Kiss Cam


"Are you kidding me?" he screamed.

She knew she was going to get a reaction out of her best friend when she bought him playoff tickets as a last minute birthday present, but she didn't anticipate how crazy he was going to go. The look on his face alone was worth every penny she'd paid. She only wished she had a video camera to catch the loud, high-pitched shrieks that had come with it. He never would have lived it down.

Killian pulled her in for a hug, picking her up and nearly crushing her lungs. "Oh man. We're going to have the best time tonight. When we win, not if, we're going to have the Stanley cup, here, for the first time. Swan, this is amazing. I owe you forever. All the hot chocolate you can drink tonight."

She was taken aback. "Wait, I thought you'd take David. I even checked. He's available to go. He's expecting you to call."

"Oh, no. You're coming with me. It's my birthday. You. Me. Hockey. The playoffs. We're going to win this thing. Best night ever."


True to his word, he'd gotten her hot chocolate as soon as they'd entered the area. Hot chocolate, chicken fingers, nachos, and beer. She'd tried to pay, as it was his birthday, but he insisted. He knew how much the tickets must have cost. When they got to the seats he had another minor flip out.

"Bloody hell, Swan, these seats are phenomenal. How? I mean, besides the cost. How did you even get them?"

"Let's just say one of the cops at the station owed me big time. Yes, they were expensive, but he kind of didn't have a choice but to sell them to me. I knew you'd love them." She didn't tell Killian that she now owed the cop in question big time, but it was a small price to pay to make her best friend this happy. "Now explain the game to me."

He looked at her, slightly incredulous.

"Are you trying to tell me that for as many nights as we've sat on the couch watching the game that you've never picked up the rules?"

It was true. As friends, many of their hangouts had included watching the hockey games on TV. Killian refused to miss any of his team's televised matches, but Emma completely tuned them out. She'd read a book, or browse the internet on her phone. Somehow over the years she'd never once actually paid attention to the game. It was always more about time spent with her best friend than what they did.

"It's not my thing, Killian. It's your thing. Are you telling me you pay attention when we watch Project Runway? Now, explain! I don't want to be lost."

Shaking his head at her, he handed over his beer and excused himself. "Eat your chicken tenders. Don't drink my beer. I'll be right back." Shaking her head at him, she pulled out her phone and found an article on the rules of hockey as she ate, waiting for his return. The arena was starting to fill up, and she noticed it was also a little chilly. She hadn't thought about that. She'd been here plenty of times for concerts, but never when the floor twenty feet in front of her had been turned into a solid block of ice.

Just as she finished her food, and as she was tucking her phone back into her pocket, Killian returned with a black jersey in his hands.

"Here, now you can start by at least looking the part." She shook it out and laughed. It was an exact match to the jersey he was wearing, down to the number and name of his favorite player. She quickly donned it, pulling her hair out and letting it settle down her back.

Waiting on the game to start, Killian elaborated on the rules of the game, supplementing Emma's reading. Once the game was in full swing, she followed his lead on when to sit, stand, cheer and boo. Surprisingly, she was enjoying herself. Freezing, but having fun. It didn't take Killian too long to notice her shivering.

"Sorry, love. I should have warned you it would be chilly. Come here." He pulled her over to his side, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She sighed as she nestled closer. It was the moments like these that she always had to remind herself that he was just her best friend. She let it run through her head like a mantra. 'He's just my best friend. He's just my best friend.' She always thought that if she said it to herself enough that maybe someday she'd start to believe it.

She was startled out of her thoughts by him jumping up to cheer. The moment of excitement was short lived, and he was sitting again before she could stand to join him. He immediately pulled her back to his side, arm around her shoulders. 'He's just my best friend.'

As they were about to enter the third period, the big screen lit up with the Kiss Cam. Emma's eyes blew wide open. It was as though she knew what was going to happen.

As soon as she saw the monitors light up with their faces she panicked. As many times as she had imagined kissing her best friend, and in every scenario possible, she was not prepared for it to ever happen. She was not sure she'd be able to hide how much she wanted this. Would she be able to play it off as just a kiss for the camera?

He turned to her ready to satisfy the crowds, but she continued to stare at the two of them on the screen. She heard the cheering of the arena, and Killian next to her. "Come on, Swan."

As she looked at the screen, she saw what the rest of the arena must have. They looked every bit the couple. Matching jerseys, his arm thrown around her shoulder, and her nestled into his side. If she ignored the look on her face, she could see the look on his. He was focused solely on her, not the camera, not the crowd. On her. He looked like he wanted this. Maybe he'd been harboring the same feelings she had. The Kiss Cam would wait only so long.

"Swan, they're waiting!"

She turned to him and grabbed the front of his jersey and pulled him towards her. He wasn't expecting the kiss to be so forceful, but he adjusted in no time. The arm already around her shoulder tightened, and his hand reached up to brush across her cheek. Heads tilted, lips parted, tongues searched out their partners. It was the kind of kiss the crowd went wild for. The camera eventually moved on, but Killian and Emma had no idea. They were the only two people in the world at that moment, despite being in a crowd of 18,000. When the Kiss Cam returned to them a few minutes later, the crowd erupted again at seeing the two still passionately embraced. It was the cheers of their neighbors that brought them back to reality, and they looked up at the camera quite sheepishly. As she saw the two of them up on the screen now, she noticed that Killian looked happier than she'd ever seen him. Happier even than when he'd opened the tickets. She couldn't wipe the grin off of her own face if she tried.

She turned and placed a kiss on his cheek, snuggling back into his side. The game was starting back up, and they could talk about this later. Right now she knew she didn't need to worry. He felt the same way.


Later that night, after the game was won, he swept her up into his arms and kissed her again.

"Swan, thank you for a birthday I'll never forget."

"I guess it's not every birthday your team wins the championship?"

"It's not every birthday that my best friend, the woman I'm madly in love with, buys me the most insanely amazing birthday present, and then proceeds to kiss me as though her life depended on it. I need to go find the person operating that Kiss Cam and thank them."

Emma was stunned. "Madly in love with me?"

He smiled and laughed. "Yes love, madly."

"But, you've never said anything."

"Well, Swan. Based on that kiss tonight, I'm going to say that makes two of us." He quirked an eyebrow up at her as he said it.

She turned red and pressed her face into his chest. Their neighbors chuckled at them as they passed to leave.

She looked up and swept her hands over the front of his jersey. "I'm really glad you didn't ask David to come with you."

"So am I, love. So am I."