~KIMBERLY'S POV~
After playing against Adirondack on December 11th, we finally arrive to Lake Placid for our preolympic tournament. Ever since Bakes' birthday, atmosphere between Neal and I has been…tense, to say the least. I slip on the seat next to Jimmy Craig just before he passes by. For a second it seems like he is going to smile, but nothing like that happens. His palm accidentally touches my shoulder gently when he walks past and I look up at him, expecting…anything. A smile or even the slightest look. Nothing. At least from him. But I get squinted eyes from a guy I should've known won't let me off the hook easily- Rob McClanahan. And if that's not enough, always cheerful and grimaces-making Dave Christian glares daggers at me. Slightly uncomfortable from their glaring, I slip deeper into my seat and look away from them.
"What you did to him…"
"I don't want to talk about that, Jimmy," I quickly silence always loud chatterbox next to me and look at him.
"I mean it, you better not bring that up."
"I am just saying that Neal didn't deserve that."
"Whatever you say," I mumble in response, lean my head back and close my eyes in an attempt to sleep.
"Kim, wake up, we are here."
It feels like someone is calling me, but I can't point a finger at who could that be…
"Kim, wake up, we are in Lake Placid."
It's a weird feeling when it feels like someone is shaking you…
"Oh, for God's sake!"
With a loud yelp, I jolt up and look around myself. First thing I notice is how my clothes are drenched. And the next thing I see is Harrington holding his flask of water and grinning.
"Are you serious!? It's in the middle of winter and you think it would be smart to pour water on me?"
He shrugs his shoulders and grins even wider: "Well, you weren't responding to JC's gentle waking. So we thought that would be the most effective way to wake you."
The boys chuckle at my groans and Pav hands me a sweater from his hand baggage.
"Thanks, Pav. For preventing me from freezing out there."
His lips curve into a smile and he responds with a short nod before heading off the bus. I keep my eyes on him until Jimmy shakes my shoulder: "Don't even thing about ruining Pav."
"He is not even my type. Now every guy I look at is what, a romantic interest or what?"
"You never know. Gonna move or not?"
"Okay, okay, don't be nervous."
With Jimmy following me, I exit the bus and look around myself. And what I see, takes my breath away. I knew the Olympics would take place in a picturesque venue, but what I see…beats everything I have ever imagined. A small village, surrounded by trees and near the lake, now covered with snow. I take a step forward and bump into one of the guys.
"You can't see where are you going, uh?" Jack chuckles and tucks his hands deeper into his pockets.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I am going all the way."
"Bet ya do…"
"I meant all the way to the Olympics and not anything else," I blush and look down, away from him. When he speaks up, I hear a slight grin in his voice: "I wasn't referring to anything else."
"Of course you weren't…Asshole."
"Brown," he immediately snaps back and shoves me away. Not expecting that, I stumble back and nearly knock Silk down. In an attempt to stay on his feet, he flaps his arms around. Rizzo helps him stand up straight and chuckles: "Drinking too much again, Silky?"
Silk rolls his eyes and removes Rizzo's hand from his arm: "Very funny, Rizzie."
Before their bickering can continue, Herb cuts it short. He stops in front of us and gets our attention without even trying: "Okay, gentlemen, don't expect to experience the place, we have important games to play before your three days off."
Most of the guys sigh at the thought of going home for a bit after those long months on the road, countless games and heretic schedule. We haven't seen our families in long time, except for the guys from Minnesota who had chance to see their families at least for a bit.
"But if I see anyone of you daydreaming…"
He doesn't need to finish his threat, we all know what that means. Over-thinking can cost anyone of us an U.S. jacket and a jersey.
After arrival we are given some free time to unpack our bags and just relax for a bit. Herb apparently notified hotel staff there is also one girl on the team and I am actually given a separate room in the same floor as the boys. Just as I unpack the last piece of luggage, someone knocks on the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Neal."
As soon as he tells his name, my heart flutters a bit and I exhale deeply. But I open the door anyway. He looks at me and smiles a bit, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes.
"What do you need?"
"I thought, uh…" he nervously fiddles his fingers and takes a deep breath. He looks down and when he lifts his gaze again, I see tears gathering in corners of his eyes.
"I thought we should, um, talk…about everything."
He looks so heartbroken that I don't have a heart to reject him.
"Give me a second," I close the door and bury head in my hands. Why did I even agree to go out with him all those months ago? Why did I think it would be fun to flirt with him back in Colorado? A part of me wants to keep the door closed and ignore him, but I decide I can't do that to him. That would be the final straw. And he doesn't deserve that, he doesn't deserve being sent home because his mind would be somewhere else.
When I open the door again, he is still there, exactly where he was when I closed the door.
"Let's go to the bar, okay?"
He smiles a bit again and I can swear there is a spark of hope in his eyes again. As soon as I close the door, I want to take his hand in mine, just like we held hands months ago. My fingers brush against his skin, but he pulls his hand away and mumbles: "Don't do this."
"So…how are you doing?" I ask after moments of uncomfortable silence. He tucks his hands deeper in the pockets of his jeans and exhales a long breath.
"Good question. I don't know. I still don't know what…I just wanna know why?"
If I knew we'd ever have this conversation, I would never even think of getting involved with him. Just seeing him like that…
"I don't know, Neal."
"'Is it because I didn't want to, you know?"
I smile a bit at his adorable awkwardness and shake my head: "Not at all. Just…look, I just realized you might not be the guy I pictured myself with."
If his expression wasn't there to betray him, I would believe he wasn't hurt by my words. He doesn't even flinch, but he seems to get a bit older, his eye darker and sadder: "I get it. I can't compare to OC, right?"
"W-What do you mean by that? I don't like OC, how did you get that idea? That's an absurd. Absolute absurd…"
"Can you cut the act, please?"
I stop and grab his arm, making him stop too and turn to me: "What do you want me to say?"
"Nothing. I am just saying things we all see."
"Jack and I hate eachother."
"You don't. Sorry I dragged you out in this cold. But I think it's too early…"
"No, Neal, we will talk about this. And we will do it right now."
Leaving him no other option, but to follow, I lead him into the nearest bar where we sit down. When the bartender shows up, I open my mouth to order, but he cuts me before I let a single vowel out of my mouth.
"Two beers. And my treat," he turns to me before saying the last sentence. For the first time I notice that guy from Colorado is gone. Neal I met in July would never just order drink for anyone else, let alone speaking up and standing up for himself. Herb's wunderkind would never do that…
Before we get our beverages, he puts his hands on the table: "So…"
"What did you mean by "saying things you all see"?"
"I was right," he chuckles quietly and looks at his hands. That tips me off a bit and I put my hand on his somehow roughly.
"What about, Neal?"
"If you hated OC…or just strongly dislike him…you wouldn't care what the others think. I am not a shrink…"
"Don't pretend to be then."
"I am not a shrink," he repeats, raising his voice just a little bit, but enough to keep me quiet.
"But I think you like him. Most of us think so."
"Well, thank you, doctor Broten, but I am sure that's not why we came here."
He smiles a bit: "Yeah. That's not why we came here. Just wanted to see how are you doing…"
"Fine…I mean, not that there's plenty of time for us to think about…"
"You don't think about what happened?"
"No. Don't tell me you have time…"
"How pathetic will it sound if I say I think about it? Look, Kim, I will be honest. I know we wouldn't last, but I miss you."
His voice breaks and he becomes my Mouse again. The guy Mac 'baptized' to Mouse because of his squeaky, I-barely-hit-the-puberty voice.
"I am sorry for giving you false hope."
"You knew since the beginning we won't last, didn't you?"
"I… I tried to imagine my life with you, but I couldn't do it. I love how caring you are, but…I have a thing for loud, competitive and tough guys."
"Like OC?"
"Yes, like OC…Wait, no, that doesn't count! I wasn't paying attention."
He only shakes a head before pulling out his wallet and paying for our drinks. As soon as the waiter puts the drinks down, I grab one of the bottles and empty nearly half of it in long sips.
"How do you do that?" Neal sounds surprised and I with the corner of my eye, I see him take his bottle and slowly take a small sip.
"How do you think girls' college hockey looks like at Brown?"
He chuckles a bit and takes another sip: "Sounds like you girls have fun…"
"Yeah, you know how it is. Girls just want to have fun. Like you guys have never been like that."
His smirk grows wider and he says nothing more. But he doesn't have to. Going by his expression I suspect not only he knows what is going on, but also he has experienced it once or twice.
"Is Herbie's wunderkind secretly a party-animal?"
He looks a bit ashamed by that and looks at me with puppy eyes: "It was a big win in both cases…and I might had a bit too much."
"Why that doesn't surprise me?"
He gently smacks my hand and shakes his head: "Shush. It was only twice."
"But probably not the last time…"
It surely wasn't the last time…