Chapter Eight

“Autumn, you HAVE to help me!” Nathalie was panicking, running back and forth through the apartment. Autumn watched her in amazement as she pulled on her leggings and brushed her teeth at the same time.

“You seem to be doing just fine.” Autumn said, flipping through the channels on the TV.

“NO!” Nathalie grabbed her hairbrush and pointed it at Autumn. “Do you know how do make French braids?”

Autumn raised her eyebrows, watching Nathalie's blonde hair, “Yeah, I do... Don't you?”

Nathalie darted over to the couch, shaking her head, “No. Can you braid my fringe?”

“Yeah, sure,” Autumn put the remote down. “Sit down on the floor, please.” Nathalie did as she was told and let Autumn fix her hair.

“I don't do dates, I don't know how to act or anything...” Nathalie groaned, now resting her head in her hands.

“But surely you've had boyfriends?” Autumn asked. She couldn't imagine Nathalie not knowing what to do.

“Yeah, but... They weren't really serious and David seems so incredible and...” Nathalie sighed. “I just don't know what he's expecting from me.”

“Just be yourself, act the way you want to,” Autumn said, finishing the braid. “And if he doesn't like it, that's his loss.” She hovered over Nathalie, watching the braid. “Perfect. Now you look amazing.”

“Really?” Nathalie got off the floor and walked over to the mirror.

“Yes, really,” Autumn watched as Nathalie twisted and turned, checking every possible thing about her appearance. “Stop worrying, it's-” But she was interrupted by the doorbell ringing, making Nathalie squeal and run into her bedroom.

“Can you answer it?” Autumn rolled her eyes and got out of the couch, walking over to the door and opening it.

“Hi,” David said with a smile. “Is she ready?”

“Not quite,” Autumn said. “You can come in and wait.”

David grinned, “Thanks.” He walked in and closed the boor behind him.

“I'll be right there!” Nathalie rushed around her room, pulling on her shoes and fixing the final touches on her make-up. When she finally came out, David's jaw dropped, making her blush.

“You look amazing.” He said, kissing her cheek.

“Thanks, you too,” Nathalie glanced over at Autumn. “See you later.” She said and followed David towards the door.

“Don't wait up,” He said, winking at Autumn. “Just kidding, I'll have her back before eleven.”

“You better...” Autumn muttered and got back to the couch, starting the TV again. She wasn't jealous of Nathalie, per se. But she did have difficulties trusting guys after being with her ex, and she didn't want anyone to ever have to experience what she had been through. Especially her friend and room mate.

-

“So where do you wanna go?” David asked when they were out on the street.

Nathalie paused, “Uh... I don't know. I just got here, I don't know anything about Ottawa.”

David smiled a little, “What do you like?”

“Anything is fine, what's closest?”

“I know a good Italian place,” David chuckled. “It's basically around the corner, actually!” He pointed towards a sign some hundred yards away.

“Oh yeah, I've been meaning to try that place...” Nathalie said as they started walking. “Do you eat there a lot?”

“No, not a lot. Oliver and I tried it a couple of weeks after we got here. The owners are from Italy, too, and they're real nice.”

“That's great. Maybe it'll become a regular place for me.” Nathalie smiled at him.

David smirked, “Trust me, you'll love it.” He opened the door and they settled by a table close to one of the windows.

“Ahhh, Run-blad,” A large, Italian man exclaimed, walking over to them.

David smiled up at him, “Mr Cosimo, nice to see you again.”

“You too, you too. And who is this bella signora?”

Nathalie blushed, “I'm Nathalie, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” He turned to David. “Very pretty, good choice!”

Nathalie blushed and David just smiled, “I know...”

“So, the usual for you? What about you miss?”

“Umm... What's the usual for you?” She looked at David and then down at her menu.

“Pasta Alfredo,” David smiled. “It's amazing, you have to try it.”

“Okay, I'll take what he's having. And a glass of red wine, please.” Nathalie watched the owner walk away and then looked over at David, smirking. “I thought you didn't come here often.”

David cleared his throat, “Well... It's been a couple of times.” He grinned and drank from his glass of water.

“So...” Nathalie said. “Why me of all people? I'm not that extraordinary. Aren't you supposed to date skinny girls with fake tans and sparkling white teeth?”

Chuckling, David shook his head, “Some guys are into that, yes, but I guess I like the more natural kind better.”

“Natural?” Nathalie frowned slightly.

“You know, like you. You don't wear a lot of make up, you're into sports, to the best of my knowledge, that's your real hair colour and you seem genuinely sweet.”

Nathalie bit her lip, “Thank you. And this is my natural colour.”

“It's beautiful,” David smiled. “Natural blonde is the best blonde.”

“Pshh,” Nathalie giggled. “But thanks, I like it.”

“Twooo pasta Alfredo's, enjoy my friends!”

“Thank you, it looks great.” Nathalie smiled and grabbed her fork. “I'm so hungryyyy.”

“Finally, a girl who can eat!” Mr Cosimo nudged David before he walked away.

Nathalie finished chewing and swallowed her pasta, “What was that about?”

David blushed, “Uh... Well, the girls I dated before usually ordered salads or just an appetizer. Mr Cosimo always bugged me about dating girls who would eat his food.”

“Oh...” Nathalie paused, looking down at her food. “Well, I've always been an athlete, so this is just normal...” She pushed the pasta around on her plate.

“Hey...” David reached out and touched her arm. “I think it's great. And you have an amazing body, so don't stop eating.”

“Wouldn't ever think about it,” Nathalie said, stuffing her mouth with food. “I luff foodddd.”

David laughed, his eyes lighting up, “You're funny.”

Nathalie swallowed, “Fanksss.” She sipped her wine and smirked at him. “So the boy is growing up, kind of?”

“I guess so, yes.” David nodded. “And you were just so breathtaking I couldn't not ask you out.”

“Please...” Nathalie turned red. “You're making me blush.”

“Yeah...” David smiled. “I like that.”

“Really...” Nathalie raised her eyebrows, removing her shoe under the table and gently moving her foot up David's leg. The reaction made David's face flush red and he swallowed visibly.

“What... What are you doing?”

Nathalie shrugged and bit her lip, “What do you mean?”

“Oh I don't know,” David smirked, grabbing her foot with his left hand. “This, maybe?”

“You don't like it?” Nathalie raised her eyebrows.

David locked eyes with her, “Yes, I do...”

“So...” Nathalie looked down at her plate. “I'm done, what about you?”

“Yeah, me too...” David cleared his throat and looked around. “Waiter? I'd like to pay, please.”

“Oh you don't have to pay, I'll pay mine.”

“Nathalie, please. I asked you out, I'm paying.”

“Okay, if you say so.” She kept her foot on his thigh, locking eyes with him at the same time. It was driving him crazy, and she loved it.

After paying, the two hurried outside. As soon as the door swung shut, Nathalie practically attacked David, kissing him madly. He rested his hands on her hips, kissing her back, “My place or yours...?” He whispered between kisses, keeping her close to him.

“Autumn's at my place...” Nathalie bit her lip. “Yours is probably better.”

“Right... Let's go,” He took her hand and stopped a cab, opening the door for her. He told the driver the address and went back to kissing Nathalie. “Mmm...” He moaned, holding her close to him.

The cab pulled up to the apartment building and David hurriedly paid the driver, getting out quickly. Taking out his phone, he sent a quick text to Oliver.

'Cming upstrs. Bettr gt out.'

Nathalie grabbed a hold of the door and opened it, rushing inside. David followed her closely, “Here it is!” He grabbed her arm and stopped her, opening the door to the apartment. She kicked off her shoes as they got inside and hung her jacket on a hanger. David followed her and pushed her against the wall, kissing her again. Nathalie felt her heart beat faster and she moaned loudly when he started kissing her neck. “My room...?” David whispered, going back to her lips.

“Mmhmm...”

David pulled her with him into his bedroom and pushed her down on the bed, getting on top of her. He tugged at the edge of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing a yellow lace bra. David's eyes grew wide.

“Pretty...” He swallowed and she ran her hands through his hair.

“Yeah?”

David nodded, kissing her neck again, “Oh yeah.” He easily removed her leggings and found that she was wearing matching panties. “Wow...” He smiled, tossing the leggings on the floor. To even the score out, Nathalie pulled David's shirt over his head and undid his belt buckle.

“Fair is fair,” She smirked at him and pulled down his pants. “Well hello...” Her hand secured around his hard-on and she watched him with a smile as he took a sharp intake of breath.

“Nathalieeeee...” He moaned, closing his eyes. Nathalie let go of him and pulled down his boxers, laying herself down on his bed.

“Yes, David?” She held herself up by her elbows and smirked at him. He licked his lips and hovered over her, easily unhooking her bra and pulling down her panties. “You want something?” She grinned and his lips crashed onto hers. They kissed passionately, even using their tongues, and David started going through his bedside drawer. He quickly found what he was looking for and rolled the condom on. Gently, he parted Nathalie's legs and moved his hand up her thigh. He wanted to make sure she was ready before he did anything, and when he touched her, he realized she was. He pushed himself in slowly and was met by a loud moan. Nathalie wrapped her legs around him and dug her nails into his back.

“Ohh, David...” She sighed and started to move with him. He closed his eyes and started thrusting harder and deeper inside her, causing her to moan even louder. “Oh my gooodddd...” David felt her first orgasm and wanted to give her more and more.

In the other room, Oliver was covering his ears with his pillow, but to no use. He hadn't seen David's text, seeing as his phone was in the kitchen and he was just taking a nap. He could hear everything through the very thin walls, and he didn't really want to hear his best friend sleeping with a girl.

After twenty minutes of “Oh David”, Oliver had had enough. He rushed through the apartment and through the door, slamming it shut.

Panting, Nathalie drove her eyes to the ceiling as David gently pulled out. They were both completely unaware that Oliver had been there all the time, but it didn't matter.

“That was amazing...” David said, lying down next to her and putting his arm around her.

“Yeah...” Nathalie was still feeling tingles in her body, and she felt butterflies in her stomach every time he looked at her. She had never done anything like this before, but it didn't feel wrong. It felt just right. 

Chapter Seven

As it turned out, the Ice Girls had three jobs. The first was to dance, cheerleading style, on a carpet placed over the ice, pre-game. That was to get the crowd pumped up. The second was to dance in the stands where the stairs were, one girl in each section, between face-offs and during commercial breaks when music would blast over the speakers. That was to keep the crowded pumped up. Lastly, they had to put on skates and grab shovels, ready to clean off the excess snow and occasionally help facilitate in-between period activities.

Alot more work than Autumn was hoping for, but that wasn’t what intimidated her.

Due to the fact that she was small (her height wasn’t much over 5’2) and the amount of grace she held when she danced, Veronica had decided Autumn would be perfect as the team’s main flyer. A flyer, Autumn soon learned, would be the one thrown up into the air and then caught by four teammates. Being terrified of heights did not help with the fact that she’d be thrown the highest.

Thankfully, Veronica said, they’d be doing that next week.

As far as skating went, every girl seemed to be trained well on the ice. Nathalie teased her friend and kept spraying her with snow. Autumn loved skating around, making circles and pretending not to puck handle with the shovel. Part of her missed playing hockey, as she had in highschool.

After practice, she and Nathalie returned home. Nathalie was hyperactive and excited about her date, and she talked Autumn’s ear off all through dinner about it. Together both girls did the dishes, and as Nathalie chose to catch up on one of her sitcoms, Autumn retreated to her room to unpack the one box that was hers.

Some of her clothes were stored in the top, she already knew that. They were unpacked easily and placed in the dresser the previous owner had left behind. Now, as she peered into the bottom, there was a white and blue jersey, covered with stars, and on top of it lay a small bunched up photo. Autumn reached in and picked it up, her eyes closing as a memory washed over her.

“Who’s that?” Autumn pointed to the giant poster in the lobby.

He ignored her, “I’m thirsty, do you have any money for a coke?”

Autumn swallowed, “Yeah, here,” and reached into her wallet. He took off with the bill and left her standing there. This big poster of a young hockey player was weird. How many arenas in North America had stuff like this? None she’d visited.

The gift shop was nearby, so she wandered in. They were giving away smaller versions of the giant poster, so she took one. Looking at it, she concurred he was nice looking, and in the back of her mind, that she shouldn’t be looking at someone else. Her boyfriend would be jealous and upset.

“Dad says we can go to our seats, come on,” he grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall. She wanted to stop and take pictures of the jerseys, but he seemed impatient, so she didn’t ask to.

Photos of that hockey player were everywhere. Autumn mentally took down his number (which was #3) and made a note to see who it was when the game started. They reached their seats and she took a photo of the two of them, glancing at it afterwards. He wore Team Sweden, she wore Team Canada (as he’d requested). It was nice when he actually smiled.

Then the opposing team arrived for warm-up and Autumn felt her stomach drop. People were looking at her from the time they came to the arena, and now she knew why: the visiting team, Mora, wore red. Autumn was wearing a red jersey as well, and now, in the sea of white and blue, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

“...but you didn’t tell me-”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Everyone’s staring!”

“No, they’re not.” He was laughing. He thought it was funny. Autumn was embarrassed.

The game was different, with the wider ice surface. She liked the introduction with the small fireworks (he told her it was boring). After searching the ice for a good little while, Autumn finally located #3.

He was tall and very skinny, at least for a hockey player. She squinted to read his name. Ekman-Larsson is an odd one, she thought. Would have to look that up later.

It soon became very clear that there was a reason the fans and arena worshipped him. Ekman-Larsson took off with the puck and seemingly effortlessly bulldozed everyone in his way. He puckhandled like he’d done it all his life. The way he seemed to just float from one spot to the other, without any trouble. Autumn watched him like a hawk.

“Stop staring at him and watch the fucking game,” he sneered. Autumn retracted and forced herself to watch the goaltender. But her eyes caught him again, and this time she became fixed on him.

It was only natural that he’d score the winning goal. He kicked in the air and Autumn found herself cheering with the crowd:

“Ekman-Larsson!”

“Oliver!”

“Ekman-Larsson!”

“Oliver!”

Then, amidst all the noise, excitement and wildness of the hockey arena, time stopped. Oliver Ekman-Larsson took off his helmet and waved at the crowd, and she saw him for the first time. Dark hair that was cut into flattering layers around his face, which was soft and warm. Bright eyes and a smile that took you in. It soon became apparent to her that he was quite possibly the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

And she’d be paying for it.

Her boyfriend noticed. The whole way home he refused to speak to her, and Autumn felt more guilty than ever. Why did she look? She shouldn’t look. She wasn’t allowed to look. How stupid she’d been. She deserved the cold shoulder she received.

“So why don’t you fuck him then?” he exclaimed later while she cooked dinner.

Autumn fought back tears, “I don’t want to! I love you, not him!” She tried to put her arms around him but he pushed her off. Pushed her so hard, in fact, that she crashed into the stove, the boiling water throwing itself onto her skin, burning her instantly. Autumn screamed, tears streaming out of her eyes as she cried from him to call an ambulance.

He scoffed, “You’re an idiot.”


“No,” Autumn had told herself, rolling the poster up, “You can’t have him. He’s far too good for you.”

Now, as they walked to the gym the next day, everything seemed a bit better. Autumn carried her small duffel bag containing her yoga mat and a few other supplies, while Nathalie (naturally more athletic, having been a supreme soccer star) was prepared to hop on the treadmill.

“Yoga studio’s upstairs,” Autumn told her, “I’ll just head up.”

“Alright,” Nathalie said with a nod, “You know where I’ll be.”

As luck would have it, David Rundblad happened to be driving by in his brand-new black Audi, eyes wide as saucers when the two girls crossed the street in front of him. Probably just as wide as Oliver’s, who sat in the passenger’s seat.

“David,” Oliver warned, knowing what his friend was thinking as he turned into a parking lot, “David, no. We can’t stalk them!”

David smirked, parking and pulling out the keys, “You’re going to ask her, whether you like it or not.” Oliver closed his eyes. He was trapped.

Nathalie stepped onto the treadmill and started at a slow pace, preapring herself for her vigorous workout. Autumn put her bag over her shoulder and headed towards the stairs, and unbeknownst to them both, David and Oliver had walked in the door and seen them.

“Where is she going?” Oliver asked, watching Autumn disappear.

“Don’t know, you should go see,” David replied, licking his lips as his eyes remained fixed on Nathalie. She looked good in Adidas shorts, he concurred.

“...right.” Oliver visibly swallowed. I hate you, Nils David Rundblad, he thought, following Autumn up the stairs. Thankfully, she didn’t see him, and he was free to follow so far without being noticed. As he liked it.

Now that he’d reached the top, he wondered where she had gone. Then, looking over a few feet, he saw that she was in the yoga studio- a clear room separated from the hall only by a full glass window. Oliver could see into it no problem.

That was when she started.

Before he could decide what to do, Autumn took off her jacket and laid down her mat. She got into a starting position and bended backwards. Oliver’s eyes widened, and he felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. She arched her back, pushing her chest into the air, a perfect view for him.

Oliver propped his hood up, in fear of being seen. It was as though she was putting on a private show, just for him. To his delight, she realized the room was far too hot, and took off her tank top, remaining in her black sports bra. Oliver thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

He watched as she twisted and bent into different yoga positions, allowing himself to admire her fit body. Amidst it all, Oliver felt something coming to life beneath him. He frowned, unsure, and then he felt a familiar tightening in his pants. He panted, feeling himself being brought into a full, swollen girth. He confirmed, in pure disbelief, that she was able to give him his first hard-on in almost a month.

Downstairs, David smirked and walked to the treadmill on the far side of the room, “Hello, stranger.” Nathalie’s eyes lit up right away, making her blush, “Hi...”

He had to have known the effect he had on women, “Looking good.” David gave her the once-over, and his facial expression showed he approved, “What you up to, today?”

Nathalie, who had just about gone into full-out running, reached out to slow the belt, “Oh, you know...well, working out, as you can see...” She caught her breath after a minute. “What about you?”

“We just finished practice,” David replied, “Got my number today. Guess what it is.”

“No idea, surprise me!” Nathalie said with a laugh.

“Seven, of course,” David smiled, “Ollie got stuck with twenty-three.”

“Hey now, that’s my number,” Nathalie said, semi-seriously, “Did you plan this?”

“I do believe I’m entitled, since I’m older than you,” David teased.

“But I’ve been using it my whole life!” Nathalie continued.

“As have I!” David was laughing now, “Anyway, when’s your next practice?”

“Tomorrow, why?”

“Just curious.” Every signal Nathalie was getting from David told her that wasn’t at all the case.

“You coming to stare at me again?” she forced a laugh. But she was serious.

“Well, actually, I was-”

“WE HAVE TO GO.”

David turned around and saw Oliver, his face red, anxious.

“What? Why?”

“I need to go home, now,” Oliver grabbed David’s sleeve and pulled him away. David turned and flashed Nathalie a smile, “See you later, gorgeous!” as Oliver forced him out.

Autumn appeared at Nathalie’s side just as the boys left, “I’m going back. Someone was creeping on me upstairs. Don’t know who, but I feel uncomfortable.”

Nathalie turned and looked at her for a minute, “May have something to do with the fact that you’re wearing just your bra and pants.”

Autumn’s cheeks flushed, “Shit...”

“Looks nice though.”

“Perv.”

“Just saying, calm down,” Nathalie turned back to her machine, “But you should put it on. People are staring.”

-

Oliver had rushed into his bedroom and locked the door. David turned on the television and flopped down. He was curious to find out what had happened upstairs. Did Autumn talk to him, or something more? Yet he knew better than to ask when Oliver was upset.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Oliver emerged, looking as though he’d run five miles. He tried to act like nothing had happened, wandering into the living room, “What’re you watching?”

David shrugged, “Paradise Hotel. Missed the last few episodes.”

Oliver rolled his eyes, “You’re a girl.”

“What were you doing in there?”

“...nothing.”

David stood up, “Sure.” He went into the kitchen and noticed the paper towels had been thrown across the counter. Easily, he connected the dots.

“Dude...did you-”

“Don’t say it!”

“Well, did you?”

“Yes, I had to, it was...painful.”

“Painful?”

Oliver wouldn’t even look at him, “If you must know, she was doing yoga, and I saw...alot. It came on, I couldn’t get rid of it no matter how much I tried, and...long story short, I had to relieve myself.”

David broke into a smile, “...you’re back in the game.”

“SHUT UP.”

Chapter Six

Nathalie finished washing the wound and walked into the kitchen to throw the Q-tips away. She then walked back into the living room and chewed her lip thoughtfully, “Come...” She said, pulling Autumn up from the floor and heading into her room.
She searched through her bag and found a t-shirt for Autumn, “Here, take this.” She handed it to her and Autumn put it on with a weak smile.

“Where are we going?” Autumn fixed checked her hair and face in the mirror, making sure she hadn't smudged her make-up. Nathalie shrugged and grabbed her keys from a hook on the wall.

“Grocery shopping, job hunting, I don't know...”

“But we have jobs...” Autumn frowned, making Nathalie sigh.

“Yeah, but it's not exactly the best paid job in the world, now is it?”

“I guess...”

“And living in this apartment,” Nathalie laughed. “We'll be needing two jobs.”

“Yeah... Yeah, you're right...” Autumn grabbed the hairbrush lying on a chair in the hall. “Can I borrow this?” She asked, holding it up.

“Oh, yeah, sure!” Nathalie said, “But let me get rid of that...” She took the brush from Autumn and pulled off the blonde hairs that had gotten there when she had used it. “There, like new!”

“Thanks,” Autumn smiled and brushed through her hair. “I'd use my own, but it's probably in Sweden...”

“Yeah, no problem,” Nathalie could tell she was starting to think about him again. “Let's go!”

“So where do we go first?” Autumn said, hearing the door swing shut behind her.

“I don't know, do you have any work skills?”

“Not really...” Autumn admitted, “I mean, I can skate and dance, but I've already got that job.” She smiled. “What about you?”

“No, nothing major. I used to handle the dishes at my parents' bowling alley, but that's about it.”

“Should we split up and meet back at the apartment later?” Autumn suggested.

“Uh, yeah, we can meet back here and then go find a grocery store?”

“Sounds great. Oh damn it...”

“What?”

“I don't have my resume or anything...”

“Let's hope we can get jobs that don't require resumes, then...” Nathalie laughed. “See you later!”

“Yeah...” Autumn sighed and the two walked off in different directions. “What the hell can I do...?” She muttered to herself as she strolled down the street in the brisk air.

Because she was looking at her feet while walking, she accidentally walked into someone on the sidewalk, “I'm so sorry!” She exclaimed and looked up, but the person had already hurried off. “Fine, then...” Autumn rolled her eyes and looked at the stores surrounding her.

On the left side of the street, there was a sign saying “Wendy's Old Fashioned Cafe” and it had caught Autumn's eye. Curious as to what an old fashioned cafe was, she crossed the street and opened the door. Before entering, she saw a tiny sign in the window next to the door, reading “Help wanted”.

Autumn's eyes widened when she stepped inside: there were people on roller skates taking the orders, and the walls and furniture were, indeed, old fashioned.

“Table for one, sweetie?” One of the girls had skated up to her with a menu in her hands.

“Uh, no, thanks...” Autumn shook her head. “I was actually wondering if I could see the manager?”

“Sure thing...” The waitress blew a bubble with her chewing gum. “I think she's in the back, follow me.”

Autumn did her best to keep up with the fast skating girl, and when she reached the offices, which were behind the counter and the kitchen, she knocked three times fast.

“Yes?” A voice inside the room said. Autumn waited a few seconds before she realized that she had been given permission to go in.

“Hi...” She said, closing the door behind her.

“Is there a problem with your food?” The woman said, almost jumping out of her chair. “That cook, I'm telling you...” She muttered.

“No, no... I was just, er...” Autumn paused while the woman got back into her seat. “I saw the help wanted sign...”

“Oh,” The woman started looking through some papers on her desk. “First of all...” She said before handing over the piece of paper she had been looking for. “Can you roller skate?”

Autumn nodded slightly, “Yeah, uh, well I played hockey as a kid... It's almost the same as ice skating...”

“Yes...” The woman looked down at her desk again, and Autumn caught a glimpse of the sign standing on it. It revealed the woman's name: Wendy. Autumn wanted to smile, she had named the cafe after herself. “Well, fill this out and come back tomorrow. I'll get one of the girls to teach you how to act, alright?”

“Okay...” Autumn took the paper and eyed it quickly when she headed for the door.

“I never caught your name, honey?” Wendy said, causing Autumn to stop and turn around.

“It's Autumn.”

“That's a pretty name.”

“Thank you...” Autumn cleared her throat. “When should I come in?”

“We open at nine, so you should probably be here by eight thirty. Sound good?”

Autumn nodded, “I'll make it work.” She reached for the doorknob and turned it. “Goodbye.”

“Have a good day!” Wendy managed to say before Autumn closed the door behind her. She exhaled loudly and smiled for what felt like the first time that day.

-

Nathalie didn't know where she was going or where she should start looking, but she headed down the street and turned right around a corner. She almost skipped along on the sidewalk, putting in her headphones and listening to her iPod as she looked for places she would be able to work.

On her way, Nathalie passed several cafes and restaurants, but she had never been very good with handling other people's food, so she kept on walking.

All of a sudden, Nathalie heard something growl above her and she looked up just as the rain started to pour. She gasped and hurried into the closest building to avoid getting soaked.

“Jesus...” She looked around to see where she had just burst in, and it appeared to be a bowling alley. Nathalie shook her head. “The irony...” She thought and walked further into the room.

“Hello,” A middle-aged man greeted her when she sat down by the bar. “Can I get you anything?”

“A job?” Nathalie laughed and took the headphones out of her ears. The man blinked, not sure how to respond.

“Are you serious?”

Nathalie frowned, “Why?”

“We're actually looking for someone...” The man smiled slightly. “Are you interested?”

“Uh...” Nathalie tried to make out if he was joking or not. “What's the job?”

“You know, everything... Dishes, oil the bowling lanes, fix stuff at the back if the pins are stuck...”

“Um, okay... You don't need a resume or something?”

“No, I think you can handle it once you've learned. I have someone who can show you the basics.”

“Okay, so do I have to fill out some forms or something?”

“Oh yeah,” The man walked back to his office and returned with a piece of paper. “Just your basic information: name, social security number, address, phone number... And sign the bottom.”

Nathalie filled out the form and handed it to the man. He held out his hand for her to shake, “I'm Thomas, I'm going to be your manager.”

“Nathalie...” She replied and got off the chair. “When do I start?”

“Come around on Friday around nine, we open at ten.”

“Okay... Thanks a lot!”

“Happy to help!”

“Hey, excuse me? The pins are stuck...” One of the guests shouted from one of the lanes.

“Coming!” Thomas shouted back, “Pardon me...” He said to Nathalie and hurried back behind the lanes. Nathalie nodded and looked out the windows, seeing that the rain was subsiding. She decided it was probably best to head back home, since Autumn would be back soon and they had to do their grocery shopping.

-

Autumn had been waiting for ten minutes when Nathalie appeared, “Hey!” She said with a smile. “Did you manage to get a job?”

“I think so...” Autumn said. “How about you?”

“Yeah, at a bowling alley!” Nathalie laughed. “What are the odds, right?”

“You got hired on the spot?” Autumn looked confused.

“Yes! It was crazy, I ducked in there because it started to rain, and I just had to fill out a form and then I was done,” Nathalie shrugged. “So should we try to find a grocery store?”

“That is pretty crazy... And yeah, I passed one on the way, it's not far...”

“Alright, let's go!” Nathalie hooked arms with Autumn and let her lead them to the store and through the doors. “Wow, this place is huge...”

“Nah, it's all right...” Autumn shrugged and grabbed a shopping cart. “What do we need, exactly?”

“Uhh... Everything?” Nathalie laughed and looked around. “Let's just go over the basics, I think... You know, eggs, butter, bread, milk, juice...”

“This is going to take a while, isn't it?”

Nathalie nodded, “I'm afraid so...” She scanned the shelves and picked out bread, eggs, apples, oranges, butter, ham and cheese. After that, she frowned. “Why isn't there any milk here?”

“... there is.” Autumn said and grabbed a bag containing a white liquid.

“But... How does that...”

“You put it in a container,” Autumn said, looking at Nathalie as if she was stupid. “You've never seen this before?”

“Uhh, no... We've got cartons in Sweden...”

“Oh right, I remember that,” Autumn cleared her throat. “Anyway, we should probably go get a container for the milk as well.”

“We can get that in here?”

“Yes... Seriously, stop it, you're freaking me out.”

“Well, well, well, fancy running into you here...” Both Autumn and Nathalie swirled around at the sound of David's voice.

“Oh, hi,” Nathalie said. “Shopping, are you?”

“Yeeah...” David pulled Oliver forward. “We figured we can't eat out every night.”

“No,” Oliver said shyly. “Hey did you see where the milk is, I can't find any cartons...”

“We have bags...” Autumn blushed and started collecting potatoes in a plastic bag. She tied a knot on the bag and put it down in the cart.

“Oh right, Canada...” David laughed. “So what are you up to later?”

Nathalie smiled, biting her lip, “You know, just moving in properly and stuff, you?”

“Not sure yet, Ollie just set up his xbox, so we might check that out, won't we Ollie?” He pulled Oliver in and put his arm around his shoulder, ruffling his hair at the same time.

“Y-yeah...” Oliver smiled slightly, obviously uncomfortable. “We should probably go, we have practice too...”

David nodded, “Right, 5.30, was it?” Oliver replied with a single nod. “See you Friday.” He winked at Nathalie before walking off with Oliver.

Nathalie sighed, “They're adorable, both of them...”

“Yeah, let's finish shopping and go home.”

“Okay... He was totally staring at you by the way...” They made their way to the check-out counter and waited for the line to move forward.

“He was not...” Autumn looked into the cart and felt her cheeks flush red.

“Then why are you blushing?” Nathalie grinned, shoving her lightly with her hip. “You can at least go for coffee with him or something.”

“Yeah, I don't know,” Autumn started putting the groceries on the belt. “I'm not sure I'm ready for something yet...”

“You don't have to start something... Just hang out, talk. You know how to do that, right?” Nathalie picked up the final things and walked up to the cashier. She took out her Visa card and paid for everything.

“Oh, you didn't have to pay for that...” Autumn said, changing the subject.

Nathalie shrugged, “I'm sure you'll pay for groceries in the future, it's no big deal.”

“Thanks,” Autumn smiled as they put everything into plastic bags. “And of course I will.”

After spending half an hour trying to work out how to fit everything into the fridge, freezer and cupboards, Nathalie and Autumn went into their separate bedrooms to change.

They headed out the door together and made their way to practice through the now pouring rain.

“An umbrella... The one thing we forgot to buy...” Nathalie laughed after lunging through the entrance doors.

“We'll have to pick that up later...”

“Yeah, definitely...”

A few minutes later, they both hit the ice, excited to start their new jobs as ice girls. They were both thinking similar things: “I've missed skating” and “I've missed dancing.”