Clarky

3

As the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the room, Kelley opens her eyes and smiles at the sight of Emily or as she prefers being called, Clarky, asleep in the bed beside her. Lifting the blankets, she does her best to slide out of the bed and not disturb the hockey player. Pulling on some pants, she heads to the washroom and then to the kitchen.

"Morning."

Dakota smiles and chuckles as Kelley grabs a mug and pours herself some of the fresh brew.

"What?"

Dakota smiles, "Just find it funny that the smell of coffee still gets you out of bed."

Kelley chuckles and shrugs before taking a sip. "So good!"

"Kel, umm, damn, this is awkward ..."

"Let me guess, you want to know if anything happened between Clarky and I last night, right?"

"Yeah."

"So much happened, I mean, we talked until around 3 this morning before finally deciding to call it a night."

Dakota looks at her, "Only talked?"

Kelley nods, "She's just had a difficult breakup and needed a friend, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen and a voice to give her reassurance and perspective; and that's what I gave her. She felt uncomfortable talking to you about it, because, from the sounds of it you never approved of the relationship to begin with and she didn't want to disappoint you. Bear, I've been known to make my fair share of mistakes in the past, but there are still some lines that I'd never cross, even, if I do find someone attractive and one of them happens to be when they're hurting either emotionally and or physically."

Dakota smiles, "You like Clarky?"

Kelley smiles, "I do; she's cute and funny, although, her taste in music is questionable."

"Agreed. You know, I'm really liking this new version of Kelley; perhaps, if, you were like this when we were together, we'd have actually gotten and stayed married."

"Maybe, or perhaps, we were always meant to just be friends."

Dakota walks over and hugs her, "We're never going that long without talking again!"

Kelley chuckles, "It's almost as if we really were married; hot and heavy at the start and then barely communicating at the end."

Dakota chuckles. "Could always count on you for a witty comment or comeback. What would you like to do today? I have to pick up Gen from the airport at around 3."

"Actually, I already made plans to check out downtown with Emily."

"Oh, okay."

Kelley looks at her, "You almost sound disappointed to be missing out on spending time with me."

Dakota chuckles, "Maybe, a little. It's just that starting tomorrow, my time is no longer my own."

Kelley nods, "I get that; you are after all one of the faces of the franchise."

Dakota smiles, "You know me, I've never been one who's loved having cameras in my face, but, as Gen explained, it's about so much more than just me and stepping outside of my comfort zone. We've been discussing starting a family soon and the thought of being an inspiration to not only our future children but to the countless others who will be filling the stands and cheering us on from home, supersedes my need to be an introvert."

Kelley smiles, "Nice to see and hear I'm not the only one who's grown up and taken stock over the last few years. Em and I had discussed starting a family once our careers were over and now, I'm heading into what's likely to going to be my last season and I've no one to share it or my bed with."