All the Ways

xviii

Johnny was on such a high after the game, speaking to every reporter with a big smile on his face. But right now, the only person he wanted to see wasn't there to see him. The only person he wanted to share his happiness with was Paige, who was probably just sitting in her apartment alone.

/////

Amber watched Sean scarf down his plate of food as she sat in front of him. She chuckled and he raised his head up. He wiped his mouth, "Sorry. Games make me hungry."

Amber pierced her food with a fork, "It's no problem," she smiled, "It's actually kinda cute."

He smirked, "Oh, yeah? Me eating is cute? You should see me eat something else besides this steak."

Amber picked up what he was putting down and kicked him under the table. Sean winced and she just gave him a stern look. As they ate together, a girl about a few years younger than Amber approached them, "Excuse me? Sean Monahan? Can I get a picture with you, please? I'm a huge fan."

Sean smiled at her, "Of course." They leaned into each other as Amber snapped a photo, and the girl smiled and said thank you as she walked away.

One girl turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into basically the entire restaurant asking for photos with Sean. Amber might as well quit her job to be his personal photographer. After that died down, the two paid for their meal and walked back to Amber's car. She started the car and backed out of the parking spot silently, gazing at her rearview mirror, making sure she wouldn't run into anything.

"You good?" Sean asked as she drove intently on the highway. The only noises he could hear were her tires rolling on the road, and ever so often, she would turn her blinker on to merge lanes.

Amber nodded, still focusing on the road. She exited to make her way to Sean's apartment so she could drop him off. He could still tell something was bothering her.

"I'm not getting out until you tell me what's wrong."

She ran a hand through her hair, "Nothing is wrong, I just don't know... Remember when I asked you if we were boring because I was upset we didn't do fun things like everyone else?"

Sean nodded and furrowed his brows, "We do lots of fun things, Amber."

"That's exactly it! Every time we go out, everyone wants your picture. You're Sean Monahan. Literally every female in Calgary wants to get in your pants."

"And that's the issue?"

"I mean, the true issue is that I'm always with you, and these people talk about me. I'm fine with the simple stuff--they can call me a bitch or whatever, my roommates call me that everyday. But it's that I don't want them to constantly spread shit about me. I like being boring with you, Sean. I like laying in your bed and watching 90210. I like being with you. I don't need fancy dinners or planned out dates."

He smiled, "I like being boring with you too. We can go out less. I don't even like going out. I just did it for you."

She kissed him, "Thank you, Boring Monahan."

He stuck his tongue out at her as he left the car. She watched him walk to the elevator, giving him a small wave as he entered and made his way up.

/////

Paige sat on the couch with a bag of chips on her lap. She was watching Grey's Anatomy, as always, enjoying the empty house. Paige was loving her alone time. Her phone was off, her show was on, she felt relaxed. Amber was probably still having dinner with Sean, and Vivienne was at Sam's. Someone knocked on the door, and Paige rolled her eyes, pausing her show.

Who possibly needed to talk to her at 9:30? Her makeup was off, she was in lazy clothes, and she had no motivation. If one of her coworkers was here asking her to go out with them tonight, she would give them a big, fat, no.

She peered through the peephole to see Johnny standing there, looking down, with his hands in his pockets. He wore the suit he always wore--a light blue shirt, with a gray jacket and pants. His hair was tucked away in a dark gray beanie. She opened the door and just stared. Paige didn't say a word to him, she just raised an eyebrow.

"Hi." He smiled.

She let him inside, and walked back to the couch. "Hi," she said with her back turned to him, "You're done not talking to me now?"

"Paige, c'mon." He sat on the couch next to her, but she slid away.

She crossed her arms at him and kept the distance between them, "You owe me an explanation."

"I don't know. It's stupid when I think about it. I felt bad, so I distanced myself. I tried to focus on hockey and hockey only."

"Right. You know you can't run away from your problems, right?"

He shrugged, "I know that now."

She closed the gap between them, "Look, I know you had a bad week. But you know you can always come to me. I'm always your biggest supporter. I know I run away from my problems too, but I'm trying. I want you to try too, Johnny."

"Yeah," He wrapped an arm around her, "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have shut you out."

"It's okay. It happens. I know I do that to you sometimes, too. We're trying."

"You know, I was really sad when I didn't see you after my game."

"And I was really sad when you didn't text me for a week. We're even."

He kissed her forehead, "I guess."

She laughed, "But I really am happy for you, Johnny. You should've seen me when you scored. I was going crazy."

"I wouldn't have anyone else to go crazy over me. Thank you for coming tonight, even though I was being a dumbass."

Paige smiled at him, "Yeah, yeah. Now pay attention to this episode. They're about to save this girl's life."

Johnny ended up binge watching with Paige, except he fell asleep. He was only woken up by her sobbing into his shirt, "Are you okay?"

She continued to cry, "Grey's."

He laughed and wiped the tears streaming from her eyes. Johnny grabbed the remote from her hand, turning the TV off.

Amber came in right as the TV shut off, seeing the two and smiling. She mouthed a "Good job" to Johnny as he nodded and carried Paige to her room.

He set Paige down on her bed, tucking her in, and kissing her forehead. She sniffled, "John?"

"What's up?" He said, getting ready to leave.

"Can you spend the night?" She scooted over to make room for him, "We just haven't been together in a--"

"Yes." He answered her quickly, opening her closet. He grabbed some clothes from a pile of his and changed. He laid down next to Paige, slipping under the comforter.

She kissed him on the cheek, "I'm glad you said yes. I love you. I missed sleeping next to you."

He smiled, "Good night, baby."