Bleeding Black and Gold (Bruins- Tuukka Rask)

Happy Birthday to Me (part 2)

"Alex! Are you ready yet?" Tuukka's banging on the bedroom door. 

"Five more minutes," I call to him from the bathroom. 

I adjust the simple black dress that Mel left on my bed, apply mascara and eyeliner, twist my hair into a knot at the back of my head with a few curls hanging loose to frame my face, slip on my go-to flats, and then grab a coat before opening the door. 

"Done! What do you think?" I ask, giving Tuukka a small twirl. 

"I don't see how that took over half an hour," he sighs as we leave his apartment. 

"Actually, doing my makeup was the long part, not even to mention I had to shower first," I remind him. 

Tuukka rolls his eyes as we step into the elevator. He, Mel, and Torey are taking me to this little Italian place in the North End for my birthday dinner. As much as I protested that they'd all done more than enough for me, I had been threatened to be taken with force by someone who shall remain nameless ( Mel ). So I agreed. Tuukka looks pretty nice in his creased khakis, white collared shirt, and a black tie. He has a sports jacket folded over his arm. The elevator dings, and we step out into the garage. 

"How far to the restaurant?" I ask Tuukka as we walk to his car. 

"Around ten minutes," he tells me as we reach his car. I slide into the front seat and wait for Tuukka to start the car. 

"Is Mel going to make a big deal out of this?" I ask him. 

Tuukka smiles. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." 

I pout in my seat with my arms crossed until we reach the restaurant. I see Torey and Mel's car here already, and take a deep breath as I climb out of the car. 

"Shall we go in?" Tuukka asks me, offering me his arm. I wrap my hand around his arm. 

"Not really. Can't we just go back to your place- or mine- and get pizza?" I beg. 

Tuukka laughs. "Yeah, and Mel will have my head. You're going through with this." 

He pulls me into the restaurant, where Mel immediately pounces on me as we walk through the doors. 

"Alex!" She exclaims, hugging me and tearing my had away from Tuukka's arm. 

"Hey, Mel," I sigh. 

"You look fabulous! So everything fit?" 

"Yes, everything fit. Thank you," I smile at her. 

"Melanie, let the poor girl breathe!" 

Torey comes over and takes Mel's hand, slipping his hand into hers. "Hello Alex," he smiles at me. 

"Hi, Torey," I smile back and wave. 

"The table's ready," Torey tells us. 

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Mel exclaims.

"I'm finished," I proclaim, sitting back and putting my hands up. 

"I know, I can't eat another bite," Mel groans from across the table. 

"How can you be full?" Tuukka asks around a mouthful of spaghetti. 

"We both had salads too. And I'm saving room for dessert," I remind him. 

"And I had like a whole basket of bread. Your point?" 

"You're also a guy. Generally you eat more than girls," I roll my eyes with my response. 

"Are both of you too full for dessert?" Torey grins. I lean on the table and look him right in the eyes.