Tough Love

Chapter 18 - The invitation

They had been back for about three weeks when Sid got an invitation to the annual NHL awards, and he asked Brooke to be his date on the red carpet after he had opened the letter. Brooke just smiled and nodded, leaning over his shoulder to read the invitation, as they had been lounging around on the couch. "Do you think you're going to win something?" Brooke then asked Sid and he shrugged slightly and put the letter aside, turning around to look at his beautiful girlfriend. "Uh, I guess so. I'm nominated for a few of the awards and I think I didn't do too bad this season, so I'll maybe have a good chance," he stated and Brooke just grinned at him. "Well in my eyes, you're the winner anyways," she said and Sid just chuckled quietly and pressed a kiss to her lips. "That's nice to know, thanks," he mumbled between kisses. "We need to go shopping for a dress then," Brooke added and Sid just let out a rumble. "Really? I'm not a good shopping companion," he said and Brooke just shook her head with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll ask Taylor. We wanted to go shopping anyway," she said and Sid let out a breath of relief, getting a soft punch to his side. Brooke then got up and grabbed her phone, calling Sid's sister and planning to go shopping the next weekend, and then she disappeared in the kitchen for a moment, getting herself something to drink. "Taylor's coming with me, seems like it's a win-win situation. I get to spend some time with your lovely sister while doing something we both like and you don't have to come," Brooke said when she got back and Sid sat up with a grin. "I wouldn't mind going shopping with you, Brookie. I'm just not the best companion when it comes to fashion, I've got no idea of what's good and what's not," he stated and Brooke just grinned slightly and got down on his lap, placing her arms around his neck. "Well, I like the way you dress, so who cares if it's fashionable or not?" she said and Sid smiled, placing his hands on her waist and looking up at her. "I can't wait to show you off on the red carpet. I've never been happier," he said softly and a smile appeared on Brooke's face. "Me too. This is the best relationship I've ever been in. It just...feels natural," Brooke responded quietly and Sid smiled at her and pulled her closer to himself. Brooke leaned down a bit and pressed her lips onto his, kissing him softly. They broke apart a bit later and Brooke got off his lap and cuddled into his side instead, placing her head on his chest and looking at the tv, which Sid had started up. They just watched a show, cuddling on his couch and enjoying their time together. Eventually, they both decided to go to bed a bit earlier than usual, and Brooke got up and went to Sid's bedroom, where she changed into her sleep shirt and opened the ponytail her hair had been in. She spent most of her freetime over at Sid's house, so most of her stuff was there already, but she also went home from time to time, so it wasn't quite like they were living together, even though they'd talked about that subject. Both of them didn't have anything against it, but they both agreed that they weren't in a rush, and so Brooke just spent her time over there, but still had her own apartment.
The next weekend, about a week before the NHL awards would be held, Taylor came over and Brooke arrived at Sid's place a bit later, and the two women left Sid's house after a late brunch to go shopping together. "How have you been, Brooke?" Taylor asked her with a smile and Brooke leaned back in her car, her eyes never leaving the road. "Great. Everything's awesome," Brooke said with a soft smile and Taylor just laughed quietly. They talked about other stuff for the rest of the drive and eventually got to the shop they had been searching for. "Okay, what kind of dress are we searching for?" Taylor asked, tying her hair together and Brooke looked around shortly, biting her lip. "Uh, definitely a long one. I was thinking about a deep red, blue or black. Maybe crème?" she stated and Taylor nodded. They both started looking around for a suitable dress and when they had found a few good ones, Brooke went to try them on one after another. "Beautiful" "You look like a princess" "I like that one" Taylor commented all of Brooke's dresses positively, but Brooke didn't find the one she had been looking for. "How about that one?" Taylor eventually asked and Brooke looked at the beautiful red dress Taylor was showing her. "It's beautiful," she said in awe, taking the dress with her and changing into it. It fit perfectly, and Brooke looked at herself in the mirror before walking out and looking at Taylor. "That's the one. Definitely!" Taylor stated, walking around Brooke and looking her up and down critically. They decided to buy the dress and go out for lunch, and when they were sitting in a cozy restaurant next to esch other a bit later with the dress, Brooke leaned forwards a bit. "I need your help for something else, Taylor," she stated and when Sid's sister nodded and looked at her questioningly, she smiled. "It's Sid's birthday soon," she just said and explained her plan to Taylor, who nodded with a grin from time to time.
Together, they worked out more details, and they also called a few of the guys on the team to ask for their help as well, making them promise not to tell Sid before letting them in on their plan. They planned out everything and Brooke just grinned to herself, nodding from time to time. This was definitely going to be a good birthday for Sid, she'd definitely make sure of it.