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.”

Chapter Five

Oliver felt his heart pounding in his chest as David sat down with them, looking more smug than ever. He watched Autumn as she talked to Nathalie. His insides swelled.

"Did you seriously just-" Silver started to say. David just grinned at him, "I did."

Oliver couldn't help saying, "Wow, teach me?" and then he cringed. It sounded alot more pathetic than he had intended. Thankfully, David seemed to understand.

"For your sake, let's hope they order dessert."

Well, sort of.

Oliver felt hopeless, "I can't exactly do the same thing..."

"I'm jealous, Nathalie, he's so gorgeous," Autumn said. Nathalie sighed happily, "I know! I actually saw him a few years ago when he played against my team, but damn, I never in a million years thought this would happen!" She couldn't stop smiling.

Autumn politely gave her a nod, pushing the food around her plate. Oliver still watched the back of her pretty head, wondering what they were talking about. He only felt just a little bit pathetic.

"Nathalie looks shocked, Dave," he said, "I still can't believe you just went over and did that, without even a second thought." Silver added, "And it worked."

Erik shook his head, "Classic Rundblad, though." His phone beeped and he groaned, "I'm sorry guys, I've gotta go."

Silver noted the name on the text message he had just received, and sighed, "Ok, well, guess we'll see you later." Erik waved and left the restaurant, leaving the three boys on their own. Oliver hoped they wouldn't notice him as much with Erik gone; he was the youngest, after all.

"You're not going to eat that?" Nathalie asked finally. Autumn looked up from her plate and bit her lip, "Guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was." She felt a pang in her stomach. She was hungry...but she didn't want to eat.

"You're going to need it, though," Nathalie told her, "I mean, we do have our general stuff tonight. Basic routines." Autumn sighed, "Yeah, I know, I'll make sure I'll eat later. I'll have them package it up for me, I guess..."

Nathalie sensed her uneasiness, "I'm sorry, I've just played sports for a long time and the importance of having enough energy and food in you just comes naturally to me. Especially when I played soccer, it was super important."

"That's how I know her!" Silver exclaimed, making a few people glance at their table, "She was on the national team! God, I feel stupid now." David and Oliver just blinked at her. "Uh, are you guys from Sweden, or Serbia? She captained it two years ago, brought the team to a silver and a bronze. My brother dated the goalie on the team for some time."

David's eyebrows rose, "Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing her being interviewed once or twice..."

Silver laughed, "You need to watch something other than Paradise Hotel, retard."

David looked offended, "Hey, I watch other stuff...late night stuff..."

Oliver frowned at him, "You're shallow."

"Well, I'm seeing her now, aren't I?"

Oliver shrugged. David didn't have real relationships; at least none that had lasted longer than three months. He dated girls that spray-tanned and had bleachy hair. Girls that smelled like too much perfume and had high-pitched voices. Nathalie was different.

"She reminds me of Adele..." Oliver said quietly.

"Who?" David chirped. Oliver rolled his eyes, "Just nevermind."

"Soccer is big in Europe," Autumn said quietly, still pushing her food around, "I know that." Nathalie nodded, "Yeah, I played for the national team. I was pretty good until I collided with someone and took out my knee..." She looked sad all of a sudden, "Two surgeries and no results. So, I turned to yoga, then dance, to try and rehab it, and I guess you can say I found a new love. Not as strong as I felt for soccer, but close enough."

Autumn could hardly believe she was sharing this with her, "Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. If anything happened to me, I'd die, I wouldn't be able to handle it. I mean, I never played sports, but I danced." I danced until he told me I couldn't, she thought.

"Do you wanna check out the apartment?" Nathalie asked, changing the subject, "It's a two-bedroom, and I was actually going to put out an ad for a roommate since it was the only decent thing I could find online from home, but now that I've met you, I don't think I'll have to!" Autumn was surprised at how genuinely happy she was.

"Yeah, I'd love to, actually, let's just ask for the check, and I'll get this packaged up for me," she replied, quickly talking to the waiter. Oliver swallowed when she stood up to pick up her purse. She had an apple bottom, all right.

"They're leaving," David piped up, "This is the part where you walk over and ask her out." Oliver felt his cheeks flush, "I can't just do that!" What if she thinks I'm weird? Or a creep?

"Just say, 'Hi. Don't know if you're aware, but I'm your other half. Been looking for you for awhile.'" Silver burst out laughing and Oliver gave David the dirtiest look he could muster.

"Oh, ha ha," he rolled his eyes, but stood up, "Fine, I'll go talk to her."

David's eyes widened, "Go get 'em, Ollie Bear." Oliver cringed, but straightened himself, and turned to approach their table. Autumn was just putting her purse on her shoulder when he had reached her.

"Um, hi..." he said quietly, "I was, uh, just going to ask, would you like to go out sometime?" Please don't scream and run away, please don't think I'm weird, and please, if you're going to let me down, be gentle about it.

Oliver brought himself to look at her, face to face, just the two of them, for the first time. Her big eyes had grown wider at his inquisition; but beautiful none the less. He could feel his stomach erupting into a giant ball of butterflies, seeing how her long dark hair framed her soft face. Her mouth fell open, she paused.

"Oh."

What did 'Oh.' mean? Oliver braced himself for the bitter rejection.

"Do I...do I know you?" she asked. Oh fuck, I forgot to say my fucking name. Fuck.

"I'm sorry, I'm Oliver," Oliver outstretched his hand and shook hers, wanting to die when he felt her warm and soft hers was, "My friend David just asked your friend Nathalie out, actually."

"Oh, okay," she said, "I'm Autumn."

I know, and it's the prettiest name I've ever heard. "Nice to meet you. So, what do you say? We could get coffee or something sometime, if you want."

She looked down, "Um...I'm, well...I'm not actually, dating, right now..."

Oliver's tone changed, obviously hurt. Autumn felt her stomach lurch. She didn't want to say no, but she couldn't bring herself to say yes, either.

"..I'm sorry...."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have bothered you." Oliver nodded and walked away, dejected, back to the table. Of course. Why did he think he stood a chance?

David waited, "Well?"

"Of course she's not dating right now..." Oliver sulked. David rolled his eyes, "Chrissakes, Ollie." Silver gave him a look, and David softened, "Sorry..."

"He was so cute, why did you say that?" Nathalie asked. Autumn shrugged, "I just got out of a bad relationship." She didn't want to say it, but she did. Nathalie seemed to understand, "I see..."

"Should've at least dropped off your number, dipshit..." David mumbled. Oliver thought about it for a moment. Maybe she could take interest in him; maybe one night she'd be bored and think of him. Maybe he still had a shot.

Nathalie and Autumn were about to walk out of the restaurant when Oliver came bounding at them, a napkin and a pen in his hand.

"Wait!" he called out, causing Autumn to turn, "Hey, if you change your mind..." He jotted something down on the napkin, then handed it to her, "Here."

"What's this?" she asked.

Oliver blushed, "My number. See you." He turned around, his face red, and walked back to the table. Nathalie marveled at him, nudging Autumn, "That was possibly the most adorable thing I've ever seen any guy do." No, he wasn't suave like David, but he was certainly interested.

Autumn looked at the scrawl on the napkin. He'd written his full name.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

She shook her head in disbelief.

-

"Well, this is it," Nathalie exclaimed, opening the door. Autumn wandered in behind her and smiled in spite of herself. The apartment was red, her favourite colour, and as she had said, had two bedrooms. It was quaint, not too small, but perfect.

"I love it." Autumn breathed. Nathalie grinned, "So do I, now that I'm not alone. Not as nice when you're all by yourself. As you can see, I haven't even unpacked..."

"You sure you're ok with this?" Autumn asked.

Nathalie didn't hesitate, "Absolutely. I don't want to be here by myself, and I like you."

Autumn smiled. She'd made a friend.

-

Canada Post had called Autumn by mid-afternoon to inform her that her boxes had arrived. Before leaving Sweden, she had quickly boxed up her belongings and mailed them to the post office in Ottawa, since she had yet to give an address. Thankfully, her phone from years before was still working and had been re-activated when she arrived, and they were able to contact her.

Nathalie was kind enough to go with her and help load the six boxes into a taxi and bring them to the apartment. Autumn herself had stopped at her hotel to check out and brought her suitcase over. Now, she had everything at the apartment. The six boxes were around her, and she was about to cut the first one open.

"I am so out of shape..." Nathalie sighed, collapsing into a chair. Autumn laughed a little, "Don't worry, Veronica says we will be after training. Gonna be intense." She cut the tape across the top of the box and pulled it open.

A pile of t-shirts that were too big for her told Autumn this wasn't what she wanted to see. Her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped, catching Nathalie's attention.

"What?"

"This...this isn't mine..." Autumn quickly closed the box and sunk down to the floor, laying against the wall, "I can't believe it...I'm so stupid..."

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, I packed the wrong things...HIS things...oh god..."

Nathalie, seeing Autumn had started to cry, crouched down in front of her, "Hey, slow down, what's going on?" She reached over and grabbed some tissues from the coffee table, handing them to her. Autumn gratefully took them and wiped her eyes.

"My ex. These are his boxes. Which means I sent some of my belongings to Karlstad, and I...I have some of his things..."

"Hang out. One, are you sure all of these are his, and two, why did you have to send them?"

"It's a long, pathetic, stupid story..."

Nathalie sat down cross-legged in front of her, "I've got time."

Autumn sighed, "Please don't judge me. Please don't think I'm...a freak."

"I won't. I promise."

Nathalie seemed genuine. And there was no one else around them. Autumn decided that if she was going to be her friend, she had to be honest with her. Her eyes closed, and she opened her mouth.

"I had a boyfriend before I came her," she said quietly, "I was with him for two years. We met online, and after meeting a few times...he decided to come to Canada. But he didn't like it, and told me unless I went to Sweden with him...he'd leave me."

"Did you go?"

"I did, yes," Autumn continued, her voice shakey and throat tight, "He moved to Karlstad. And left me in Falun, where we were living. Promised he'd come back and get me when he found us a place." She paused to sob a little. "He started partying. And I kept finding these pictures and texts from other girls. If I confronted him...which I was too scared to do...he'd..."

Nathalie's voice was heavy with concern, "Autumn, what did he do to you?"

Autumn swallowed, "Just...just this. And only this." She leaned forward. "And it was an accident." She added.

Nathalie gingerly lifted the back of Autumn's shirt and gasped. A ghastly dark red hole about the size of her hand settled just on her lower back; pieces of it black and peeling. It was a burn. A gigantic, likely third-degree burn with scorched flesh and oozing mess.

"Autumn, this isn't 'just' or 'only'!" Nathalie exclaimed, "This is...this is horrible..."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not fine," Nathalie stood up, "Look. I understand you're embarrassed, but please let me clean it up before it gets any more infected than it already is."

Autumn said nothing, only seemed to gaze off somewhere else in sadness. Nathalie didn't wait for the ok, instead she dug through her belongings until she found Polysporin and Q-tips. A package of bandages and gauze would help to cover it. She returned to find Autumn unmoved.

"Just pull off your shirt," Nathalie instructed, "You should likely wash it, too." Thankfully the shirt was black, and had covered any of it.

"Easy..." she said when Autumn flinched at the contact, "God, this is bad. You should see a doctor."

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean I'll have to tell them how I got it."

"And how exactly-"

"Doesn't matter."

Nathalie said nothing after that. She simply spread the Polysporin on her; trying to put her through as little pain as possible. The anger she had for this ex-boyfriend only seemed to increase, and yet the curiosity to find out more about this relationship and what had gone wrong still coursed through her.

"I still love him."

Nathalie tried her best to hold in her tears. She swallowed several times and avoided her gaze, continuing to clean up the wound. Autumn hugged her knees, "Maybe it's because I still hope, that somewhere deep down inside him, is the boy I fell for..."

"I'm sorry, honey, but looking at this," Nathalie said, "I think that boy died a long time ago." Her words hit like daggers, but they were the truth, and Autumn knew she had to accept it.

-

David and Silver were chatting in the front of the car as Oliver sifted through his Facebook newsfeed on his Android. He came across her page and sighed. No, he shouldn't look at it, but for some reason, he wanted to.

Her new photo album had her new boyfriend in it. Oliver felt a pang in his stomach as he scrolled through the many pictures of them kissing; of her holding his hand and making comments like 'best day ever! <3'. It shouldn't hurt after all this time, Oliver thought. But it did.

His stomach churned when he saw the older photos. The two of them together, happy. Or so he thought. She'd cheated from the start, Oliver knew that now, but for some reason he felt like everything had been ok. That he'd been enough, for her. She was going to go with him to Ottawa, to cheer him on and be everything.

Somewhere along the line she changed her mind, and Oliver had gone from number one to just another number on her bedpost. The money she'd taken was nothing compared to the years she'd robbed him of. Everyone had said she was bad news. Everyone, especially David and Silver. But Oliver just couldn't listen. He had loved her.

Now he was alone, in a city he didn't know and a language that felt strange on his tongue. Sure, he had two friends with him, but he felt soon that would change. They'd be competing for spots on the team; spots they'd have to earn and completely disregard each other to do so. Three weeks, and although he was surrounded by his friends and fans, he felt completely, and utterly alone.

Oliver didn't miss Trina. He missed the feeling of being wanted.

Chapter Four

“Where do you want to go?” Nathalie asked when they had changed into their regular clothes.

“Oh, I don't know...” Autumn replied, trying to push her t-shirt into her bag. “I don't know much about Ottawa.”
They had reached the entrance now, and were just stepping out on to the street when Nathalie stopped in the middle of a step. “Shit...” She said and looked up at Autumn. “I forgot my phone in the dressing room... I'll just go get it, be right back.”

“Okay...” Autumn walked back inside and sat down in one of the chairs in the lobby area. She looked around, seeing a big Senators logo on the wall and some men in suits talking in low voices in a corner.

Nathalie hummed on one of the latest pop songs when she hurried back to the dressing room. She pulled the door open and darted inside.

“Oh, hi,” She said to the other girls and walked over to the place where she had been sitting earlier. “Forgot my phone.” She smiled at them and pushed through the door, checking her messages as she did so.

Scrolling through her missed calls and texts, she turned a corner and the next thing she knew, she was knocked over, landing on the hard stone floor. “Ow...” She frowned and looked up at what she had walked into.

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry!” A guy's voice sounded from above and Nathalie saw him holding out his hand for her to take. She grabbed on to it and was easily helped off the floor. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine...” Nathalie let go of his hand and moved hers to her lower back. “Wow, you came out of nowhere...”

“Oh yeah, I'm sorry about that. I was in my own little world.” He smiled weakly. “You sure you're okay?”

“Yeah, hurt my back a little, but I'll be fine.”

“Dave, what's the rush?!” Another guy said, coming around the corner after him. “Oh hi. Wait, you're-”

“I'm what?” Nathalie frowned and took her bag off the floor.

“One of the ice girls, right?” A third guy said, standing next to the second guy.

“Uh, yeah... How do you know that?”

“We were in the arena so we watched the try-outs,” The first guy said. “I'm David, this is Oliver and Jakob.”

“Oh, hi...” Nathalie smiled slightly. “And you're on the Sens, I'm assuming?”

“Yeah, exactly.” David grinned.

“Nathalie, what's taking so long?” Autumn said, sounding annoyed. “I'm hungry, uh, who are your friends?”

Oliver felt his heart beating faster inside his chest. It was her, Autumn, the girl he had been looking at all day. She was even more beautiful up close.

“Um, David, Oliver and Jakob,” Nathalie said. “We should go to lunch, yeah? I guess we'll see you boys around.” She grabbed Autumn's arm and started walking away.

“Do you know them or something?” Autumn said when they were out of earshot.

“No, I just bumped into them now. The first one kind of knocked me over.” She shook her head and the two started walking along the streets.

“Uh, okay...” Autumn said, looking into the restaurants and food chains they passed. “This one looks good, right?” She opened the door to a middle sized restaurant and they both walked in, sitting down at a table close to the door.

“I'm craving pasta sooo bad...” Nathalie said, looking through the menu. “I haven't had proper food in a while...”

“How come?” Autumn said, raising her eyebrows.

“Uh, well, I had lots of operations on my knee back home after an injury, and during that time I just didn't feel like eating. And then there was the long plane ride over here and yeah.” She shrugged. “What are you having?”

“Just a salad I think.” Autumn closed her menu. “Why did you need surgery?”

“Some girl tried to tackle me down and came in a little too late...” Nathalie said, her eyes looking sad. “Um, I played soccer back home, and she hit me right on the side of my knee... I was on crutches for, uh, five months, pretty much.”

“Wow...” Autumn looked shocked. “Well, it doesn't show.”

“I'm glad. It took a lot of rehab to just be able to walk without crutches. They said I could play soccer again, but it would take a lot of time and I don't have the patience.”

“Oh yeah, I get that...”

-

“You were staring at her, Ollie...” Jakob teased as the boys walked through Ottawa. “You're lucky she didn't notice you!”

“I was not!” Oliver felt the red flush to his cheeks and pushed his hands down his pockets.

“Yeeah, you were...” David said, looking through windows as they passed the buildings. “They said they were going to lunch...” He muttered, and when he finally caught the look of the two girls, he smiled. “Let's go in here.”

Erik had now caught up with them, and the three boys followed David into the restaurant. They sat down in a booth some distance away from the girls. David sat so that he could see Nathalie perfectly, and Oliver sat down next to him.

“God, it's them...” Oliver looked down and swallowed.

“I know,” David smirked. “That's why we went in here.”

“You're insane...” Oliver rested his head in his hands.

“Who are you talking about?” Erik asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Some of our new ice girls,” Jakob smiled. “Dave and Ollie found some that they like.”

“Oh really?” Erik turned around and caught a glimpse of them. “Nice choice, guys.”

“Oh yeah...” David laughed. “Maybe we should order, though. Don't want it to look suspicious.”

“I'm not hungry...” Oliver said, watching Autumn.

“Because you're looking at your future wife.” David teased. “You should ask her out.”

“Yeah, let me just buy some courage first...” Oliver rolled his eyes.

“You don't need courage, girls fall for you all the time.”

“Yeah, but not the right ones...” Oliver sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Shit!” He looked down quickly.

“Oh, crap...” David said, laughing slightly.

“What?” Jakob raised his eyebrows.

“She looked right at me...” Oliver blushed. “Fuck...”

-

“I think they were just looking at us...” Autumn frowned and turned back to Nathalie, who looked over Autumn's shoulder to see more clearly.

“Oh, it's the guys I ran into earlier.” She said, rolling her eyes. “Don't think about it.”

-

“I wish I could hear what they're saying...” David said. “I'm distracted by Nathalie's rack, though.”

“Dude, you're gross!” Jakob exclaimed.

“Agreed...” Oliver shook his head.

“Look, though!” David said, his voice slightly higher.

“Dave...” Oliver said through gritted teeth.

“What?!”

“Do you ever stop thinking about sex?”

“Well I've had a dry spell...”

Jakob sighed, “Here we go...”

“And when I bumped into her, they jiggled, you know, all cute and such, like boobs do.”

“Yeah, they tend to do that.” Oliver looked at Erik and Jakob, seeking their help.

“Oliver, go distract Autumn, I want to talk to Nathalie.” David said, getting ready to stand up.

“Hello? Do you know me? I can't distract her!”

Jakob laughed, “Yeah, are you stupid, Dave?”

“It's always me...” David said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, what do you expect me to do? I can't just go over and talk to her, I don't even know her!”

David sighed, “Watch and learn.” He stood up, walked over to the waiter and took the two plates from him. “Lunch is served, ladies.” He said with a smile and put the plates down in front of them.

Jakob looked in awe as his friend and team mate did this. “He's either the bravest guy on earth, or the dumbest.”

Nathalie smiled at this odd gesture. “Hello again,” She said. “Are you stalking me?”

“Hmm, maybe...” David said. “Or perhaps I just want to tell you how sorry I am for nearly knocking you out earlier.”

“It's fine, I need to stop looking at my phone all the time...” Nathalie laughed, gesturing at it where it was lying on the table.

David smiled again, “Happens to the best of us.” He said. “You should put my number in there.”

Nathalie looked at Autumn and then back to David, “Why don't you do it yourself?” She said, pushing the phone toward him.

David picked it up, “iPhone, good choice for a pretty girl.” Nathalie smiled and looked at Autumn again, shaking her head slightly. This guy was incredible. “There you go.” He said. “Meet you here at seven on Friday? Bring that smile. Oh, and enjoy your meal.” He walked back to his table with a big smile on his face.

Autumn stared in awe at Nathalie's phone, “What just happened?” Nathalie shook her head.

“I think I have a date...”