jealous,” Riley replied with a smile.

“Whatever, so who is he?”

“That’s none of your business, but if you’ll excuse me I have to get back to my table,” Riley said as she pushed past Sidney and walked over to Cooper.

Riley walked back over to the table and soon left with Cooper. Well they went their separate ways, Cooper had to go back to work and Riley had to go back to the rink—practice was extended because of the cancellation that happened previously in the week.

When Riley arrived back at the arena she was met instantly by Jordan Staal. They had become close since the beginning of training camp. He enveloped her in a huge bear hug that lifted her off the ground.

“So, what’s up?” Jordan asked with a goofy smile.

“Nothing, how about you what have you gotten your bad self into lately?” Riley asked returning the goofy smile.

“I haven’t done anything bad,” he said looking hurt and putting his hand over his heart.

“Ha! Sure you haven’t,” Riley said as they walked inside the Mellon Arena.

They continued to talk until coach Therrien told him to get on the ice. It was clear that Riley was the most liked reporter. Mainly because of her bubbly personality and that she was close in age with the majority of the guys. There were some other reporters who were young, not many but some. Over the past few days Riley began talking to one of the younger reporters, Jennifer Nolan. She was twenty-four years of age and was a tall, about five-foot eight, she had blonde hair dyed black underneath. She had beautiful green eyes and was quite intelligent.

“Hey Jenny,” Riley said as she walked over to where Jennifer was sitting. “Hey Rye,” she replied quickly glancing at Riley than directing her attention to the ice that no one was on. Even though Jennifer was one of the reporters she had a huge crush on Max Talbot. She always got a little giddy when she got to interview him. “You know, he’s not on the ice right now, he’s in the locker room,” Riley said with a smirk. “Yeah I know,” she said as she widened her eyes, almost as if she was saying Duh.

The both of them got along really well, they had similar interests. It also helped that they were close in age. Jennifer was born in Denver, Colorado and moved to Pittsburgh at the age of seven.

The two continued to talk until Jennifer had to take an important call. Riley took this as an opportunity to get a good look at the Penguins dressing room, when it was not full of penguins. She was sitting on the bench writing down the description of the dressing room when the door opened. Riley was too deep in her writing to even hear the door open and the person walk in, she was on a roll describing everything perfectly. She was calm until the other person spoke up.

“Put the book down,” the man said in a flat voice.

Chapter Seven

2008-08-30T11:17:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the wait, I had to re-write everything since it was all deleted. I may not be able to post as often as before, for me school starts on Tuesday, September 2nd. I have a couple chapters already written, that's why it took so long to post. Anyway, here's chapter seven and please comment to tell me what you think! =]

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Seven.

“He’s what?” Sidney asked bitterly.

“He’s...he’s right,” Riley answered with some fear of his reaction.

“What do you mean he’s right?!” Sidney shouted.

“I’m your ex-girlfriend!”

“Why didn’t you tell me before, scared of how I might react?” Sidney exclaimed.

“I didn’t know...” Riley said her voice barely above a whisper.

“What do you mean you didn’t know?” Sidney said with disgust in his voice.

“In Australia I--”

“You what, forgot about me? Forgot about us?” Sidney asked with hurt and anger evident in his voice.

Riley knew that he was not going to take what she had to say easily. She knew that there was going to be a lot of shouting, which is not what she wanted. Riley was furious of how Sidney would accuse her of forgetting about him when she left for school. She had assumed that he had moved on and dated other girls. But he made her out to sound like the bad guy.

“How could you say that? You know I loved you...” Riley said the last part quietly.

“I guess not enough to stay then, huh?” Sidney said in a rude tone.

“Sidney, I loved you but I wasn’t in love with you,” Riley said, trying to put it the best way possible.

“You don’t get it do you? You left and you broke my heart,” he said with hurt in his eyes.

“I’m sorry that I broke your heart and mine, but I am not sorry that I left,” Riley said.

“Of course you’re not,” Sidney said bitterly.

“Excuse me?” Riley said as she crossed her arms.

“You’re selfish.”

“Oh, of course,” Riley said sarcastically.

“Everything always has to be about you Rye, always was and always will,” Sidney said with an angry laugh.

“If you would just let me explain this time, since last time you didn’t want to hear it...”

“No, I don’t want to hear what you have to say. Maybe we should just stay away from each other, you know. We had a past and probably no future together.” Sidney said as he stood up.

“If that’s what you want, but I will be at the practices, games and other events that deal with the Penguins. After all, it is my job. So I will be there whether you like it or not,” Riley said, showing no emotion.

Sidney didn’t say anything so Riley just showed him the door. But as he was leaving he said, “Looks like you were just meant to be my ex.” Riley shrugged her shoulders without saying a word as he made his way down the street. Riley was angry that Sidney didn’t allow her to explain why she didn’t know it was him at first. He never did want to hear what she had to say, no matter how important it was to her. During her time in Australia Riley had learned to find inner peace and how to enjoy life, even with all the little curve balls it may throw you.

On Saturday, the next day the Penguins would be having their first practice. No more working out and those things, this was an actual practice like one they would have during the season. They had been on the ice for a few days in the past week but that was more for getting used to the ice surface again.

That night Riley tried to focus more on her job and her new life in Pittsburgh than about Sidney. After all, this was their second break up and probably their last. At around 8:15pm Riley was getting a snack when she realized that she was out of milk. “Damn it, this always happens,” she grumbled as she got her keys and left the house to get milk.

As she was locking her door she heard footsteps behind her, thinking that it was Kaylan she didn’t bother to turn around. When she eventually turned around to head to her car she was startled by a young man standing in front of her. As she looked at him up and down she noticed how attractive he was. He had short blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, sparkling white teeth, nice build, and overall drop dead gorgeous.

“Um, hi...” Riley said still amazed by him.

“Hey,” he said with a slight wave.

There were a few seconds of silence that felt like seventeen years. It was kind of an awkward silence. Until finally the mystery man spoke up.

“Uh so... I’m, uh, I’m Cooper,” he said extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Riley,” Riley replied shaking his hand.

“So, where are you going?” he asked as he looked deep into her eyes.

“The store,” Riley said with a smile.

“Well, I’ll let you go then. I just wanted to come and check out the new neighbour since some people were saying that she’s pretty hot,” Cooper said with a sly smile.

“Right... well I better get going...” Riley said, trying to brush this guy off.

“Okay, have fun sexy,” he said as he winked and walked away.

“Oh god...” Riley mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

She spent fifteen minutes or so at the store getting some other things before heading home. Riley never liked going to stores late at night, fearing that the store might get robbed. On her way home she couldn’t stop thinking about Cooper, he was creepy. ‘No, you’re just saying that because of things with Sidney’ Riley said inside her head. He lived across the street so she had to deal with him, whether he freaked her out or not.

When Riley arrived at her house she saw Kaylan talking to Cooper. Great. She tried her hardest not to be noticed but Kaylan and Cooper both saw her. “Hey Rye,” Kaylan said with a smile. “Hey Kay and Coop,” Riley replied as she waved to them. As Kaylan went inside Cooper made his way over to Riley, she noticed this and tried to find her keys faster.

“So I was thinking...” Cooper said as he leaned up against the outside of Riley’s house.

“Do you have any plans for lunch tomorrow?” he asked as Riley turned to look at him. Suddenly he didn’t look so... pervert-like.

“Nope,” she replied looking at his beautiful eyes shine in the light.

“Well then, why don’t you and I have lunch?” he asked.

“Sure.”

They exchanged numbers and Riley went inside and Cooper went to do whatever. When Riley got inside she noticed that it was 9:30pm, there goes the snack. So instead she sat on her couch and worked more on the report about the Penguins. She was thinking of making a video about them and presenting that to Paul and company. She was deep in thought and her work when she noticed that it was nearing one in the morning, and with that she made her way to bed.

The next day she woke up and did her morning ritual except she didn’t go for coffee, she didn’t feel like running into Sidney or worse, Troy. As she was leaving she ran into none other than Cooper again. They chatted for a little bit and then Riley had to go to work. She was actually excited for her lunch with Cooper; it took her mind off of Sidney.

Chapter Six

2008-08-27T16:35:00.002-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Six.

They stayed around for an hour or so until they decided to get something to eat. The whole time Riley felt like Troy was watching her, just waiting for her to mention it. Riley pretended not to notice that and kept her composure. Sidney drove everyone to the café which was a block away from Riley’s house. It was close, within walking distance.

Riley pretended like everything was okay throughout lunch. Troy would ask her odd questions and she would answer them with a vague answer. Riley realized that Sidney didn’t mention her last name; he introduced her as “This is my girlfriend, Riley.” So that made things slightly easier. She was going to tell Sidney, just not in front of his family.

After lunch Sidney dropped Riley off at her house before he went with his parents to Mario’s. He kept saying that he was going to find his own place this year but for now, while he’s looking he will remain there. Riley was invited to head over to Mario’s with the family but she made up an excuse—she had to finish writing her report thing for Paul. “So do you want to have dinner with us tonight?” Sidney asked as she was walking up to her door. He had decided to walk her to her door, being the gentleman that he is. “I don’t think so, I have a feeling that I’m going to be in and out today,” she replied. “Alright, well do you think we could do something tonight? They want to be back to their hotel at like eight or something,” Sidney asked with pleading eyes. ‘Crap. Do I want to tell him now, when his parents are in town?’ Riley said inside her head. ‘It’s now or never’ “Sure.” Riley replied, knowing that this was not going to go well at all. “Cool, so I’ll be here at like eight.” Sidney said as he kissed her goodbye and made his way to his Range Rover.

Instead of stressing out about what she was going to say to Sidney, Riley just sat on her couch and typed away at her report thing about the Penguins. She figured that he was going to do one of two things: freak out or take it all in stride. She had been working on her report for three hours when she got bored. So she made her way to the mall, as she was locking her door Kaylan was right behind her. “Jesus Kay!” Riley screamed out when she turned around. “So... Where are you going?” Kaylan asked rocking back and forth on the heels of her feet. “To the mall, what are you up to?” Riley replied as she made her way down the steps. “Well I was coming to talk to you but now you’re leaving, so...” Kaylan trailed off. “Do you want to come with me?” Riley asked, hopeful for some company. “Duh...”

They walked and shopped for two hours like old friends would do. They decided to get some dinner since it was getting late. They went down to the food court and got some Chinese food, since it had the shortest line. They left the mall around 7:30 and arrived home in fifteen minutes. As soon as they pulled up Sidney arrived at Riley’s house. “Ooh,” Kaylan said with a smile and then made her way to her house.

“Hey, where were you?” Sidney asked as he followed Riley to the door.

“Oh, I went to the mall with Kay,” Riley replied as she walked towards her door.

“Interesting,” Sidney said with an angry sigh.

“Is everything alright?” Riley asked a little concerned.

“Yeah... well it’s just... ugh.” Sidney said as he seated himself on the couch.

“What?” Riley asked, confused.

“My dad thinks that you’re my ex-girlfriend...” Sidney replied as he looked at Riley.

“Uh, um... Sid?”

“Yeah?”

“He’s uh... he’s...”

“He’s what Riley?!” Sidney snapped.

“He’s right.”

Chapter Five

2008-08-26T15:56:00.003-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Five.

When Riley walked in she saw Sidney sitting at a table with three other people. He sat with a large man who looked slightly rugged, a woman who looked tired, and a young girl who looked no older than fourteen. When Sidney saw Riley he got up and walked over to her,

“Hey,” he breathed with a smile.

“Hey,” Riley replied with slight uncertainty.

“So look, uh my parents are here,” he said with a nervous smile.

‘Oh no! No, no, this is bad, bad timing!' Riley screamed inside her head.

“Oh...” Riley replied with s shaky voice—Sidney noticed, but just let it go.

“Want to meet them?” Sidney said with a half smile.

“Sure.”

Sidney led her over to the table where his parents and sister were sitting. He introduced everyone to each other but Riley had a weird feeling about his father—he gave her a weird look when Sidney said her name. Riley sat at the table with his parents trying to focus on whatever they were talking about but she just could not think straight, not after what she found out the night before.

“Sorry I can’t stay longer but I have to get going,” Riley said, lying through her teeth.

“But I don’t have to leave for another fifteen minutes; don’t we have the same schedule?” Sidney said as he gave her with a questioning look.

“I have to stop off at the head office on my way; Paul called me last night saying he wanted me to stop by for some reason,” Riley replied, lying yet again.

“Oh, well then I’ll see you at the rink then,” Sidney said as he stood up to kiss her cheek.

Once Riley left she got into her car and drove, Paul never called asking her to stop by, but she figured that she could head into the office to talk with some of her co-workers and fill Paul up on what she had been up to. The whole car ride there she was trying to calm herself down but one thought in her mind was preventing that, ‘His dad knows’

When she walked into the building she was automatically greeted by Paul. He was talking to the secretary about who knows what but once he saw her he made his way straight to her.

“Good morning Miss Jacobs, what brings you here?” Paul asked as they made their way to the elevator.

“Oh just thought that I’d stop by and fill you in on everything,” Riley replied with a smile.

“Ah, so how do you like the job?” he asked in a friendly tone.

“Oh I love it. It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted.” Riley replied as she relaxed slightly.

“That’s what I want to hear. But you do know that this is the easy part, right?”

“What do you mean?” she replied with utter confusion.

“Just wait until the season starts, oh dear wait until the playoffs!” he said with a laugh.

“Oh, yeah that’s when the competition starts,” Riley said as the exited the elevator.

“Yep, you’ll be covering the players’ reactions on the turnout of the game and their reactions on the rumours...” Paul said as he seated himself in his big comfy leather chair.

“Yeah, the rumours will be interesting,” Riley said as she sat in the not so comfy seats on the other side of his desk.

“Oh especially since the star player is Sidney Crosby,” Paul replied with a laugh.

The talked a bit more until Riley had to leave; as she made her way to the arena she got a text from Sidney. She debated on reading it or not but eventually pulled out her phone.

‘Training’s cancelled today.’

“Ugh, now what do I do?” Riley growled. ‘Thanks, but now what do I do?’ she wrote back quickly.

‘I don’t know, how about lunch today with my parents?’ Sidney texted back, Riley got in her car and was on her way back to her house.

‘Alright, I’m heading home now so I can do some writing I guess. What time are we heading out?’ She wrote as she was stopped at a red light.

‘I’ll come get you when we decide on a time, just be ready.’ He wrote back to her.

Riley was sitting on the couch typing away on her laptop about how the guys train and their thoughts on it when there was a knock on her door. She got up and answered it only to see Sidney standing there with his family.

“A little early, don’t you think?” Riley said with a laugh, noticing that it was only 10:30.

“Yeah, we got bored and they wanted to see where you lived,” Sidney said as his mother rolled her eyes.

“Ah, well come on in and make yourselves at home,” Riley replied as she moved out of the way so everyone could file in.

“Oh, it’s a nice place,” Sidney’s mother cooed.

“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Crosby,” Riley replied politely.

“Oh, please, call me Trina and call him Troy,” she replied pointing at Sidney’s dad.

“You have a lot of artwork,” Troy said as he walked around the hallway and living room.

“Yeah, there are a mixture of real and store bought pictures,” Riley said as she followed him.

“Real? Where on earth did you find these beaches?” Troy asked, with a brow raised.

“I lived in Australia for four years, and spent a few months in Japan,” Riley said.

“Wow.” Taylor gaped.

Chapter Four

2008-08-25T16:06:00.007-04:00

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter four.

About halfway through the movie, Riley was petrified. She had seen the movie three times and was still scared. She clutched onto Sidney during one of the scary scenes. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his body. At the part where the little girl is trapped in the motor home Riley turned her head and rested her face in Sidney’s shoulder. Once she did this he grabbed a hold of her legs and placed them across his lap, so in a way she was on his lap.

Once the movie was over Riley asked, with her face still hidden in Sidney’s shoulder,

“Is it over?” her voice was a little muffled but he still heard her.

“Yeah, it’s over,” he said with a laugh.

She then looked up at Sidney as he looked down at her.

‘Where do I know him from?’ Riley questioned inside her head as she was staring at Sidney, the 21-year old boy whom she had only known for several days.

‘She looks so familiar!’ Sidney thought.

“Since it’s early, tell me about yourself,” Riley said still sitting in the same position.

“Okay, I was born in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia...” he started.

‘Cole Harbour? Who do I know from there?’ Riley questioned in her head.

“I moved to Minnesota for a year when I was fifteen,” he said as he pulled Riley in closer to him.

“Did you go to Shattuck-Saint Mary’s?”

“Yeah I, I did.”Sidney stuttered.

“Oh,” Riley said nodding her head.

“Riley,” Sidney said quietly.

“Sidney,” Riley replied, barely audible.

When Sidney didn’t reply, Riley looked up at him, only to see him staring down at her. She gave him a questioning look quickly until she lost her train of thought when she made eye contact with him.

Sidney leaned in slowly and gently kissed her lips. When they both pulled away there were a few seconds of complete silence. They both were at complete bliss.

“Riley?” Sidney finally said.

“Yeah,” Riley replied, still trying to register what had just happened.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” Sidney asked.

“Yeah,” she replied with a smile.

Their lips met, yet again after she gave him the answer he was hoping for.

They spent another hour getting to know more and more about each other until Sidney had to leave. When he left Riley pulled out her laptop and started reading more about Pittsburgh and its beloved hockey team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. She then decided to read more on the Penguins’ captain, Sidney Crosby. She was reading the list of teams he played for when she noticed the Rimouski Oceanic was mentioned twice. Sidney had already told her that but he didn’t tell her what years he had played.

“Hmm, 2003-2004, I must’ve known him,” Riley said aloud.

She let her curiosity have the best of her, she went and searched through her pictures from 2003-2004. ‘Ah, here they are!’ she thought as she opened the file titled ‘Rimouski Boys’ she searched through the pictures knowing that there had to be at least one of her and her beau at the time. She was quickly skipping through mass amounts of pictures when she gasped out loud.

“Impossible..” Riley breathed.

The next morning she groaned at the sound of her alarm clock going off. She hadn’t gotten much sleep; she had stayed up until 2:45am looking at all her pictures from 2003-2004. She finally got out of bed when she heard her phone beep. It was a text from Sidney, ‘You coming? I have to tell you something.’ Riley jumped into the shower then got dressed, anxious for what Sidney had to tell her.