Dinner was a lot of fun. Part of me felt bad because we had clearly interrupted Mac and Mike's date. Part of me was having too much fun to care. I also wanted to see them together. It might have been my imagination but I thought that Mac was watching me keenly when it was my turn at bat. It's been a long time so maybe I really did imagine it.

Maybe that's why I made sure that I sat next to Mac at dinner. Mike was on her other side of course. It could have been awkward but Bortz had us laughing the whole time. When Mike was engrossed in arguing with Paulie, I leaned in to whisper to Mac.

"It looks like we have continued our interruption of your date."

Mac turns slightly to look at me and says "and yet you don't look sorry."

"I didn't say that I was" I reply. "I was simply making an observation."

Mac chuckles. "Fine, observation noted. I was surprised to see you out tonight."

I know she's referring to Lizzy. "My parents and I each take one night alone. It's our way of giving each other space and having personal time. Tonight they've taken Lizzy to a movie so I came out with the guys."

"Oh" she says with mischief in her eyes. "I'm one of the guys now?"

I look into her eyes and it's on the tip of my tongue to tell her that she's hardly one of the guys. I'll never know what I would have said because we're drawn back into the group. They've decided that we're going to Paulie's house to watch the Chicago game. Mike tries to beg off but Mac tells him that it will be fun. Interesting.

It doesn't take any of us long to get to Paulie's house and settle in his screening room. He has a massive TV on one wall and comfortable sofas placed for perfect viewing. It's great to play video games too. I find myself glancing at Mike and Mac often. They're not exactly cozy together on the sofa but Mike has his arm around her and I watch his hand play over her pony tail. Mac turns and smiles at him and I look away. It feels like I'm invading their privacy even though we're all in the same room. I focus back on the TV and see Crawford make a sick save. That begins the argument of how he can be beaten and where to place to puck in the net. When we've wound down, I notice that Mac has left the room. I ask if anyone wants anything and then head up to the kitchen to get more drinks. I see Mac at the dining room window off the kitchen looking out at the back yard. The soft light is playing over her features and there is a wistful smile on her face. It's easy to know what Mike sees in her. She's not an obvious beauty but she is beautiful. So different from my Cat. Wow, where did that come from? I give my head a shake and walk further into the kitchen so that Mac notices me.

"Did the period end?" she asks me.

"Almost. I came up to get more" I tell her and hold up my empty glass.

Mac smiles and tilts her head.

"When are you going to admit that we completely destroyed your date?" I ask her.

She chuckles and answers "ok, fine, you completely destroyed our date."

We both start laughing at the same time. I go to the fridge and Mac comes into the kitchen. I pull out water, pop and beer for the guys and then give Mac one of the bottles of water.

"Thanks" she replies.

"You're welcome. I really am sorry that we interrupted your date. I guess we're not used to having a woman as part of the team or seeing Mike date."

"Surely Mike dates" she says.

"I guess, but not regularly or seriously. The season is usually very full and focused on the team."

"Hmm" is all she says.

"What do you mean 'hmm'?" I ask.

"Nothing" she shrugs her shoulders. "I guess it makes sense but I would have thought he'd be married or something."

"He broke up with a long-time girlfriend about a year ago" I tell her. "I don't know what happened."

"Sorry Sid, I'm not trying to pry."

"Didn't think you were. What about you?"

"What do you mean, 'what about me'?"

"When was your last relationship?" Fuck, why did I ask her that?

She looks surprised but says "two years ago. I met a guy at the Olympics, luge athlete, and we dated for a few years. We just grew apart. There was a lot of travel and living in different cities." She pauses for a minute before continuing. "Yeah, that's a crock of shit. If we wanted it to work then we would have made it work, right? A lot do the long distance thing so I guess we didn't want it badly enough."

She seems sad suddenly. I haven't seen Mac sad since I've met her. She looks a little lost too. I find myself cupping her shoulder and she looks up at me with a small smile.

"Thanks" she says. "I'm ok. It's just weird, you know, to realize that it's been two years since I've been in a relationship."

This immediately makes me think of Cat. I'm technically single now when, after meeting Cat, I never thought that I'd be single ever again. How incredibly different my life is now and yet I'm still alone.

"I'm sorry Sid. That was thoughtless of me."

Mac looks sympathetic and worried. I keep forgetting how empathetic she is.

"It's ok Mac. Sometimes I just go back there, you know?"

"Of course Sid, that's normal, really. It probably happens at unexpected moments too. When you least expect it."

"Yeah" I reply softly. How does she understand so well? It can't only be because she's a shrink. She knows me. Somehow she really knows me.

Mac places a hand on my arm and I feel the warmth of her touch radiate through me. Its comfort, definitely, and something else. Instinctively, I cover her hand with my own. We don't speak, not a word, but I can feel a deep connection between us.

"Sid, where's the beer" I hear Bortz yell from downstairs.

Mac and I jump back from each other like we've been caught doing something we shouldn't. She grabs the water bottles and heads back to the screening room. I take the remaining drinks and follow her. As I enter the room, I watch Mike pull her down to sofa beside him, pull her under his arm and to his side. I hand out the drinks and sit down to watch the next period. I'm distracted thinking back to my short conversation with Mac and the moment we shared. It wasn't sexual but it was intimate and very personal.

When the game ends, I say goodbye to everyone and head directly home. The unsettled feeling won't leave me and I can't say why. I only know that I don't want to watch Mac and Mike snuggle together on the sofa any more.

At first I was very annoyed that our entire date was hijacked by the guys; but, it was actually a lot of fun and helped me get to know some of them better. I'm still worried about dating Mike and the effect on the team. I'm here to do a job and that can't be disrupted because I'm dating someone in the organization. If tonight is any indication of how the players are reacting then it might be ok. There wasn't any weirdness during any part of the night.

"You're quiet" Mike says as we drive home.

I turn and smile at him. "I guess I am."

"Any particular reason?" he asks.

"I was just thinking back over the evening. The guys seemed ok that you are I were on a date."

"Are you worried about that Mac, what the guys think?"

"Only that I don't want our dating to interfere with the job I have to do."

"What if it did?"

I can hear concern and apprehension in his voice so I take his hand in mine.

"It isn't, so we don't have to go there, ok?" I say.

His hand tightens in mine.

"Ok." Mike replies and sounds relieved.

When we get to my apartment, Mike rushes around to open my door. I love when he does that kind of stuff. He takes my hand to help me out and then continues to hold it as we walk to the door. It's not very late so I ask if he wants to come upstairs. Mike smiles and agrees.

When we get into my apartment, Mike looks around and says "nice."

"Thanks, I haven't done that much to it yet. I moved in and started work the next day so I'm slowly unpacking and decorating."

"It takes time" Mike says and follows me into the kitchen.

"Would you like some wine? Coffee?" I ask.

"Wine would be nice."

I pour us each a glass and we take it into the living room where I turn on the TV. There's a late game out west with the Kings playing Anaheim.

When we settle on the sofa, Mike pulls me close to his side and I slide my hand over his thigh. I was careful not to be too touchy when we were at Paul's house. It's one thing for the guys to be ok that I'm dating Mike but I still want to be seen as professional.

"Bortz said that he wants a rematch" Mike says.

"He doesn't like losing, does he?"

"Have you ever known an athlete who did?"

That makes me chuckle. "No, I guess you're right."

I feel Mike's hand run over my pony tail and then lightly brush the nape of my neck. A small shiver runs down my spine and I know he can feel it. When I feel his lips at my ear, I tilt my head slightly to give him better access. He doesn't waste it. His lips travel over my ear lobe and down my neck. His free hand reaches up, cups my cheek and turns my head so that his lips can find mine. There is no gentleness this time. His tongue parts my lips and dives inside to play over mine. We each parry and joust, discovering what please the other and in turn ourselves. Mike pulls me closer but it's too awkward so I shift and he easily pulls me onto his lap.

I'm again reminded that he takes advantage of the world class gym at Consol. His hard body presses against me and I feel the muscles taut at his shoulders as I run my fingers over them. I shift again so that I'm straddling Mike and facing him directly. I circle his neck with my hands and tilt my head slightly to give us each better access to each other's mouth. Mikes hands trail down from my shoulders, over the small of my back and then to cup each of my hips and pull me even closer. I fell that he's getting hard and then my own response as I instinctively grind against him.

Mike moans and that's when it hits me. I need to decide that either he's going to stay or we need to stop this now. I don't want to lead him on but I'm definitely enjoying myself. Maybe I can wait a little longer. Throwing myself back into the moment, I push everything else out of my mind and simply feel. It's been way too long and my body knows it. Mike's lips leave mine and travel over my jaw and down my neck. I feel one of his hands slide over my waist and up my rib cage until his thumb plays over my nipple. It puckers instantly for him; it's definitely been a long time. I haven't felt a connection with a guy in a while to want this; and that's when my mind betrays me. I'm brought back to the kitchen earlier this evening when Sid shared his pain with me. When I touched his arm and then his hand covered mine, the connection was instant and intense. It wasn't sexual but a deeper, emotional connection that took me completely by surprise. It seemed to take Sid by surprise too.

"Where did you go?" Mike asks.

That's when I realize that Mike's pulled back and is looking at me questioning. Well, I can't answer his question truthfully. Instead, I slide off of his lap and sit beside him.

"I'm sorry" I tell him.

Mike cups my cheek so that I look at him.

"There's nothing to apologize for Mac. Is something wrong?"

I feel incredibly guilty. He sounds concerned and worried. At least I can fix that, I hope.

"There's nothing wrong Mike" I tell him. "Absolutely nothing." I lean in and kiss his lips lightly. "I think maybe we should slow down a little, ok?"

I run my fingers over his cheek until he smiles.

"Ok, if you're sure."

"Sure of what?" I respond with a wink.

Mike laughs, as I hoped he would, and pulls me back beside him to watch the game. It takes all of my willpower not to breathe a sigh of relief. There's no way in hell that I can tell Mike I disappeared into my own thoughts about the Pens captain. God.

When the game ends, Mike gets up and takes me with him while he walks to the door. We kiss a few more times but stop short of it becoming as intense as earlier. After the door closes, I lean my head against it and take a few deep breaths. Did I think earlier that this is getting tricky? It might become more than that, much more.

Later, my phone goes off as I'm getting into bed. It's Mike.

'Good night' he texts.

'Good night'

"Next time, let's have a date without an audience'

He makes me chuckle.

'I think we still did alright' I text back.

'I'd say. Just got out of a cold shower'

Now I really laugh.

'Good night!' I respond.

'Night, sleep tight.'

I turn off the light and am placing the phone on the nightstand when it goes off again. Anticipating what Mike might say next, I'm surprised when I read that it's a text from Sid.

'You still awake?' he asks.

'Yeah'

'I'm sorry if it got weird earlier' he tells me and I know he means our interaction in the kitchen.

'It's ok Sid, it didn't get weird'

'Ok' is all he texts.

Now it feels weird.

'Are you ok?' I ask him.

He doesn't text back directly which starts me wondering.

Finally he texts 'yeah, I'm ok'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah Mac, I'm fine. Good night'

'Good night' I text back and then put my phone down.

Unfortunately, I can't settle my mind enough to sleep. I don't think of Sid sexually. Of course I can appreciate how hot he is, he's a professional athlete, but I don't look at him as someone to date even if we could. What's disconcerting is this immediate and intense connection that we have. It's like I can sense his moods and how he's feeling without Sid even saying a word. I've never felt that way with another human being before. It's unsettling to say the least. Of course it's even more unsettling when I know that I don't feel that same about Mike. Is it even fair to compare them? Sid is out of bounds for so many reasons, not that it's even a possibility we feel 'that way' about each other. Mike is … there I go comparing them again. It's not fair and it's not right. Mike and I aren't in a relationship, we aren't even dating, so why am I so ambivalent. Maybe ambivalent isn't the right word. I definitely feel something for Mike; especially when we were on the sofa together earlier.

My phone buzzes again. It's Sid.

'You still awake?' he asks.

'Yeah'

'Are you alone?'

Did he seriously just ask me that?

'Yes!' I reply.

'Didn't want to interrupt something'

'Like you guys did earlier'

'Ok, I deserved that. So Mike struck out?'

'Sid!' is all I text again.

'Ok, fine, none of my business'

'No, it's not'

'Fine, you ready for the road trip tomorrow?'

'Not in the least. Haven't even packed.'

'You must be used to packing, it won't take long'

'No, it won't. I do need to stop at Consol before practice'

'Why?' he asks.

'I was running behind today and forgot my laptop'

'Oh'

We're both silent again. I notice that it's getting late and, with having to stop at Consol before practice, I really need to sleep.

'I have to get some sleep Sid, night'

'Ok, good night'

I put my phone on mute this time and snuggle back under the covers. It's going to be a very earlier morning and I really need to get to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep continues to elude me. Damn.

When my alarm goes off the next morning, I pull the covers over my head and pray that I'm dreaming. Surely it can't be time to get up already. When the alarm keeps going, I know that it isn't a cruel joke and that I need to get up.

I give my head a shake and stretch before climbing out of bed. The only thing that will wake me up quickly is something I dread; the cold shower. I will remain fuzzy and sleepy if I don't turn that shower to cold so I do it and shower as fast as I can. It does the trick so I quickly put on some make up, pull my hair up into a pony tail and then dress. Sid was right and it doesn't take me long to pack. All I need is clothes since my make-up bag is always ready. When you travel as much as we do, you have a travel case for everything you need which means you only need to think about clothes.

Traffic is horrible because I'm traveling at rush hour. I'm only fifteen minutes from Consol but it takes me thirty. Of course I run into office staff that want to chat and wish me luck on my first road trip. Since I'm new to the organization, I can't afford to simply tell people that I'm running late and cut the conversation short. I'm running very late as I leave for Southpointe. At least I'm driving away from the city and, when I finally get on the highway, I make great time and arrive only slightly late.

"Late night Mac?" I hear Robert say behind me as I'm racing down the hall.

"Funny Bortz, very funny" I tell him hoping for a teasing tone.

Robert laughs and then heads to the ice. Maybe last night was a good thing. Maybe getting to spend some time with the guys out of the 'office' helped them see me as more than the team shrink. Maybe I'm simply worrying too much.

Grabbing a banana, I head to the ice and watch as Dan begins practice. The guys start their rushes in their usual lines.

"Cutting it a little close huh?"

Mike joins me at the boards and leans without touching me.

"I forgot my laptop at Consol" I tell him.

"I could have picked it up for you" he replies.

"That's very sweet. Thanks Mike" I glance at him and smile. He smiles back.

When I look back out on the ice, I notice that Sid is staring at me and, when my eyes meet his, he quickly darts them away. What is that about?