“Hey! I’m not done!”
He’s quiet for a few seconds and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. When he finally looks back at me and smiles, I know he likes it. “For someone who thinks Jensen Ackles is better looking than me, I’d say you’re a liar.”
“I thought we established you’re the most handsome man ever?”
“You’re right we did.”
Scoffing, Tegan sarcastically mumbles “Ughh you guys are sickening.” However, the smile on her face tells me otherwise.
That has us all laughing and then Dylan continues “Seriously Elli this is amazing. Can I keep it?”
“Sure, when I finish.”
“What is there left to finish?”
“There’s a few more details I want to add.”
“Like where?”
I take out the picture I’m drawing from out from the back of my sketchbook and hand it to him.
“You took this? When?”
“Right before you blocked that shot with 5 seconds left in the third. You guys were tied and if it weren’t for you they would have scored cause your goalie was pulled.”
“And then we went into double overtime and Anderson scored right out of a faceoff.” He kisses me then, and that’s when Tegan gets up and yells over her shoulder, “That’s it. I’m going to make breakfast.”
As Dylan and I lay there on the balcony, I forget all about my dad and his comments as I let Dylan’s steady heartbeat calm any worries that have plagued my mind since last night.
* * *
After breakfast, Dylan heads home to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. I told him we can spend it with his parents but he insisted we spend it with my family and the team. Dom is looking forward to spending time with us before he leaves, and my sister needs another girl at the table. Well, she’s getting two, because my mom invited Tegan as well. I would never leave Tegan alone, and my best friend found out last minute her flight home was canceled.
“Tegan, what am I going to wear?”
“Elli, why don’t we ever plan these things out? We need to go shopping! Like ASAP!”
“Nothing is open today! It’s Thanksgiving!”
“Nonsense! All stores are open, getting ready for Black Friday. Throw some sweats on and lets run to the mall!”
“Oh joy. Are you sure there’s nothing in my closet I can wear?”
“I’ll be in the car!”
Well, I guess that’s a no.
* * *
“Tegan! I can’t wear this!”
“Why not? You look hot!”
“First of all, it’s Thanksgiving dinner with my family and my brothers adolescent hockey team! Not a freaking night out at a strip club! And second, it’s a one shoulder dress and I can’t wear anything without a bra!”
“Elli it’s a one shouldered little black dress. Hardly a dress you would wear to a strip club. But fine. Try on the other dresses I picked out for you, while I figure out how in the world this dress is supposed to go on.”
I look through the mound of dresses Tegan picked out for me and find something wrong with each one. Too short, too small, won’t fit my chest, shows too much arm, won’t zip past my belly button. I give up. This is why I don’t wear dresses.
“I’m going out to look for more. I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll still be figuring out which hole my head goes in. Gahhhhh!”
I walk back into the store and start going through the racks again. Too dressy, not dressy enough, too bright, funeral dress, shows too much. Have I mentioned I hate shopping? After about five minutes of walking around, I see a dress that would be absolutely perfect. Too bad something like that would never look good on me. It’s black, and the sleeves are flowy and go down to the elbow. The neck line and the sleeves are all black lace. The torso and skirt part are solid black and there’s an inch of lace at the bottom of the skirt that makes the dress length end right at the knee. I go over to it and feel the material. It’s extremely soft and flowy. I know this dress would never fit, but feeling adventurous and not wanting to go back to Tegan empty handed, I grab the dress and head back towards the fitting room.
“Tegan?”
“Elli! I’m stuck!”
“What do you mean you’re stuck?”
“This zipper is trying to eat me!”
That has me cracking up and I go into the dressing room I was in before. As I listen to Tegan struggling, I take off my pants and my top. Before I put the dress on, I look at my body for a few seconds.
I’m sick of hating myself.
I’m sick of feeling sick.
I’m sick of fighting myself.
If I was completely honest with myself, I’d say I’m not even that bad. Can I lose some weight? Definitely. But there’s worse things I could be, right?
I trace my fingers over the stretch marks on my chest and follow the contours down my sides, over my bras and down to my hip. There’s only a faint mark on my waist, and it’s not noticeable unless you know to look there. But of course I know to look there. I know every last inch of what’s wrong with me. After the surgery for my chest, I know the stretch marks will still be there and I’ll have some scars to go with it, but surprisingly I don’t mind it. I’ve always been fascinated with scars. They tell stories, and my scars will be quite a story to tell.
I take the dress off the hanger and slip it on over my head. It goes straight over my body and it’s not too tight. I make sure everything is on the right way before I look in the mirror and my heart skips a beat. Not only does it fit, but it actually looks good. It’s the perfect length, it covers my arms and it hugs me in all the right places. Dylan was right. I am curvy, and once I get my chest done, I’ll be more proportional. But for now, my three bras will have to do the trick.
“Tegan?”
“THAT’S IT! This dress is the devil and I want to watch it burn!”
“Tegan can you stop planning the death of a dress for a second and tell me what you think of this?”
“Yea give me a sec. I’m throwing on another dress.”
I step out of the dressing room and wait for her to open her door. When she finally appears she’s wearing a black dress with white polka dots. With her fiery red hair, it’s absolutely perfect.
“Tegan you look..”
“ELLI I LOVE THAT DRESS. OH MY GOSH YOU LOOK AMAZING.”
“My dress?! Your dress is perfect!”
“Elli spin around! Let me see it from all sides! You totally rock the lace sleeves. I wish I saw this dress! I would have stole it! You best believe I’m borrowing it though!”
“Yea right like this would fit you! It’d be way too big!”
“Shut up! It would totally fit me! And that’s not my main focus right now. You look amazing in that dress Elli. Seriously, Dylan is going to die when he sees you!”
I look back in the mirror and envision Dylan standing next to me. Could I look like I actually belong with him?
“Elli, it’s perfect, you’re beautiful, Dylan is going to love it, and we have to hit the shoe department before the store closes! Go change, come on!”
“Okay, okay, I’m going!”
After picking out a pair of black booties with a bow on the side that give me about two extra inches, we buy our new outfits and head home. I jump in the shower, do my hair and put on a little bit of makeup to enhance my eyes behind my glasses. When my dress is on, I decide to throw on a pair of black stockings, and put my heels on. A knock at the door pulls me out of my focus on getting ready and then my heart starts to beat a little faster, in a good way. I’m actually excited. I head to the door and when I open it, Dylan is standing there in black dress pants, and a navy blue button up. His hair is spiked up, and even though I love his messy locks that he sometimes hides with that beanie, I have to admit, this boy cleans up well.
For a second we just stand there and take each other in. Then he breaks the silence as his arms come around me and his lips cover mine. I could stay like thi
s forever. I don’t even want to go to dinner tonight. I’d much rather stay here with him.
When he finally parts from me, he lifts my hand in the air and I spin around. “Elli, you are absolutely gorgeous. I don’t even know what to say right now. I want to take you everywhere and show you off, but at the same time I just want to keep you here all to myself.”
“You look pretty dashing yourself. But I feel like I’m missing something. Did you bring any post-practice perfume?” I joke.
“That might not be such a bad idea, considering all the guys I’m going to have to fight off of you tonight.”
“At a Thanksgiving dinner with my brothers youth hockey team? Don’t worry, I think Julie has that one covered.”
“Good then I get you all to myself.”
“You’ll always have me all to yourself.”
“Hello! Isn’t anyone going to tell me how good I look?”
We turn to see Tegan posing like she’s on the end of a runway. She has on her polka dot dress, white heels, and she pinned her hair up, added a pearl necklace and some red lipstick. She looks incredible, and I tell her just that.
“I know. Now let’s get this show on the road! I hear mashed potatoes calling my name!”
She walks out the door past Dylan and I grab my wristlet and lock up. He holds my hand as we walk down the three flights of stairs and then helps me into his jeep. I just hope this holiday goes a little differently than every other one.
But as usual, I should know better.
CHAPTER 21
Dylan
We get to the hotel where they’re hosting the team’s Thanksgiving Dinner in a huge party room. Windows line the walls and next the bar hotel employees are setting up a giant buffet table. Dom and the team are playing floor hockey in one corner and their families are spread out all over the room talking in groups.
I miss this. I remember when I played on my travel teams. The hotels were the best part. It was a bonding experience unlike any other. Those are some of my favorite memories. The countless things we broke, the jokes we played on each other, the almost total freedom from our parents. If there was an NHL game on we’d all gather in one room and watch it with all the team dads.
I met Anderson on one of those tournaments. He was on one of the teams I was versing and I remember his dad surprised him in his dress blues when he came out to drop the puck for the opening faceoff. He was serving a tour in Afghanistan and was gone for over a year. When Anderson saw him, he threw off his helmet and cried while his dad just held him in all his gear. After the game, I saw him heading towards the locker room and stopped him to congratulate him on the win. We talked for a few minutes, but he was in a rush to get back to his dad. We were only thirteen years old, and I’ve kept in touch with him ever since.
Watching Dom play brings back all these memories and I hope one day I can share experiences with my son like I did with my dad on these tournaments.
“I’m sure they’d love an extra player.”
I come out of my daydream and look over at Elli watching me with a smile on her face.
“Trying to get rid of me already?”
“Please, if it wasn’t for this dress I’d probably go play too.”
Elli’s mom comes out of no where and hugs us all. “Elli you look amazing! That dress is gorgeous on you. Tegan you look like a 40’s movie star! And Dylan, you look so handsome! Are you sure your parents don’t mind you spending the holiday with us?”
“Yes ma’am. They do however want to meet Elli as soon as possible. They would love to meet the girl I apparently don’t shut up about.”
Everybody laughs as Julie walks over. She has on a black and gold sequined sleeveless dress that ends in a pencil skirt just above her knees. Her black heels give her an extra 4 inches. Well, Elli definitely called that one. She must have Dom’s teammates hormones going crazy since she’s relatively the same age.
She places both her hands on Elli’s arms and kisses both sides of Elli’s cheeks. “Sister darling! How I’ve missed you! You look wonderful! We’re going to have to switch shoes at some point. These are killing me already.” Julie is a trip, and I hope she continues her faux English accent for the rest of the night.
“Oh, hello Dylan! Don’t you look dashing! By any chance do you have any younger brothers?”
“Sorry Julie, only child.”
“Well that’s a shame.”
Finally Elli intercedes, “Alright Julie, get your hormones under control. We’re going to say hi to Dom and the boys. Why don’t you introduce Tegan to everyone.”
“Oh splendid! Let’s go Tegan! I’ll introduce you to my future in-laws first!”
I couldn’t hold in my laughter if I wanted to. Elli and her sister are polar opposites. But you can tell they have that sister bond. I grab Elli’s hand and we walk over to the very intense game of floor hockey. When Dom notices us, he calls out “I shot Dylan as goalie!”
“Hell no! He’s ten times bigger than the goal!”
“Don’t care. He’s on my team.” Dom says.
He get’s up and hugs Elli and then grabs my hand and brings me in to pat me on the back. Good ol’ bro hug. It’s so easy to get along with this kid. Definitely a future lady killer if he isn’t one already.
“Elli can I steal your boy toy so we can kick Shane’s ass?”
“That’s up to him!” she replies.
I look over to her and she’s smiling at the two of us. “Are you sure?”
“Of course! Have fun! I’ve got a few people to go say hi to. I’ll introduce you later!”
I kiss her in an extremely innocent way, no need to scar these boys yet. Dom hands me a mini stick and I get on their level to play a game I haven't played in years. I should make the Wolves play this. Make it a team bonding thing.
As I’m repeatedly being shot at with a foam ball, I take glances at Elli every chance I get. As much as she won’t admit it, she’s a total people person. She can work a room like nobody I’ve ever seen. Easy conversation, genuine smiles and she really listens when someone talks.
Her mom goes over to her and drags her away, and I look over to see they’re headed to the group of men huddled at the bar watching a game. That’s when I see her dad joking around with one of the dads from the team. I debate whether or not to go over there with her and that’s when Dom taps me on the shoulder and shakes his head no. I watch her as she hugs her dad and a few of the guys around her, all trying to say their hellos. After about a minute of small talk, she eventually points my way and they all look towards where I’m on my knees with all their sons. I tap Dom and give him my stick. “I’ll be back in a few.”
I make my way over to where Elli is now smiling, and when I reach her I put my arm around her waist as she introduces me to all the dads from the team. You can tell by the easy way she acts and jokes with them that they’ve known each other for a while. They measure me up and ask me some questions, and when they realize I play for the Wolves, I get another round of questions revolving around my future career. I guess I passed their tests, because then they start bantering Elli’s dad, whose name is apparently Vito.
“Vito might have a wedding to pay for soon!”
“Yea better watch out old man.”
“Look I see the gray hairs already!”
As Elli blushes and I laugh, her dad shakes his head and smirks. “No way this ones getting married yet. It’s Julie I have to worry about. Elli has to concentrate on school.”
All the boys come over and want to know who’s winning in whatever game is on. It seems like everytime I go to curse this guy out, something or someone unknowingly stops me before I can. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not.
I take Elli out of the room and she wraps her hands around my waist as I hold on to her.
“Don’t let him get to you El.”
“It’s one thing when he says it to just me, but when he says things like that in front of everyone, it just hurts.He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it
.”
Tegan comes out from the room then and asks if Elli’s ok.
“Yea I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yea. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Alright well it’s time to eat. Come on.”
We follow Tegan back into the room and head to the table. There’s one long table running from one side of the room to the other for all sixteen boys and their families. Julie, Tegan, Elli and I sit on one side of the table. Sitting across from us are Elli’s parents, and some of the team parents. All the boys are sitting at one end of the table talking about the teams they’re going to verse in the tournament this weekend.
As the waiters start taking drink orders and finish setting up the food for the buffet, Elli talks to a few of the parents sitting across from us. Turns out they have a younger daughter who is starting to look into colleges. Apparently Elli knows all about her and is giving her parents tons of recommendations for her to look at. Then a few of the other parents join in the conversation and Elli doesn’t miss a beat. She knows everyone's families, their likes and dislikes, what would be best for someone's particular situation. This girl floors me. All I can do is smile as she talks. I’m seeing a completely different side of her and I’m loving every minute of it.
As she talks, Dom interrupts and calls out to me. “Yo Dylan! These guys want a rematch on the ice. You down?”
All the parents look towards me and smile. “Of course. I’ll talk to Chris and see when the ice is free.”
Thin Ice Page 11
