behind your back ~ andrei svechnikov

Chapter Thirteen

Since the Hurricanes didn't have a game in a few days before they flew up to Edmonton and Vancouver, the team wanted to do something fun before they went to Canada.

Loading in Andrei's car, I had bought the necessary snacks needed to fuel my hunger over the three and a half hour car ride to Southern Shores, where we were going to have a weekend full of fun, swimming, and good beachside food.

Was I excited about being in the car for three and a half hours? Not really, but I was in the car with Andrei and even though he drives like a maniac down the freeway, I still kept a happy smile because I was with Andrei.

"Is everyone driving themselves over?" I asked him after he backed out of the driveway and started driving on his street.

"No, most people are just...what's the word for when people are going together," Andrei responded.

I raised an eyebrow. "Carpooling?" I helped him out.

"Yeah, carpooling. Some people are driving over by themselves, like you and I and Turbo and his fiancée," he said, turning right to get onto one of the main roads leading to the freeway.

I nodded my head. "I'm excited for this weekend. I've needed a little beach getaway for a while now," I mentioned, making myself comfortable in the passenger seat.

Andrei chuckled. "I'm sure all of us want this," he responded. "Hey, how's work going? I haven't heard much about that," he said, briefly glancing at me before turning his attention back to the road in front of us.

I shrugged, drowning my body in the Hurricanes blanket that I brought along and resting my head in between the headrest and window, since Andrei always loved to be freezing in the car. Perhaps it was a little reminder of home—being deathly cold.

"It's going well, I'm expecting a promotion of two percent in the next year or so," I told him.

"That's awesome! I'm proud of you," he responded.

I smiled, my face reddening as I stared at those deadly dimples of his for a little too long.

"Yeah, I'm always asked at least twice about how I'm doing, how my boyfriend is doing, or how my brother is doing," I chuckled. "But it's okay, I don't mind talking about others,"

He chuckled in response as he turned and merged onto I-40 going eastbound, causing him to briefly go quiet. The radio subtly playing his Russian music from his phone via Bluetooth rang louder as silence filled the car, then he set the cruise control and we were off to Southern Shores.

"As you were saying, do your coworkers know that we're dating, or you just refer to me as 'your boyfriend'?" he chuckled again as he got into the far right lane of the three lane freeway.

My face started to redden once again. "I may have slipped your name out a few times," I responded with a very subtle chuckle underneath my breath.

He took his right hand off of the steering wheel and rested his arm on the center console, then glanced at me again. "Can't ever trust you," he joked.

I rolled my eyes, lightly punching him in his right tricep. "I would shut your mouth if I were you, Svechnikov," I threatened with a smirk.

"What if I don't? I can turn around now, considering we're still in the city limits of Raleigh," he responded, raising an eyebrow before putting his attention back to the road.

I scoffed. "You wouldn't dare, considering you invited me to this dumb little barbecue or whatever the hell this is called," I told him, trying to stand my ground against Andrei's sudden sassiness.

He rolled his eyes. "It's a fun thing the team is doing because we have a few days off. Team bonding, if you will," he responded.

"Team bonding. Getting drunk and swimming drunk is 'team bonding', hm?" I said, cracking open my cold can of Dr Pepper and taking a refreshing sip.