Love You Long Time (Duncan Keith)

20| Reunited

Duncan

I stand in front of my stall in the locker room and smile big. Everything was where it should be and all fresh and clean. I know the equipment managers were here all night getting ready for the start of this shortened season. They were excited too, the feeling in the locker room was purely ecstatic. Guys got to sharpen their skates and tape their sticks for the first time since last April. It was a good feeling around here.

I grab my things from my locker and start to get ready. Just like the old times I pull on my pads and skates. I tape myself before throwing on my jersey. I grab my bucket and a stick and head towards the door.

"If it isn't jigsaw himself" someone calls out and I stop walking. I turn around and see no one other than THE Patrick Kane standing in the middle of the locker room. Well not the middle middle, no one steps on the Indian head. But pretty much the middle.

I smile big as he comes over to where I was standing. "How is it going my brother" he asks.

"It's going good. How have you been? Did you learn any Swiss" I ask and he laughs.

"Yeah. Just to ask where the beer was" he claims.

"Good to see you haven't changed" I admit.

"Not even a little" he assures me. "So a little birdie told me that Alyssa is back" he says and I smile.

Alyssa and Patrick... well they were truly something else. Sometimes I felt like she was one of us, the guys loved having her around. She will out drink and out party any guy in any locker room and she was well respected for that. But no one had more fun at a bar with her than Patrick. Those two were hilarious. A sight to see really. I mean they got in so much trouble that she's half the reason Patrick can't go to bunch of bars when we're on the road. They got in and out of trouble so easily they could have their own tv show.

"Yeah. She's been hanging around here" I explain.

"That's awesome! Where is she" he asks.

"Probably with her boyfriend" I say and his face falls.

"Wait... you're not her boyfriend" he asks and I shake my head.

"Nope" I admit.

"Ugh Duncan, really? You said that if she would ever come back to you, you would never let her go" he reminds me.

"I'm not letting her go" I insist.

"Because you don't even have her" he reminds me.

"Man.. I liked you better when you were in Switzerland" I mumble and he laughs.

"Come on, you love me" he reminds me.

"I do" I smile.

I let him change in peace and I go out to the ice. I look around and smile big. I've missed this so much. With Alyssa being back this was kind of on the back of my mind. I tried not to let the lockout get the best of me so my focus was all on my personal life and not my professional. But now that hockey is back I truly couldn't be happier. This is where I belong, what I was meant to do.

And I get pulled back into reality when Sharpy snows me and I realize I work with a bunch of 10 year olds.

"You suck" I yell as he skates away.

"Can you believe he's older than us" Seabs asks me.

"Mentality or physically" I laugh.

"Both" he smiles.

We get practice underway and try out some lines. We've had a long time to think about it after all. Naturally I was on the top pairing with Seabs and the top power play unit. It was great to go back to doing what I love with my friends. Everything seemed so perfect.

That is until I look up into the seats and see a bunch of the wives sitting up there watching practice and Alyssa is not one of them. I let out a sad sigh once I realize I was pretty lonely and the only way I could stop feeling like this is if she was mine.

"What are you looking for" Patrick asks.

"My happiness" I joke and he hits me in my shoulder.

"Glad to see you're still a ass hole" he jokes.

We wrap up practice and I hit the showers. We do some interviews to explain what it felt like to back together on the ice. We were mostly serious but we were still the same Blackhawks team as before. Now we're just a little more motivated this time around.

I head out to my car and I see Patrick leaning against it.

"Man. You must have really missed me" I tease.

"I'm here because I wanted to know if there's any way that I could see Alyssa. Don't flatter yourself" he teases.

"I'm not sure where she is right now. She's probably working from home" I explain.

"Perfect, lets go" he says hopping in my car.

"What if she doesn't want to see you" I ask as I hop in the car too.

"She would rather see me than you" he teases.

"You wish" I scoff.

I drive over to her place and walk up to her apartment. I knock on the door and I can hear Mogali barking. She eventually opens it and smiles when she sees me.

"I brought you a present" I claim.

"What is it" she wonders.

Patrick appears in the door frame and she lets out a holler. She jumps into his arms and he easily catches her. He spins her around before she finds her feet again.

"What are you doing here" she asks.

"I had to come see my favorite ex girlfriend of my friend" Patrick claims and I roll my eyes.

"God I've missed you" she insists.

"You have to come drinking tonight. I haven't gotten kicked out of a bar in years" he claims.

"I would but I have a scheduled date night" she sighs.

"You have a scheduled date night" he asks.

"I have everything with him scheduled. Dates, when he spends the night, even when we have sex" she laughs.

"You schedule your sex" he chuckles.

"It's in light blue" she smiles and he shakes his head.

"Alright. Then what about tomorrow? We can get the gang back together and tear it up" he suggests.

"I can't wait" she smiles.

The say their goodbyes and I drag Patrick off so she can get back to work. We hop back into my car and I take him back to his car at the United Center.

"Well her boyfriend sounds like a joy" he says.

"He's terrible" I admit.

"He's not coming tomorrow... is he" Patrick asks.

"No. Tomorrow is detox night" I say.

"Why do you know that" he laughs.

"I'm not proud about it" I shake my head.

"God I've missed you" he admits.

"The feeling is mutual."