Figuring it Out

T H I R T E E N | D E K E

Deke: A deke is a fake move by a player in possession of the puck in order to get around an opponent or to make a goalie move out of position

Xavier opened the door of his car for Rosaura. His heart was beating widely inside his chest. He still couldn't believe that she had agreed to let him take her out so late. Normally, Xavier would have taken her out to a nice restaurant, but he didn't know any places that were open that late in London.

Instead, Xavier has asked his housekeeper to prepare a few things for the two of them at his apartment. Rosaura didn't know but Xavier had come straight from the airport. In fact, his luggage was still in the back of his trunk.

"Where are we going?" Rosaura asked him softly.

"Back to my place."

If Rosaura looked surprised she didn't say anything. Instead, she leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. Xavier didn't say anything and after a while, he wasn't sure if she was asleep. Just as Xavier parked the car, Rosaura's eyes opened.

"Are we here?" she asked.

Xavier nodded before taking her hand into his. He led her all the way to his apartment before opening the door and motioning for her to go through first. Xavier locked the door behind him and turned towards Rosaura.

If she was asleep in the car, it was impossible to tell now. Her eyes were wide as she drank in the appearance of his apartment. His housekeeper had cleaned yesterday which is why the place was looking better than in usually did.

"Wow, I didn't know you has such an amazing view," Rosaura said as she stepped towards the balcony window.

The view was one of the reasons Xavier had decided to rent out this apartment. Besides the rink, this was the place where he spent most of his time and he loved having an open floor concept along with large windows to allow sunlight.

Xavier grabbed a blanket from one of the closets before placing it onto of the carpet. He then took many of the throw pillows from the sofa and placed them on the ground as well.

"What are you doing?" Rosaura asked from behind him.

He gave her a smile. "I thought we could have a picnic. It's obviously too cold outside, but I thought we could have an indoor picnic?"

Rosaura smiled at him. "I'm not going to lie, that was actually a very sweet thought."

Xavier grinned back at her. "What can I say? I'm a sweet guy."

Rosaura merely shook her head and got comfy on the ground.

"I'm making hot chocolate, you want some?" he asked.

"I'd love that."

Xavier nodded and went to the kitchen before preparing the hot chocolate mix. He also began looking for any cookies or biscuits. Normally, Xavier's kitchen didn't hold any sweets but when Brea had visited last week, she had bought her own stash. Xavier pulled out a box of chocolate chip cookies. He placed the drinks on a tray with the cookies before he joined Rosaura on the blanket.

He passed her the cup, "careful, it's hot."

Rosaura took a sip gingerly, "It's good."

"Thanks," he responded.

Xavier didn't know if he should speak or not and so the two of them sat quietly not knowing what to say.

"This reminds me of the hot chocolate at the café..."

Xavier smiled. "That's because I got the recipe from them. They usually don't give it out but with a bit of persuading and a pair of hockey tickets they relented."

Rosaura shook her head and laughed. "That is a blatant abuse of power. But for hot chocolate, I can't blame you."

"That's good, I would hate to be in your bad books." Xavier teased back.

Rosaura leaned back into the sofa, "So how was the training camp?"

"Pretty cool," Xavier admitted.

"Is that all I'm going to get?" she asked him.

"Fine, it was amazing. I got to train with some of the best hockey players in the country. The coach was great, the jerseys are beautiful, and I can't wait until we go to Buffalo."

"That's more like it."

"How's practice been for you?" he asked.

She immediately avoided his gaze. "Pretty bad. We were tripping over each others' feet and fell down hard a couple of times."

Xavier winced at the metal image. "Ouch."

"But something tells me we will be okay." Rosaura patted the place closest to her. "Come closer, you're so far away."

Xavier was nervous, but he obliged. Their thighs were touching ever so often.

"When's your next event?" he asked her.

"In December, it's the Grand Prix final." She responded.

Xavier looked at her closely. He could see the freckles in full display today. Her pink mouth looked so soft, but he resisted the urge to do anything stupid. "Do you ever just get so tired and want to sleep forever?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But then, Val is the one who keeps me going. If I don't want to do something for myself, I need to do it for Val. I guess that is what keeps me going all these years, after all the failures, all the injuries. If I was doing it myself, I would give up. But I'm in a team and I can't afford to do that."

"I understand what you mean. Being on a hockey team is similar as well." Xavier explained. "I need to do my best so that the team can succeed."

"Raise you mug," Rosaura commanded softly.

He did as he was told. Rosaura did the same. "To our dreams." she whispered.

"To success." he replied equally softly. 

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Well this is probably not the traditional date you expected but both Rosaura and Xavier are extremely busy people and sometimes, when life is going to fast, its nice to take it slow. Please remember to vote and comment if you are enjoying the story!