w 1 t n e s s

nineteen

halle

"I've played at the professional level and announced for years and I still haven't seen a single forward who can feed perfect passes like that. Especially for a defenseman. It's like he knows where his teammates are without having to look. We thought we had that chemistry in Toronto with Marner and Matthews, but this kid is a whole level ahead. It's like he's in the heads of his teammates."

My knees were drawn up to my chest in the seat of the Uber. Adam sat across from him, enthusiastically talking to the driver about the game that was blasting from the radio right now. Turns out our designated driver was a massive Blackhawks fan. What's the luck? Now I was stuck listening to Tyler's name being blasted from the radio for more than an hour. Adam didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was just as chipper as if he'd been playing with the team right now. I did suppose you had to be excited when your team was winning.

Two goals and the Hawks were on top. And Tyler was involved in both of them. That's what Adam was talking about now. How involved the center was and how it benefited the team. I didn't care. Talking about Tyler only made my nerves stand on edge. I was absolutely terrified of what would happen later. My fear was making me exhausted. Paranoia came with that tiredness. The only thing I could do was curl up and stare out the window. Watching the skyline and city lights flash by this time was different. I wasn't the same naive and excited girl. I was older and I was tired. That sounded so extreme. It was only a few months later, not years. I still felt like I'd aged a millennium.

After the second period ended, with a score of two to one, Adam settled down a little. Still not enough to stop talking about playing hockey. He still hadn't told the driver that he was a member of the team. It was entertaining to see him dance around the truth carefully. If only the driver knew the reality.

Finally, we pulled into the apartment block. It was a new place, a lot fancier and in a nicer section of the city. Adam noticed how I was staring up in awe at the beautiful complex.

"He gets a nice contract and moves in here, eh?" Adam was grinning at me. "I'm still stuck with stinky Nilly while Kirbs and Walter get the nicest penthouse. I'll tell ya Kirby spends a good chunk of his salary on this. Walty's is barely even scratched." I looked up again at the glass infrastructure. We were really in downtown Chicago now. The apartment I'd been to before had been in a more relaxed and suburban area of the city. I almost missed the relaxed housing arrangement.

Adam tried to help me lug my things from the car, but he was limited with only one arm. The other was in a sling to prevent further injury. I didn't have much. One carry-on bag and one suitcase. I could manage the bags on my own. Adam led me past the lobby, nodding at a woman sitting at a desk. I had to guess he came around here often. We went through a tall hallway until we reached the elevator. Adam smiled again.

"You'll see how high up he is. It's pretty cool. Close to the water, too." I frowned slightly. Adam was talking like he didn't know a single thing about what had happened. Like Tyler and I were still a thing and he was trying to convince me to move here. I opened my mouth to explain the truth, but something stopped me. Adam's pure innocence didn't deserve to get spoiled.

We traveled up the flights, until we'd reached the top of the shorter building. It was nine stories, and apparently Tyler's apartment was on the top floor. As soon as the elevator doors open, I felt the true meaning of Adam's words. This hallway was luxurious compared to the ones below. It wasn't long, and had two ornate doors on either side. Adam explained quickly.