Chapter 3

a/n: Glad to hear in the comments that you are enjoying the story thus far!! we have a long way to go with twists and turns, so I can't wait to see what you all have to say!! :o)



September 2006 – at the bar in Rochester

I looked over and found Emma lip-locked with Booth.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.  I’ve been jealous of every guy who has found himself front and center in Emma’s attention.  Along with the jealousy, regret dripped through my veins as I watched the whole scene play out on the dance floor. 

I’ve definitely had my chances with her, but I could never seem to take full advantage of them.  Plus, a majority of me was scared; scared of losing my only best friend and my soul mate.  I was in no position to even think about having a serious relationship.  No matter how much things were looking up in my career, it was still totally up in the air. 

I wanted to make a living that I’d be able to give her anything she ever wanted.  She wouldn’t have to put on the hot turn-out gear in 90 degree, sweltering heat and put her life in danger by running into burning buildings.  I’d buy her the house along the lake that we had always rode our bikes past and said that one day we would live in.  It was in the stars, but until then we would keep searching for something to keep us occupied.

Until then I’d admire her beauty from afar.  Her hair was it’s normal unruly, curly self.  She looked smokin’ in just a pair of boot-cut jeans and a plain black short-sleeve shirt.  Emma could look like a million bucks without trying hard.

I’ll never forget the night my feelings somewhat changed for her.  The night I realized that I had a best friend who I could easily fall in love with and never look back…

May 2004

“Come on Patty! Seems to me that you lost your edge playing up in Ontario, you are quite the slow poke these days!” Emma yelled back at me, taunting, as we ran our 5 mile cross-country course we had mapped out several years ago when I started seriously training for hockey.

I was tired.  I just finished up my 2^nd season in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes and it had been a long season.  I was just trying to re-coupe, but Emma insisted on going for a run this morning as the sun was coming up.

“Seriously Emma, this is bullshit.  Why are we out this early, running?” I whined as I sprinted to catch up to her.  She was barely puffing as we ran up the hill, causing me to realize that she was in better shape than me, and I was the one trying to make it into the NHL.

“Stop your complaining.  By the end of the summer you will be thanking me for whipping you back into shape.  You need to be producing more out on the ice which means you need to get stronger,” she said with a know-it-all voice.

“Well, since when have you become the fitness expert of the year?”

“Since I started training with the boys on my soccer team and decided that I want to major in sports medicine in college.”

“Yeah, how does that whole playing on the guy’s soccer team exactly work?  You are a girl, on a boy’s soccer team.”

“Obviously you forget how good of a goalie I am,” she said with a smirk.

“I think I should get credit for that,” I said as I punched in her direction, missing her completely as she side-stepped my fist.

Her laugh rang out into the chill of the morning air as she said, “Yeah, ooookay.  In your dreams.  For one, I have a bigger goal to guard and second, I don’t have to wear all that padding that you used to make me wear while you shot pucks at me.”

“But I made you tough.”  As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them.

The smile she had been wearing quickly dimmed as she quietly said, “No, my daddy made me tough.”

I couldn’t exactly say anything witty after that, so the rest of our run was accented by the pounding of our feet on the macadam, leaving me to my thoughts.  Emma was one tough girl and she was right; it was her daddy’s fault that she had to become tough.  Instead of dwelling on her home life, Emma had thrown herself into her school work and sports.  She had become one of the best goal keepers for Lake Shore High School, and was the first girl to play the position on the boy’s team. 

She already knew at a young age that sports and smarts were going to be the only way she would have a shot at getting into college.  Her dad made a decent living as a firefighter, but he did not see the point in spending it on his daughter.

“Hello?! Earth to Patty?!” I heard her squawking, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Yes?”

“So as I was saying, Grammy and your Mom want to get pictures of us before the prom.”

“Okay?”

“Well, the promenade starts at 6:30; do you want to meet at 5:30 since we have to drive into the city?”

“Sure.  Do you want me to pick you up?”

“Nah, I’ll meet you over at the park,” she said as she was doing her cool down stretches.

“The park?”

She stood up from her bent over position that was making me notice how tiny her running shorts were and said while scrunching her nose, “Um, yeah.  Your mom said she wanted nice pictures.”

“Heh, okay.” I said laughing at her semi-disgusted face.  Emma hated having her picture taken, but I knew she was going along with it for my mom.  This would be the closest I would get to my own prom, since I was now playing in Ontario, only going to school to get my diploma and focusing on hockey the other ¾ of the time.

Emma bent over again in front of me as she spoke, “Oh, and you don’t need to get me flowers if you don’t want to.  I could give two craps about flowers.”

I smiled, knowing she was saying it because she really did want flowers and figured that I would forget to get them.  “Okay, we will see,” I played along.

She stood up quickly, almost catching me staring at her ass once again and said, “Okay, well I’ll see you at 5:30pm, at the park.”  We bumped fists, performing our secret handshake of sorts and away she jogged, towards her house.

At 5:30pm I found myself waiting with my mom and dad in the park.  Mom was adjusting my tux tie when I saw this vision in dark blue come gliding towards us, across the grass.

Her blonde curls were pinned strategically on top of her head with jewels attached throughout.  Some curls were left dangling around her face and the nape of her neck.  The dress was a long, form-fitting, strapless dress that had a silky layer underneath with a glittery sheer material of the same color covering the whole length, making the dress look more free-flowing that it was.  I could see her silver, strappy high heals with painted pastel pink toenails peaking out underneath.  Her make-up accented her beautiful blue eyes, making them look like a sparkling blue sky.  Her lips were light pink and looked kissable.  My mouth dried and I found myself captivated with this girl, wondering where my best friend had run off to.

I think I had only seen Emma in a dress only a couple times before and mainly those times came on Easter Sunday.  Surprisingly she looked comfortable in the get-up, commanding attention from everyone in the general vicinity of us.

I met her half way, almost tripping on the sidewalk as I moved towards her.  I stopped inches away from her, holding the flowers in front of me like I was some sort of retard.  My mom spoke before I could even think of words to say.

“Emma, you look beautiful, sweetie!” Mom squeaked from behind me, causing Emma to blush shyly and look down at the ground.

“Thanks mom,” she said quietly.

“Here,” I said as I pushed the flowers closer to her, awkwardly.  I wanted to tell her how pretty she looked, but I didn’t know how to tell her that.  Emma was my best friend; my best friend who was just as much of a boy as I was.  This was not normal.  Of course when I finally was able to speak, the wrong words came out.  “You look like a girl.”

Rightfully so, a look of hurt passed over her face, but she fluffed it off and rolled her eyes as she punched me in the arm.  “Gee, thanks Kaleta.  You just look like more of a monkey in your tux.  Thanks for the flowers,” she said as she took them out of my hands and walked over to give my mom and dad a hug.  I just cursed myself and sulked over to the rest of our group so mom could get the picture taking out of the way.

“Put your arm around her, Patrick,” my mom barked orders from behind the camera like we were at a Hollywood photo shoot.  So I draped my arm around Emma’s shoulder only to hear more scolding.  “No! Around her waist…”  I dropped my arm down to her waist and with my other hand, took hers and held it.  Her hands were cool and clammy and I could swear I felt her shaking.

“Nervous about tonight?” I asked through my smile, not daring to look at her.

“A little,” she said quietly back.

“You look amazing, Emma,” I said honestly.

I felt her leave out a breath of relief as she said, “Thanks, so do you.”

Once the torture of pictures was finished we got in my dad’s Tahoe and headed north to Buffalo to the Brierwood Country Club.  The place was overly ritzy, but perfect for the prom, as long as you could afford the $100 per couple.  Mom and Dad had spotted me the money since I had only been home working my summer job at the lake for a couple days.

Emma never actually asked me to go to the prom with her; it was just always assumed that we would go together.  I was happy to find that she didn’t find a serious boyfriend while I was away in Ontario.

As soon as we walked into the country club, every head turned to stare at us.  Girls I had known from grade school were gawking at me and glaring at Emma for being on my arm.  Guys I played soccer and hockey against were drooling over Emma and readying for a fight with me.  Tonight was going to be interesting to say the least.  We were the couple that everyone envied, but Emma had no clue.  She just smiled for the professional picture and dragged me over to our seats.

As soon as dinner was done, I made sure I pulled her up on the dance floor.  I was comfortable in my skin and I refused to be like 70% of the other guys in the Sr. class who thought they were too cool to dance.  We had a blast and found ourselves gasping for air and searching for the punch bowl more than once during the evening. 

My favorite part was holding Emma close as we slow danced.  Every time I touched her I felt myself yearning to do more to her.  I wanted to taste the little spot of skin that was above her clavicle.  I wanted to kiss her sweet, rose pedal lips.  As beautiful as her hair looked, I wanted to take it down and thread my fingers through it.  She had my mind racing a mile a minute and I would have kneeled right there in front of her if she would have asked me. 

I felt light headed and breathless as he led me back out to the Tahoe.  The whole night I felt like I was lost in a fairy-tale land.  Patrick had grown up from the boy I had played hide and go seek with.  He was becoming a man, and I felt like the princess in his arms as we danced together around the banquet hall.  Ever since he shoved the flowers in my face earlier this evening, he looked at me like he was looking at me for the first time.  He didn’t treat me as his best friend; he treated me like he was my boyfriend.  I didn’t know what to make of it all. 

I couldn’t wait to get home and get out of the costume I was in.  I was tired of all the gawking stares from the guys who basically ignored me all through school.  I was floored by the remarks that came from the snotty girls that seemed to never even know I existed, until I showed up at the prom looking like one of them.  I felt fake and I wanted it to end.

I broke the silence that had filled the first few miles of our trip home.  “I hope you don’t expect me to look like this ever again,” I said with some bitterness in my tone.

Patrick looked over at me with slight surprise on his face.  “Um, I would hope not.  You can’t play soccer in heals like those,” he said with a smile as he turned back to paying attention to the road.

He answered the way I expected him to, just like my best friend would answer me.  But then he said something I never expected.  “However, you were a vision tonight Emma and it goes to prove I was wrong all these years.  You are a girl.  Scratch that, you are a woman.”

I thought about his words for a moment and decided I had to break the tension with our normal humor, “A woman that can kick your ass if you decide to grab my ass or make some sexist comment.  So watch your back, Kaleta.  I don’t take shit.”

He smiled my favorite smile and we jabbered about our summer plans the rest of the way home.

October 2006

I was nervous driving out to Rochester by myself.  I rarely drove long distances because up until last week, I didn’t have a car that was remotely reliable.  I was given my Grammy’s 1995 Honda Civic that had been on its last leg 5 years prior to me inheriting it.  With my new steady income, I was able to afford an SUV that would ensure my safety in the big snows of Buffalo.  It was a triumph and I was excited to show off the new set of wheels to Patrick, who always made a point to make fun of my clunker.

Regrettably, I wasn’t sure if I’d see Patrick on this trip to Rochester because David had declared that I would be coming out to see him, and only him.  However, I wasn’t quite sure I could stick to that plan.  There was no way in hell I could be in the same town as Patrick and not see him.  Especially since I would be staying in the same apartment as him and going to see one of their games.

Ever since the night I came to see their first game, David and I had basically talked on the phone every night.  Unfortunately, with our hectic schedule’s, this would be the first I was able to come out and see him.  After these next two nights, I figured our relationship status would be solidified as something serious, which I was actually looking forward to.

I hadn’t been involved in a serious relationship since college and that had ended because I wouldn’t move with him to California when school was done.  I had already put in my application to work in the city and I refused to give my dream up for a guy who didn’t seem to understand why I wanted to get into the dangerous career. 

So far with David, everything seemed to be care free and easy.  David was laid back and his unruly, longer blonde hair was a testament to that attitude.  I really enjoyed his personality and we seemed to click automatically.  Of course it helped that he had a smoking hot body that I had the pleasure of seeing the night I had been out here. 

I was supposed to sleep in Patrick’s room, but he had picked up some girl at the club that night.  Of course David insisted that I stay in his room and of course I didn’t object.

 “Hello?” I answered my cell phone as I was about 10 minutes away from the Rochester exit.

“Hey babe,” David’s smooth voice came over the phone, causing the butterflies to start floating around once again.

“Hi.”

“So instead of heading to the apartment, I think you need to head to the Marriott that is right off the exit you will be taking to come into the city,” He said in a sultry tone.

“You think, or you know I should be heading to this Marriott?” I asked with a sly smile coming across my face.

“I know.  And then I know you must head up to room 306.”

“So we aren’t staying at the apartment?”

“Well, I can’t exactly have you all to myself if we are staying in the apartment, now can I?” he said in a tone that had me painting an inappropriate picture in my head.

I giggled, but my heart squeezed a little at the thought of not having a chance to spend much time with Patrick.  “Then I will see you in several minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting,” he said and at that the phone disconnected.

I knocked on the door and it opened with no one in sight.  I peeked around the back of door to find David standing behind it in just a pair of gym shorts and a sweet smile.  As I dropped my bags off to the side, he shut the door and scooped me up into a big hug.

“Mmm, it’s so good to be able to hold you,” he breathed heavily into my ear, giving me goose-bumps as I smiled.

“This is definitely better than holding a telephone,” I answered back as I ran my hands up and down his smooth back.

He pulled back enough so that he could lean down and kiss me softly on my lips.  I moaned into his mouth as pulled me closer against the length of him and planted his hands on my ass.  The kiss deepened and I could taste the familiar warmth I had with him the night we had last spent together.  I wove my hands in his unruly hair and wrapped my legs around the defined indents that accentuated his hips as he lifted me up and carried me over to the king size bed that was in the middle of the room.

After setting me down, he quickly pulled my sweatshirt up and over my head, exposing my skin to the cool air of the hotel room.  I was now glad that I had planned ahead and had put on the black, matching lacy bra and thong.  I figured this time with him was not going to be spent talking.  We had done enough of that, now it was time to get to know each other through actions.

I leaned back and arched my chest towards him as he ran his fingers over my chest and cupped my breasts.  He then crawled up on the bed and straddled my legs and began kissing and nibbling my neck and clavicle.  I couldn’t help but cry out in pleasure and I soon found that I didn’t have the strength to sit up anymore.  I fell back onto the bed, trying to wriggle myself away from him because my skin had become so sensitive to his touch.

“Don’t think you are going to get away from me that easily, Emma,” he growled as he caged me between his arms as he fell down towards me, pressing his hard body against me.  “I know you are strong, but I’m going to show you that it’s okay to be weak.”

“I might not give in easily,” I said with a sly smile.

“I play dirty,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eye as he unbuttoned my jeans with one hand and pushed them down off my hips.  I clawed at him as he moved his fingers lightly over some of the most ticklish spots on my body, but I was stopped as his one hand captured my wrists and splayed them above my head.  His other hand ventured farther south and soon the fight completely left me as desire over took me causing me to whimper when he cupped his hand on my now aching sex.  He ran his fingers lightly over the lacy material and I watched as he smiled deviously, knowing he had found how to have power over me.  I found myself holding my breath in anticipation as he moved the lacy thong aside and slowly pushed his fingers into my wet, soft mound that was crying out for attention.

“Yes, David…” I breathed out as he went to work to carry me over the edge.  By now he had left go of my wrists and was now using his arm to hold himself up over top of me so that he could watch my facial expressions.  Every now and then he would lean down and lay kisses on my lips or face.  The man was good with his hands and soon had me crying out his name and begging him to fuck me.

He finally obliged my not so polite requests and I watched a slight smile come across his face as he stood on the floor at the edge of the bed, in front of me and took off his shorts, revealing his hard cock.  I thought I was looking at the poster boy for the next surfing commercial.  His body was rock hard and his blonde hair was in his face as he looked at me with devouring eyes.  He climbed back over top of me and slowly pressed himself into me as we both cried out in bliss. 

He propped himself over top of me on his arms and went to work as I wrapped my legs around him, pulling myself up to him every time he pushed into me.  I was slightly disappointed when I felt him begin to convulse and shooting his warm fluid in me.  I hadn’t gotten to my climax, but I was still satisfied from before, so I didn’t dwell on the let down.  However, I was hoping he’d break my record of not having an orgasm during intercourse, but it wasn’t meant to be this time.  I was sure by the end of our two days together, anything could be accomplished.

“Hey! Where is Booth?” I asked Stafford as I came back from my evening run.

I watched confused as Drew looked down at the non-existent watch on his left wrist and said, “Probably working on his 2^nd O-face,” he said with a smirk and went back to messing around with setting up his new guitar pedal.

“2^nd O-face?” I asked slowly, not quite sure if I wanted to know what he was talking about.

“Yeah, he booked a hotel room tonight so that he could bang the shit out of the chick he’s been talking to on the phone,” he said, still paying more attention to his musical instruments.

“Would that chick be named Emma?” I asked through clenched teeth, knowing that the two of them had seemed to hit it off when she was here last month.  I had fucked up the chance of having her in my bed when I got too drunk and brought home the red-head that was talking my ear off at the bar.  Even though I probably would have acted like the chivalrous best friend by not even laying a hand on Emma, I still wouldn’t have minded waking up with her lying next to me.  Instead she spent the night in Booth’s room and walking out of it with a big smile on her face with him following her like a puppy dog.  The whole scene left a bitter taste in my mouth.  Ever since then, Booth had been acting all secretive when his cell phone would ring and more than once I caught him hiding on the balcony while talking on the phone.  Every time I asked Emma about it she seemed mum on the subject, just saying that they were talking every now and then.  I’m okay with her seeing David, because he’s a good guy.  But, I didn’t appreciate the whole secret squirrel mission that seemed to be going on.

“Um, yeah, I think so.  Was she your best friend from Buffalo who came to visit last month?” Drew asked innocently.

“Yes, she is my best friend,” I said, emphasizing the fact that Emma was still my best friend.

Drew looked up, obviously noticing the annoyance dripping in my voice.  “Huh, okay.  Yeah, they are at the Marriott.”

I turned around, grabbed my sweatshirt and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind me.