Brooks was more than surprised when Mike had nothing to say to him on the bus to Pennsylvania. He had been quiet and broody and down-right irritated since they loaded up, and had only gotten worse now that they were cruising down the I-70.
He wanted to talk about it, he wanted to come out and tell Mike what he had been up to that morning and what he’d found out, but he didn’t want to be the one to bring it up.
Brooks had been hoping for Mike to ask him what was wrong so that he could finally get it off his chest, maybe even figure out what he should do about it.
Apparently what Brooks wanted wasn’t on the top of Mike’s priority list though; for a first.
Mike had his head resting against the window of the bus, not caring that his hair was becoming flattened thanks to the way he was resting. Every now and then a sigh would emit from somewhere between his down turned lips, but Brooks wasn’t sure what was going through his head - and he didn’t have the consideration to find out.
Instead they both spent the five hour drive in silence, ignoring everyone around them and brooding quietly.
Brooks had unpacked everything for the first time ever. His clothing was spread between the drawers of the dresser and the closet; his shoes and sneakers were even lined up by the door.
He’d never actually taken the time to do any of this before, but he couldn’t bring himself to sit still.
Even Mike was on edge, sitting on the very bottom of the bed, his feet fidgeting as he tried to focus on the TV. He was clutching his cell phone in a ’this is my life-saver’ kind of way, but again, Brooks didn’t comment on Mike’s behaviour.
He flopped down on the unoccupied bed and huffed loudly. Mike flopped back too, also huffing.
They went back and forth for almost five minutes; one would sigh, then the other would sigh louder, and so on. Finally Brooks couldn’t take it anymore. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
Mike rolled his eyes but pushed himself into a sitting position. “I thought that breaking up with Denise would make me happy, and it hasn’t.” He said quickly, exhaling once he was done.
Brooks snapped his head to the left, glaring at Mike. “Well it’s not like you’ve actually tried to be happy. Hell, you haven’t really done anything…” Brooks stated, his voice getting less harsh as he spoke. “In fact, you’ve been doing everything the same way you would be if you were still with Denise. Have you gone out at all?”
“Umm… not in the technical sense.” Mike muttered, folding his arms over his chest and flopping back down onto his back. “I just don’t really know what I’m suppose to do.”
“What? You’re scared of girls now?” Brooks snorted, finding amusement in the question.
“No! Yes… Maybe. Look, I’ve just always been in a relationship ok? I never did the single thing before.
Sure, I’ve had girls flirt with me… but I’ve never had to do anything, I run walk away from them. I don’t know how to go from that to… hooking up.” He looked over at Brooks expectantly.
“Well Mike, it’s not really like I’ve hooked up with a lot of girls either… I mean… there were a couple in high school, Cosmo’s mom and then Emily… I’m not exactly an expert.”
Mike grunted. “Yah but you know more than me.”
“You’ve had way more sex than I have…” Brooks retorted, knowing full well that it was true.
“With the same girl! That doesn’t count at all!” He complained back, to which Brooks had no answer.
They fell back into the silence that had managed to dominate their trip so far, before Brooks decided to throw an idea out. “How about we go out tonight after the game?”
“Go looking for girls?” Mike asked sceptically, wondering what Brooks could possibly be trying to prove.
He felt like bringing up Emily, saying something about how Brooks was head over heels in love with her; but he was too intrigued by the idea of going out for a night with Brooks.
Brooks shrugged, not noticing Mike’s apprehension. “Why not? I mean, it’s not like I can just go out any night I want now that I have Cosmo… we might as well take advantage of it, right?”
Mike just nodded along with him, hoping whatever had come over Brooks wouldn’t change between now and after the game.
It was only with liquid confidence that Mike had convinced Brooks to call Emily; not just to check on Cosmo, but to move things on with their relationship as well. He was still mildly depressed over his current relationship situation, and the last thing he wanted was for Brooks to be put through the same thing. “So… I was just doing some thinking and I thought that we should get together. As a permanent thing… you know?” Brooks murmured into the receiver as Mike danced around the room behind him, the remainder of the Johnny Walker bottle still clutched in his hand.
Brooks reached for a pillow and chucked it over his shoulder, not aiming, but still hitting Mike square in the face. “Are you asking me out?” Emily asked into the phone as she squinted and tried to hear Brooks over the background noise around him.
“Yah.”
“Are you drunk?”
Brooks pondered the question as he glanced down into his other hand - the one that was holding the empty bold of scotch. “Maybe.”
Emily sighed loudly and clutched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. “I’m not having this conversation with you, Brooks.”
“But-”
“-the answer is no!” Emily snapped again. At the beginning of the conversation she had been more than pleased when Brooks had started to shamelessly flirt with her; at least until she realized that it was due to his intoxication level and not because he had decided that he actually liked her.
Brooks grunted a goodbye before he hung up the phone, feeling the sting of rejection amplified by the burn of the alcohol. “What did she say?” Mike asked, jumping onto the bed beside Brooks. “Is she your girlfriend now?”
“No. She said the answer was no.” He grumbled, tossing his phone across the room and pushed himself off the bed. “Fuck!”
“Maybe she didn’t understand what you were trying to say…” Mike suggested, taking another swig from the bottle.
Brooks shook his head, running his hands through his short, freshly washed, hair. “No she knew what I was asking.” He couldn’t think clearly, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to think anymore, he wanted to do something; he needed to move. “Let’s go out.”
“We’re still going out? But I thought-”
“-you thought what? That I was gonna get upset because she said no? I don’t care… I don’t even like her! I said let’s go, so let’s go!” He hissed through clenched teeth .
Mike, even in his drunken haze, could feel the change in Brooks demeanour. He shrugged his shoulders and got up to follow after him. “What are we gonna do?” He asked, afraid of the answer.
He came up short when Brooks turned around suddenly and gave him a frightening smile. “Whatever the fuck we want.”
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
32. Spy
I’ve allowed myself to get out of the loop. My writing is sloppy and I’m having a hard time pulling all my thoughts into one direction. Short. Apologies =(
Also to all the people who write stories on here that I follow… I’m so far behind and I’m very sorry for that. My lack of comments doesn’t mean that I don’t like what you’re doing with your writing, it’s honestly the fact that I haven’t read a thing in so long!
I guess that just means I’ll have lots of fantastic updates to look forward to =)
Was he really doing this?
Obviously he was, but he still felt the need to question himself. It felt idiotic and juvenile - horribly so - as he sat in his parked car, outside of the doctor’s office.
Brooks didn’t even have the guts to tell Mike where he was really going.
It wasn’t that he thought his over-exuberant friend would have an issue with it, he just assumed that he would feel better about the whole thing if he kept it private. Completely private.
He shuddered to think what anyone else would say if they knew what he was doing right now, especially Emily.
The thought of the name had him glancing up through the tinted windows of his SUV as he glanced around the parking lot. He was a still a bit early, but he knew she’d be there soon; Emily was nothing if not punctual.
He allowed himself to think about his revelation again as he fiddled with the dial on the stereo. Brooks wasn’t exactly sure what had driven him to this point. Of course he was interested in anything that had to do with Emily, but at the same time, he could have just asked her.
But what if this was his greatest fear? What if she was sick… really sick? Wasn’t it her right to tell him when she was comfortable telling him?
Or maybe she though he’d never be interested in her if she told him she was sick. Oh god, did she think that she wasn’t good enough for him because there was something medically wrong with her? Did he take advantage of a sick girl?
He sighed, loudly, the noise making him shift uncomfortably as it filled the quiet vehicle around him. He was starting to get hot, as the sun filtered through the windows to where he was sitting in his heavy black suit.
Brooks had to leave for a game soon, and he still wasn’t exactly sure what his plan for this morning was going to be; so he continued to wait until Emily’s car pulled into the parking lot a few spots over from where he sat.
Emily was suppose to be watching Cosmo for the three days Brooks would be gone, and he knew she’d be heading to his place as soon as she was finished here. Of course, with interviews and another meeting with the Capital management, Brooks wouldn’t be there.
He had left Cosmo with Mike and was suddenly immensely satisfied with his decision to not tell Mike where he was going.
She didn’t give his SUV a second glance as she moved past him, her long hair pulled back into a ponytail that bounced with each step she took, swishing her long hair from side to side.
She was dressed in such a way that Brooks was sure this was her only planned outing. Although she still looked good to him, she had replaced her usually too-dressy daytime clothing with a pair of yoga pants and a long green Underarmor shirt.
Even though he had been expecting to see her, he still felt that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him feel like he was going to be sick. On the bright side, none of the people who had been entering or leaving the building appeared to be really sick. He found hope in that.
Maybe this was just some random check up.
Maybe Emily just had a really expensive doctor that she paid really well. Someone that would have the time to check-up with someone every month.
That was possible. Right?
Brooks, having factored in the average waiting room time during a visit to a private doctor, gave Emily a twenty minute head-start.
When he finally exited the car and headed towards the building, he did so with his head ducked and his sunglasses on.
He wasn’t very far from the door, and he pushed the glass surface timidly, worried that maybe he hadn’t given Emily enough time. However, with a quick glance around the waiting room he realized that he had missed her. Whichever one of the small corridors she had disappeared down, she was no longer in the lobby and that put Brooks in the clear.
He took this fortunate moment of obsoleteness to look around the room, for anything that might give him a hint as to what he was doing here.
It was brightly light with non-confrontational beige walls and a sterile looking marble floor. It looked more like the inside of a fancy hotel then a doctor’s office; even the furniture and coffee tables were out of place here with their rich fabrics and deep coloured mahogany surfaces.
Brooks cleared his throat and turned his attention straight ahead of him to where a pretty red-head was smiling at him from behind a large reception desk. “Can I help you?” She asked sweetly, imploring his feet to carry his body deeper into the building.
“Yah…” He started slowly, reaching the desk and pulling off his sunglasses. He set them down on the top of the desk and peered down at the girl. “I’d like to make an appointment with Dr. Kustin.” He explained lamely, hoping she wouldn’t hear the guilt and uncertainty in his voice.
“Of course. Who’s it for?”
Brooks was caught off guard by her question, but he licked his lips and continued. “Me?”
“You and, who, though?” She pressed, her fingers beginning to drum across the keyboards as she brought up a registration sheet.
“Just me?” Brooks said, the statement coming out as a question.
The girl clicked her tongue thoughtfully before she continued. “Well then you’d probably be more interested in seeing one of the other doctor’s here, Dr. Kustin only takes female clients.”
“Isn’t that a little sexiest?” Brooks couldn’t help but snort out. It wasn’t like he actually cared, or that he had actually planned on coming in and seeing the doctor, he was more hoping to get the registration sheet to see what she specialized in.
The receptionist began to eye him with amusement, contemplating her words before she spoke. “Dr. Kustin is a fertility doctor… so unless you’re trying to get artificially inseminated, I don’t think he’d the right doctor for you.”
Brooks felt his mouth pop open, but he worked quickly to try and recover. “Oh… of course yah, I knew that… I just… heard he was a good doctor so… and I thought maybe he did more than just fertility stuff…”
“Nope. Just pregnancy.”
Brooks nodded, thanking the girl before he turned around to make a quick exit. He was half way to the door when he turned around and came back towards her. “And by fertility… you mean like… pregnancy right?” She nodded. “… the type of pregnancy that ends up in the girl having a baby?” She nodded again. “Like, a human baby?”
“That would be the type, yes.” She answered, trying to suppress the laughter that was turning up the corners of her mouth.
“Ok.” Brooks said quickly, turning back around and heading out into the parking lot, his mind reeling as he climbed into his SUV and stepped on the gas.
Also to all the people who write stories on here that I follow… I’m so far behind and I’m very sorry for that. My lack of comments doesn’t mean that I don’t like what you’re doing with your writing, it’s honestly the fact that I haven’t read a thing in so long!
I guess that just means I’ll have lots of fantastic updates to look forward to =)
Was he really doing this?
Obviously he was, but he still felt the need to question himself. It felt idiotic and juvenile - horribly so - as he sat in his parked car, outside of the doctor’s office.
Brooks didn’t even have the guts to tell Mike where he was really going.
It wasn’t that he thought his over-exuberant friend would have an issue with it, he just assumed that he would feel better about the whole thing if he kept it private. Completely private.
He shuddered to think what anyone else would say if they knew what he was doing right now, especially Emily.
The thought of the name had him glancing up through the tinted windows of his SUV as he glanced around the parking lot. He was a still a bit early, but he knew she’d be there soon; Emily was nothing if not punctual.
He allowed himself to think about his revelation again as he fiddled with the dial on the stereo. Brooks wasn’t exactly sure what had driven him to this point. Of course he was interested in anything that had to do with Emily, but at the same time, he could have just asked her.
But what if this was his greatest fear? What if she was sick… really sick? Wasn’t it her right to tell him when she was comfortable telling him?
Or maybe she though he’d never be interested in her if she told him she was sick. Oh god, did she think that she wasn’t good enough for him because there was something medically wrong with her? Did he take advantage of a sick girl?
He sighed, loudly, the noise making him shift uncomfortably as it filled the quiet vehicle around him. He was starting to get hot, as the sun filtered through the windows to where he was sitting in his heavy black suit.
Brooks had to leave for a game soon, and he still wasn’t exactly sure what his plan for this morning was going to be; so he continued to wait until Emily’s car pulled into the parking lot a few spots over from where he sat.
Emily was suppose to be watching Cosmo for the three days Brooks would be gone, and he knew she’d be heading to his place as soon as she was finished here. Of course, with interviews and another meeting with the Capital management, Brooks wouldn’t be there.
He had left Cosmo with Mike and was suddenly immensely satisfied with his decision to not tell Mike where he was going.
She didn’t give his SUV a second glance as she moved past him, her long hair pulled back into a ponytail that bounced with each step she took, swishing her long hair from side to side.
She was dressed in such a way that Brooks was sure this was her only planned outing. Although she still looked good to him, she had replaced her usually too-dressy daytime clothing with a pair of yoga pants and a long green Underarmor shirt.
Even though he had been expecting to see her, he still felt that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him feel like he was going to be sick. On the bright side, none of the people who had been entering or leaving the building appeared to be really sick. He found hope in that.
Maybe this was just some random check up.
Maybe Emily just had a really expensive doctor that she paid really well. Someone that would have the time to check-up with someone every month.
That was possible. Right?
Brooks, having factored in the average waiting room time during a visit to a private doctor, gave Emily a twenty minute head-start.
When he finally exited the car and headed towards the building, he did so with his head ducked and his sunglasses on.
He wasn’t very far from the door, and he pushed the glass surface timidly, worried that maybe he hadn’t given Emily enough time. However, with a quick glance around the waiting room he realized that he had missed her. Whichever one of the small corridors she had disappeared down, she was no longer in the lobby and that put Brooks in the clear.
He took this fortunate moment of obsoleteness to look around the room, for anything that might give him a hint as to what he was doing here.
It was brightly light with non-confrontational beige walls and a sterile looking marble floor. It looked more like the inside of a fancy hotel then a doctor’s office; even the furniture and coffee tables were out of place here with their rich fabrics and deep coloured mahogany surfaces.
Brooks cleared his throat and turned his attention straight ahead of him to where a pretty red-head was smiling at him from behind a large reception desk. “Can I help you?” She asked sweetly, imploring his feet to carry his body deeper into the building.
“Yah…” He started slowly, reaching the desk and pulling off his sunglasses. He set them down on the top of the desk and peered down at the girl. “I’d like to make an appointment with Dr. Kustin.” He explained lamely, hoping she wouldn’t hear the guilt and uncertainty in his voice.
“Of course. Who’s it for?”
Brooks was caught off guard by her question, but he licked his lips and continued. “Me?”
“You and, who, though?” She pressed, her fingers beginning to drum across the keyboards as she brought up a registration sheet.
“Just me?” Brooks said, the statement coming out as a question.
The girl clicked her tongue thoughtfully before she continued. “Well then you’d probably be more interested in seeing one of the other doctor’s here, Dr. Kustin only takes female clients.”
“Isn’t that a little sexiest?” Brooks couldn’t help but snort out. It wasn’t like he actually cared, or that he had actually planned on coming in and seeing the doctor, he was more hoping to get the registration sheet to see what she specialized in.
The receptionist began to eye him with amusement, contemplating her words before she spoke. “Dr. Kustin is a fertility doctor… so unless you’re trying to get artificially inseminated, I don’t think he’d the right doctor for you.”
Brooks felt his mouth pop open, but he worked quickly to try and recover. “Oh… of course yah, I knew that… I just… heard he was a good doctor so… and I thought maybe he did more than just fertility stuff…”
“Nope. Just pregnancy.”
Brooks nodded, thanking the girl before he turned around to make a quick exit. He was half way to the door when he turned around and came back towards her. “And by fertility… you mean like… pregnancy right?” She nodded. “… the type of pregnancy that ends up in the girl having a baby?” She nodded again. “Like, a human baby?”
“That would be the type, yes.” She answered, trying to suppress the laughter that was turning up the corners of her mouth.
“Ok.” Brooks said quickly, turning back around and heading out into the parking lot, his mind reeling as he climbed into his SUV and stepped on the gas.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
31. Dr. Kustin
“Something’s up with Emily.” Brooks said to Mike, when he couldn’t take it anymore.
Cosmo had fallen asleep almost two hours before and was now safely tucked away in her crib; but Mike was still hidden amongst the multitude of blankets and chairs that he’d used to build their fort. “What do you mean?” Came the muffled reply from somewhere below a layer of cotton.
Brooks sighed and glanced into the living room, towards the tent-like structure. He tried to ignore the fact that his grown-ass roommate was sitting in a blanket hide-away, and continue with his very serious conversation. “Were you not paying attention at dinner? She was dropping hints left and right… but I don’t know what she wants.
What was all that shit about relationships and cheating and break-ups?” He wasn’t even really talking to Mike directly, but he needed to say the words out loud in order to try and figure out their meaning. He thought that by bouncing them off Mike, he might be able to discover some hidden piece of information that he was missing, but he was wrong.
“I dunno.” Was the only thing Mike could think to say.
“Mike, can you come out of there for a minute! Please?” Brooks sighed, exasperated.
Mike crawled out of an opening a minute later, careful not to disturb the any of the chairs that were holding up the blankets and throws.
When he surfaced and was far enough from the structure that he could stand, he turned to look at Brooks, expectantly.
Brooks just rolled his eyes and continued on. “I don’t know what I’m suppose to do right now.”
Mike thought it over for a couple seconds before he spoke. “Go… have sex with her?” He didn’t actually think that was a good idea, but he felt the need to have an answer, and he figured he might as well tell Brooks what he wanted to hear.
“Did you forget about the whole ’giving her proof that I don’t just want to sleep with her’ thing?”
“Go… ask her out?” Mike shrugged, turning back around to readjust a sheet that was beginning to fall off the top of the fort.
Brooks sighed deeply, feeling like this was getting him no where. “But everything she said Mike! All that stuff about cheating and all that… fuck! Were you even listening to me at all?”
“What?” Mike asked absently, peeling his eyes away from his fort long enough to glance at Brooks.
“Never mind…” Brooks grunted, setting his third empty beer bottle down on the table and pushing his chair away from it. “I’m gonna go for a walk.” He added, but Mike was already disappearing back into the makeshift tent.
As soon as Brooks was in the hall, he subconsciously headed towards Emily’s house and knocked without planning on it. He didn’t have anything to say to her and had no idea what his intentions even were; but he knew he wanted to see her.
When she opened the door she was wearing an old tank-top and a pair of PJ pants. Her hair was wet and loose around her shoulders, her face was freshly scrubbed of make-up.
“Hey.” She said, her voice airy and surprised.
“Hey. Can I come in for a second?” He said quickly, hoping that if he could just get inside her apartment and sit with her for a minute, the words would come to him.
Emily didn’t answer him, she only nodded, stepping back and motioning for him to enter.
He walked into the immaculately clean kitchen and took a seat at the table. She joined him, pulling out the chair across from him. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She teased, a small smile playing around the corners of her soft pink lips.
Brooks cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak words that he was still undecided about. “Umm…” Was the only thing that he managed to choke out before Emily jumped up.
“Oh god! Ok wait I was in the middle of straightening my hair and I totally left my flat iron on my bed.” She squealed, taking off down the hall towards her room.
Brooks watched her go and tried not to think about all the other things that were also in her bedroom, things beside a flat iron - whatever that was.
“No worries, take your time.” He yelled after her, glancing away from the hallway towards the living room.
“Are you sure? I don’t mean to be a bitch… it’s just that… if I don’t straighten it now, it’ll get all frizzy.” She giggled from her room and Brooks yelled back his affirmation.
He settled back in the chair, allowing himself a few minutes of luxury in order to figure out how he was going to go about things. Should he just straight up ask her what her issue was with the guys on his team? Should he reiterate the fact that he would never do that to anyone - never do that to her? Or should he just ask her out and see what happens?
That would also open him up for her to say no, though. He wasn’t afraid of rejection, at all, even though he was sure it was a possibility. He was afraid of ruining any chance he had with her.
He’d pushed her too far before and ended up having her avoid him for weeks, he didn’t want to risk that again.
Before he could get any further in his attempted epiphany, the phone rang loudly beside him, causing him to jump slightly. “Can you get that Brooks? Do you mind?” Emily called from behind her bedroom door, but Brooks was already reaching out for the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hi, I’m looking for Emily Campbell?” Came the perky reply from the girl on the other end of the line.
“Umm… she’s busy now, can I take a message?”
“Sure. My name is Michelle, and I know it’s really late, but we’re a bit behind.” She giggled before continuing. “I was just calling to remind Emily of her monthly check-in tomorrow with Dr. Kustin at 10:30.”
“Umm… ok sure.” Brooks answered, hanging up the phone and taking his seat back at the table. For some reason that whole situation didn’t sit well with him. Monthly check-in?
What kind of person had a monthly check-in with a doctor?
A sick one.
That was the only thing that came into his mind as he began to think about what the implications of that phone call could be. He became so lost in his wandering mind, that he didn’t even notice when Emily plunked herself across from him at the table. “So who was on the phone, anyone important?” She asked absently, drawing him out of his contemplation.
“What? … oh… no, just someone from your Doctor’s office calling to remind you that you have a check-in.” He answered slowly, studying her face for some kind of reaction.
“Oh! Well, thanks… I almost forgot.” She giggled, before biting her lip and looking away, colour creeping into her cheeks.
“I should head back before Cosmo wakes up…” Brooks sighed, pushing himself away from the table and standing up. He headed to the door, without a backward glance, until Emily called after him.
“Wasn’t there something you wanted to talk about?”
“I forget what it was… I’ll see you tomorrow.” He added before he headed down the hallway.
Cosmo had fallen asleep almost two hours before and was now safely tucked away in her crib; but Mike was still hidden amongst the multitude of blankets and chairs that he’d used to build their fort. “What do you mean?” Came the muffled reply from somewhere below a layer of cotton.
Brooks sighed and glanced into the living room, towards the tent-like structure. He tried to ignore the fact that his grown-ass roommate was sitting in a blanket hide-away, and continue with his very serious conversation. “Were you not paying attention at dinner? She was dropping hints left and right… but I don’t know what she wants.
What was all that shit about relationships and cheating and break-ups?” He wasn’t even really talking to Mike directly, but he needed to say the words out loud in order to try and figure out their meaning. He thought that by bouncing them off Mike, he might be able to discover some hidden piece of information that he was missing, but he was wrong.
“I dunno.” Was the only thing Mike could think to say.
“Mike, can you come out of there for a minute! Please?” Brooks sighed, exasperated.
Mike crawled out of an opening a minute later, careful not to disturb the any of the chairs that were holding up the blankets and throws.
When he surfaced and was far enough from the structure that he could stand, he turned to look at Brooks, expectantly.
Brooks just rolled his eyes and continued on. “I don’t know what I’m suppose to do right now.”
Mike thought it over for a couple seconds before he spoke. “Go… have sex with her?” He didn’t actually think that was a good idea, but he felt the need to have an answer, and he figured he might as well tell Brooks what he wanted to hear.
“Did you forget about the whole ’giving her proof that I don’t just want to sleep with her’ thing?”
“Go… ask her out?” Mike shrugged, turning back around to readjust a sheet that was beginning to fall off the top of the fort.
Brooks sighed deeply, feeling like this was getting him no where. “But everything she said Mike! All that stuff about cheating and all that… fuck! Were you even listening to me at all?”
“What?” Mike asked absently, peeling his eyes away from his fort long enough to glance at Brooks.
“Never mind…” Brooks grunted, setting his third empty beer bottle down on the table and pushing his chair away from it. “I’m gonna go for a walk.” He added, but Mike was already disappearing back into the makeshift tent.
As soon as Brooks was in the hall, he subconsciously headed towards Emily’s house and knocked without planning on it. He didn’t have anything to say to her and had no idea what his intentions even were; but he knew he wanted to see her.
When she opened the door she was wearing an old tank-top and a pair of PJ pants. Her hair was wet and loose around her shoulders, her face was freshly scrubbed of make-up.
“Hey.” She said, her voice airy and surprised.
“Hey. Can I come in for a second?” He said quickly, hoping that if he could just get inside her apartment and sit with her for a minute, the words would come to him.
Emily didn’t answer him, she only nodded, stepping back and motioning for him to enter.
He walked into the immaculately clean kitchen and took a seat at the table. She joined him, pulling out the chair across from him. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She teased, a small smile playing around the corners of her soft pink lips.
Brooks cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak words that he was still undecided about. “Umm…” Was the only thing that he managed to choke out before Emily jumped up.
“Oh god! Ok wait I was in the middle of straightening my hair and I totally left my flat iron on my bed.” She squealed, taking off down the hall towards her room.
Brooks watched her go and tried not to think about all the other things that were also in her bedroom, things beside a flat iron - whatever that was.
“No worries, take your time.” He yelled after her, glancing away from the hallway towards the living room.
“Are you sure? I don’t mean to be a bitch… it’s just that… if I don’t straighten it now, it’ll get all frizzy.” She giggled from her room and Brooks yelled back his affirmation.
He settled back in the chair, allowing himself a few minutes of luxury in order to figure out how he was going to go about things. Should he just straight up ask her what her issue was with the guys on his team? Should he reiterate the fact that he would never do that to anyone - never do that to her? Or should he just ask her out and see what happens?
That would also open him up for her to say no, though. He wasn’t afraid of rejection, at all, even though he was sure it was a possibility. He was afraid of ruining any chance he had with her.
He’d pushed her too far before and ended up having her avoid him for weeks, he didn’t want to risk that again.
Before he could get any further in his attempted epiphany, the phone rang loudly beside him, causing him to jump slightly. “Can you get that Brooks? Do you mind?” Emily called from behind her bedroom door, but Brooks was already reaching out for the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hi, I’m looking for Emily Campbell?” Came the perky reply from the girl on the other end of the line.
“Umm… she’s busy now, can I take a message?”
“Sure. My name is Michelle, and I know it’s really late, but we’re a bit behind.” She giggled before continuing. “I was just calling to remind Emily of her monthly check-in tomorrow with Dr. Kustin at 10:30.”
“Umm… ok sure.” Brooks answered, hanging up the phone and taking his seat back at the table. For some reason that whole situation didn’t sit well with him. Monthly check-in?
What kind of person had a monthly check-in with a doctor?
A sick one.
That was the only thing that came into his mind as he began to think about what the implications of that phone call could be. He became so lost in his wandering mind, that he didn’t even notice when Emily plunked herself across from him at the table. “So who was on the phone, anyone important?” She asked absently, drawing him out of his contemplation.
“What? … oh… no, just someone from your Doctor’s office calling to remind you that you have a check-in.” He answered slowly, studying her face for some kind of reaction.
“Oh! Well, thanks… I almost forgot.” She giggled, before biting her lip and looking away, colour creeping into her cheeks.
“I should head back before Cosmo wakes up…” Brooks sighed, pushing himself away from the table and standing up. He headed to the door, without a backward glance, until Emily called after him.
“Wasn’t there something you wanted to talk about?”
“I forget what it was… I’ll see you tomorrow.” He added before he headed down the hallway.
Monday, July 5, 2010
30. Break-Up
Wow, has it really been that long? Ok so... I could apologise and explain to you guys all the things that came up and all the reasons why I haven't had time to be online and work on anything... but that doesn't really matter lol.
All that you really need to know is that this update is kind of crappy and I didn't stop to proof it, there are more on the way... and I'm going to frantically try to crank them out so that I don't leave you waiting so long again.
Cheers.
Emily adjusted the weight of the nine-month-old, sleeping toddler, on her hip as she waited for Brooks to finish with his interview.
It hadn't been her idea to attend the team meeting and dinner, but she didn't really have a choice. Brooks was adamant about wanting Cosmo there, and she knew it was unrealistic to assume he could watch her and deal with everything else at the same time.
She sighed, not noticing as a woman approached her from the side. "So you must be Brooks' girlfriend." She said warmly, smiling at Cosmo before turning her attention back to Emily.
"Oh... no, I'm just... I'm the babysitter." Emily finally managed to choke out before clearing her throat.
The woman opened her mouth, clearly looking for the words to apologise, but Emily waved her unspoken words away with her free hand. "Don't worry about it... honest mistake." She muttered, hoping the woman couldn't hear her disappointment as she spoke.
They stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes as they both watched Brooks, Mike, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, field questions from the press. "I'm Melissa, by the way. I'm engaged to Jose." Emily looked over at her and smiled in a silent congratulations.
They continued their idol chit-chat for a while, Emily, happy for the excuse to keep her eyes away from Brooks, as Melissa talked away about hockey, boys and shopping. "It's so nice to have someone to talk to at these things again..." She sighed as the boys began to stand up and leave the podium, descending the short staircase until they were mingling among the crowd of people.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked absently as she searched for Mike and Brooks through the crowd, hoping that they knew where she had been waiting.
Melissa shrugged, her blonde hair jumping around her shoulders as she did so. "I dunno, it just feels like any of the girls I get along with always get kicked to the curb after a while.
You know, Walker and his wife just split." She continued on, unaware that she had gained Emily's undivided attention. "And the saddest part is, she has nothing now. I mean she signed a pre-nup... and he's fighting her for the kids... he'll probably win.
Like, he has a good job and the money to afford to raise them... she's got nothing but what she had when they started."
"That's horrible..." Emily whispered, as Melissa continued on.
"And the saddest part is, they started dating in high school and she moved with him when he was drafted... she's never had a job in her life and doesn't have anything past her grade 12. That's a pretty shitty situation to be in." She finished, raising her hand as Jose worked his way towards her.
He gave Emily a small smile and nodded as he wrapped a long, thin, arm around Melissa's waist. "I'm starved, let's go get something to eat." He said, tugging on her as he began to head back towards the door.
Melissa nodded and turned around, waving goodbye to Emily as she disappeared through the throng of people.
Emily waved back, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched them leave.
She was so consumed with her thoughts, that she jumped when she felt someone's hand wrap around her arm. "Jesus, you scared me." She complained, when she turned around to see the culprit smiling down at her.
"Sorry," Brooks grinned sheepishly, as he bent down to kiss the top of Cosmo's head, "I didn't think I'd surprise you... I said your name a few times."
"Oh... yah I was just... I just met Jose's fiancé." She explained, trying to steer the conversation away from anything that related to messy divorces and custody battles. "She seems really nice."
Brooks shrugged, reaching around to grab onto a lost looking Mike. "I guess so, never really talked to her before... where do you guys want to eat?"
"Anyway!" Mike said loudly, his arms wrapped around his stomach. "I'm so hungry I could die..." He complained, in a volume that caused Cosmo to wake with a start.
Her large green eyes peered up at Emily, before she glanced over her shoulder to where the two boys were standing. She yawned, and without a word, plunked her head back down on Emily's shoulder and let out a soft snore.
Brooks chuckled as he reached out, taking her out of Emily's arms and adjusting her in his own. "You guys just wanna go grab something?"
Emily and Mike both nodded - the latter with much more enthusiasm then the first.
The restaurant was packed, but the staff whisked Brooks, Mike, Emily and Cosmo away to an empty set of tables on the upstairs level. Of course Mike and Brooks had never even heard the term ‘reservation’, not since their arrival into the notoriety of the NHL, but it was something Emily still wasn’t use to.
It wasn’t that she didn’t have the money to eat anywhere she wanted; but she didn’t have the fame - and from the stares of people as they passed, she wasn’t sure she wanted it.
They sat down and she tried to ignore the looks as the boys began to look over their menus.
Emily had a nagging need in the pit of her stomach, to talk about what she had learnt earlier, with Brooks, but she also wanted to sound nonchalant about it.
She waited until the drinks were in front of them, their meals had been ordered, and Cosmo was ‘drawing’ on the placemat with some crayons, before she started to talk. “So… I heard today that Walker and his wife just broke up, he must be going through a hard time… has he been talking about it a lot in the dressing room?”
Brooks snorted into his drink. “Not likely. Walkers been fucking around for as long as I’ve known him… I honestly don’t think he gives a shit one way or the other.”
“Yah, Theodore doesn’t look like he’s gonna last either.” Mike added, nodding towards Emily; like she needed the reminder that she had just met José’s fiancé earlier.
“You don’t think they’ll last?” Emily asked quickly, feeling bile rise in her throat at the thought of the overly friendly girl on a road to heartbreak.
Brooks shrugged. “Most guys in the NHL who get married don’t make it.” Emily gawked at him as he continued, surprised by the casual tone of his remark. “I mean, most of them have more money then they know what to do with… women throwing themselves at them… and they spend more nights away then home.”
Emily leaned back, pulling her arms off the table as the waitress came towards them, her arms laden with steaming food.
She placed everything down on the table and the boys immediately dug in, while Emily started to cut up some chicken for Cosmo. “So you think those are good enough reasons for someone to cheat? For someone to leave their family?”
Brooks chewed on a piece of rib before he answered. “No. I don’t think there’s ever a reason to cheat. If you don’t want to be with someone now… dump them. If you don’t want to be with someone forever… don’t marry them. It’s pretty simple.”
“… and the girls?” Emily pressed, trying to still appear as if she was just making dinner conversation.
“What about them?” Mike grunted, pulling his face out of his food long enough to comment.
Brooks glanced at him and rolled his eyes. “Again, it’s simple. If you care about someone, it doesn’t matter how many girls throw themselves at you, you aren’t gonna see them. Guys that cheat, do it because they’re idiots… it’s got nothing to do with how many girls hit on them or not.
A guy could have a million girls hit on him, and stay faithful… another guy could have one girl look at him, and he cheats. Some people do it… some people don’t. It just seems that a lot of the guys that do, end up here. It’s a superiority complex, they think because they’re the breadwinner in the family, it gives them the right to do whatever they want.”
“But you wouldn’t do that…” Emily said quietly. Brooks wasn’t sure if she was asking or stating a fact, but the conversation turning towards him, caught his attention.
He set down a bone on his plate and glanced up at her.
“Is something up?” He cleared his throat and watched her reaction. She bit her lip and shook her head, directing her attention back to Cosmo; but not before colour rose up in her cheeks. He wanted to press on, figure out what she was trying to get at; but he thought it might be better to let it go.
Beyond the blush that was creeping through her face, pain was visible in her eyes.
The conversation moved onto other things, but Brooks kept his focus on Emily for the rest of the meal.
They went home right afterwards, and Emily retreated quickly back to her own apartment, claiming that she was exhausted and need to get some early shut eye. Mike, not realizing anything was off, started to build a fort with Cosmo in the living room.
Brooks sat back and watched them play; sipping on a beer as he thought over everything that had happened that day.
Of course he had heard about Walker, but he didn’t think anything of it… as he had already said to Emily, Walker wasn’t a one-woman kind of guy. As for Theodore, it wasn’t that he was like that, he was just fickle and could never seem to make up his mind.
The rest of the guys on the team… well… they couldn’t all be painted with the same brush, but he liked to think that when it came to relationships, he’d be somewhere near the top as far as honesty and fidelity went.
So, maybe, that was due to the fact that he was one of the few who hadn’t really been in a relationship, per say, but he was positive he’d be a good boyfriend.
He could easily prove that too, if Emily would give him the chance.
All that you really need to know is that this update is kind of crappy and I didn't stop to proof it, there are more on the way... and I'm going to frantically try to crank them out so that I don't leave you waiting so long again.
Cheers.
Emily adjusted the weight of the nine-month-old, sleeping toddler, on her hip as she waited for Brooks to finish with his interview.
It hadn't been her idea to attend the team meeting and dinner, but she didn't really have a choice. Brooks was adamant about wanting Cosmo there, and she knew it was unrealistic to assume he could watch her and deal with everything else at the same time.
She sighed, not noticing as a woman approached her from the side. "So you must be Brooks' girlfriend." She said warmly, smiling at Cosmo before turning her attention back to Emily.
"Oh... no, I'm just... I'm the babysitter." Emily finally managed to choke out before clearing her throat.
The woman opened her mouth, clearly looking for the words to apologise, but Emily waved her unspoken words away with her free hand. "Don't worry about it... honest mistake." She muttered, hoping the woman couldn't hear her disappointment as she spoke.
They stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes as they both watched Brooks, Mike, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, field questions from the press. "I'm Melissa, by the way. I'm engaged to Jose." Emily looked over at her and smiled in a silent congratulations.
They continued their idol chit-chat for a while, Emily, happy for the excuse to keep her eyes away from Brooks, as Melissa talked away about hockey, boys and shopping. "It's so nice to have someone to talk to at these things again..." She sighed as the boys began to stand up and leave the podium, descending the short staircase until they were mingling among the crowd of people.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked absently as she searched for Mike and Brooks through the crowd, hoping that they knew where she had been waiting.
Melissa shrugged, her blonde hair jumping around her shoulders as she did so. "I dunno, it just feels like any of the girls I get along with always get kicked to the curb after a while.
You know, Walker and his wife just split." She continued on, unaware that she had gained Emily's undivided attention. "And the saddest part is, she has nothing now. I mean she signed a pre-nup... and he's fighting her for the kids... he'll probably win.
Like, he has a good job and the money to afford to raise them... she's got nothing but what she had when they started."
"That's horrible..." Emily whispered, as Melissa continued on.
"And the saddest part is, they started dating in high school and she moved with him when he was drafted... she's never had a job in her life and doesn't have anything past her grade 12. That's a pretty shitty situation to be in." She finished, raising her hand as Jose worked his way towards her.
He gave Emily a small smile and nodded as he wrapped a long, thin, arm around Melissa's waist. "I'm starved, let's go get something to eat." He said, tugging on her as he began to head back towards the door.
Melissa nodded and turned around, waving goodbye to Emily as she disappeared through the throng of people.
Emily waved back, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched them leave.
She was so consumed with her thoughts, that she jumped when she felt someone's hand wrap around her arm. "Jesus, you scared me." She complained, when she turned around to see the culprit smiling down at her.
"Sorry," Brooks grinned sheepishly, as he bent down to kiss the top of Cosmo's head, "I didn't think I'd surprise you... I said your name a few times."
"Oh... yah I was just... I just met Jose's fiancé." She explained, trying to steer the conversation away from anything that related to messy divorces and custody battles. "She seems really nice."
Brooks shrugged, reaching around to grab onto a lost looking Mike. "I guess so, never really talked to her before... where do you guys want to eat?"
"Anyway!" Mike said loudly, his arms wrapped around his stomach. "I'm so hungry I could die..." He complained, in a volume that caused Cosmo to wake with a start.
Her large green eyes peered up at Emily, before she glanced over her shoulder to where the two boys were standing. She yawned, and without a word, plunked her head back down on Emily's shoulder and let out a soft snore.
Brooks chuckled as he reached out, taking her out of Emily's arms and adjusting her in his own. "You guys just wanna go grab something?"
Emily and Mike both nodded - the latter with much more enthusiasm then the first.
The restaurant was packed, but the staff whisked Brooks, Mike, Emily and Cosmo away to an empty set of tables on the upstairs level. Of course Mike and Brooks had never even heard the term ‘reservation’, not since their arrival into the notoriety of the NHL, but it was something Emily still wasn’t use to.
It wasn’t that she didn’t have the money to eat anywhere she wanted; but she didn’t have the fame - and from the stares of people as they passed, she wasn’t sure she wanted it.
They sat down and she tried to ignore the looks as the boys began to look over their menus.
Emily had a nagging need in the pit of her stomach, to talk about what she had learnt earlier, with Brooks, but she also wanted to sound nonchalant about it.
She waited until the drinks were in front of them, their meals had been ordered, and Cosmo was ‘drawing’ on the placemat with some crayons, before she started to talk. “So… I heard today that Walker and his wife just broke up, he must be going through a hard time… has he been talking about it a lot in the dressing room?”
Brooks snorted into his drink. “Not likely. Walkers been fucking around for as long as I’ve known him… I honestly don’t think he gives a shit one way or the other.”
“Yah, Theodore doesn’t look like he’s gonna last either.” Mike added, nodding towards Emily; like she needed the reminder that she had just met José’s fiancé earlier.
“You don’t think they’ll last?” Emily asked quickly, feeling bile rise in her throat at the thought of the overly friendly girl on a road to heartbreak.
Brooks shrugged. “Most guys in the NHL who get married don’t make it.” Emily gawked at him as he continued, surprised by the casual tone of his remark. “I mean, most of them have more money then they know what to do with… women throwing themselves at them… and they spend more nights away then home.”
Emily leaned back, pulling her arms off the table as the waitress came towards them, her arms laden with steaming food.
She placed everything down on the table and the boys immediately dug in, while Emily started to cut up some chicken for Cosmo. “So you think those are good enough reasons for someone to cheat? For someone to leave their family?”
Brooks chewed on a piece of rib before he answered. “No. I don’t think there’s ever a reason to cheat. If you don’t want to be with someone now… dump them. If you don’t want to be with someone forever… don’t marry them. It’s pretty simple.”
“… and the girls?” Emily pressed, trying to still appear as if she was just making dinner conversation.
“What about them?” Mike grunted, pulling his face out of his food long enough to comment.
Brooks glanced at him and rolled his eyes. “Again, it’s simple. If you care about someone, it doesn’t matter how many girls throw themselves at you, you aren’t gonna see them. Guys that cheat, do it because they’re idiots… it’s got nothing to do with how many girls hit on them or not.
A guy could have a million girls hit on him, and stay faithful… another guy could have one girl look at him, and he cheats. Some people do it… some people don’t. It just seems that a lot of the guys that do, end up here. It’s a superiority complex, they think because they’re the breadwinner in the family, it gives them the right to do whatever they want.”
“But you wouldn’t do that…” Emily said quietly. Brooks wasn’t sure if she was asking or stating a fact, but the conversation turning towards him, caught his attention.
He set down a bone on his plate and glanced up at her.
“Is something up?” He cleared his throat and watched her reaction. She bit her lip and shook her head, directing her attention back to Cosmo; but not before colour rose up in her cheeks. He wanted to press on, figure out what she was trying to get at; but he thought it might be better to let it go.
Beyond the blush that was creeping through her face, pain was visible in her eyes.
The conversation moved onto other things, but Brooks kept his focus on Emily for the rest of the meal.
They went home right afterwards, and Emily retreated quickly back to her own apartment, claiming that she was exhausted and need to get some early shut eye. Mike, not realizing anything was off, started to build a fort with Cosmo in the living room.
Brooks sat back and watched them play; sipping on a beer as he thought over everything that had happened that day.
Of course he had heard about Walker, but he didn’t think anything of it… as he had already said to Emily, Walker wasn’t a one-woman kind of guy. As for Theodore, it wasn’t that he was like that, he was just fickle and could never seem to make up his mind.
The rest of the guys on the team… well… they couldn’t all be painted with the same brush, but he liked to think that when it came to relationships, he’d be somewhere near the top as far as honesty and fidelity went.
So, maybe, that was due to the fact that he was one of the few who hadn’t really been in a relationship, per say, but he was positive he’d be a good boyfriend.
He could easily prove that too, if Emily would give him the chance.
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