#10 - Surprises

Message From Your Heart - Kina Grannis


I was surprised at how happy I felt when I woke up the next morning. I was still tired, but it didn’t feel so bad as I scuffed my sneakers along the side walk, heading to school.
I had class all day, until 4:30; after which I could look forward to a long night alone.
The thought wasn’t a pleasing one but at least I was sure to get homework tonight - something to take up time once I started getting too lonely later on. I had also been informed by Ben that we were allowed to bring home some of the medical sheets and information to go over if we wanted; I figured that would make a nice addition to my evening line-up as well.

I met up with Keisha after my morning classes and we spent our lunch break eating lunch at a local café. She was animated, chatty and excited like usual as she droned on about the cute guys on the school’s hockey team - the team that had chosen her as their intern. “So what about you?” She finally grinned, taking a breath as she waited for my response.

“Oh… umm, it’s been pretty great so far!” I answered honestly, trying to not look guilty. Guilt? Why was I feeling guilt? “I’m off tonight but we have a game tomorrow night so… should be fun.” I was suppose to hate Alex, no, expected to hate him. He was Sidney's arch-nemesis, the bane of his existence... an egotistical maniac. There was more to it though... after spending time with him away from the ice; seeing Alex the human being - not the Alex formally known as Jesus on skates... crap, what did she just say?! “What?”

“I just asked who they play tomorrow… geesh, you ok?”

I nodded, grabbing at my bag and pulling out my Capitals binder. I flipped it open and fingered through the pages until I found the schedule. “...Penguins...” I mumbled, as my breathing accelerated and my heart began to hammer against my chest.

“Oh no! Think they’ll fire you if you start cheering for your hometown team?” Keisha laughed, reaching out her hand for my schedule.

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to remove the grimace from my face as I passed her the binder. I shouldn't be having second thoughts about Alex though; I shouldn't have even given him the chance to show me whether or not he was a good person. Sidney was like a brother to me - a confidant - I should have avoided Alex like the plague... Hmmm, maybe that’s why I feel guilty about having a civil conversation with Alex… my subconscious knows that Sidney's going to be in town soon…

“I was joking Jes… I don’t think they’re gonna fire you…” Keisha said slowly as she watched my reaction.

“Oh!” I said, realizing that I hadn’t said anything. “No, I don’t think that it’s just… probably not gonna be a good night.” Keisha started to giggle at my proclamation, completely clueless as to the real reason for my dilemma.


I headed straight to the Verizon Center after my last class, heading straight back to the offices. I passed Georgia on my way; who was mumbling something about over-time and a deteriorating social life.
I was still laughing over my shoulder when I reached out for the doorknob to my office; freezing when I felt something soft under my fingers. I glanced down to see a small green ribbon wrapped around the brass knob.
I reached out with both hands gently pulling it off - that was when I saw the ring. It was an emerald green stone set in a square bed of diamonds. My eyes grew wide as I slid it over the ring finger of my right hand, holding it up to the light and smiling slightly.
I spun around, looking up and down the hall for Sidney. Of course, it made no sense for him to have come so early, not when he didn’t play here till Friday. It also didn’t make any sense why I was so excited to see him; when just this morning I had been dreading the thought.

I gave up my search, fiddling with my ring as I headed back to my office. Sidney must have gotten someone else to bring it… I thought to myself as I turned down the last hallway.
Flopping down in the leather chair I pulled the ring off, flipping it over in my hands - there was something engraved on the inside of the silver band. Удача с вами… that doesn’t even - oh…
I gasped as I dropped the ring onto the desk’s mahogany surface. The scripture wasn’t in English, because the ring wasn’t from Sidney.

But it couldn’t be from… him… it just… can’t be… I rattled around in my head, trying to think of another reason why there was an expensive Tiffany’s ring on my door. It’s not for me! I thought suddenly, someone put it on the wrong door and I just got carried away… relief didn’t wash through my body, however. I sat completely still, unmoving; my eyes focused on the shiny emerald stone that was glimmering up at me. “Oh god…” I sighed at last, reaching out hesitantly to pick up the ring.

I held it up in front of me, allowing the florescent lighting to dance rainbows off the many diamonds facets; painting thousands of shimmering lights on the walls all around me.



“It’s for good luck.” A heavily accented voice explained for behind me as I shifted throw some papers in the filing cabinet.

“Sorry?” I asked, sighing slightly as I pulled out a few more folders.

“The ring.”

“Oh.” The two words stopped my wandering fingers, and I turned around to regard the man behind me.
Alex was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest and an entertained smile playing at the edge of his lips. “Oh,” I said again, sheepishly dropping my gave down to the large ring that was still situated on my right hand. I should not be wearing this… “Thanks…” I said, slowly looking back up to meet his gaze.

He shrugged nonchalantly, tilting his head as he watched me a moment longer. He pursed his lips, his eyebrows drawing together in concentration as he thought something through. “I’m glad you like it.” He said finally, giving me one last look before he turned to exit the room.

“What does it mean?” I asked suddenly, causing him to halt his movement. He didn’t look back around at me, instead he pushed his hands into his pant pockets.

“It means ’good luck is with you’. In Russia, emeralds are suppose to bring good luck…”

I looked down at the ring quickly, blushing lightly as I ran my thumb over the large green rock. I looked back up, opening my mouth to thank him again; but he was gone.



I watched the people scurry around the back hallways, everyone rushing one way or another; completely consumed with their pre-game duties to notice me. It was good, it meant that I didn’t have to put on a fake smile for anyone, or try and look like I didn’t have a lot on my mind.
I was loosing my head; I was almost positive of that much.

Sidney had called last night and we’d talked for a while. He was still pushing the idea of a relationship; and I felt guilty every time I changed the subject.
I did love Sidney, I did, and I probably always would; but it didn’t feel like enough. Of course I thought he was cute - but it felt weird, strange - the more I thought about him, the more I thought about us.
Sidney had really been like an older brother to me, the kind of person I could trust with things, someone that would give me their honest opinion. Maybe that was all we could ever have though; maybe that was all we were suppose to have.
We had been in a platonic relationship for so long; it felt almost creepy, wrong to imagine something else. Of course I had allowed it to go too far before I realized this; and now I was too afraid to say anything.

Then there was Alex, and I didn’t - couldn’t - let my mind wander over that avenue. I was suppose to hate him. He was suppose to be my worse nightmare while I was here in Washington; but I found myself wondering about him more and more.
It wasn’t - couldn’t - be in an attraction sort of manner; I was positive it centered around the fact that I just couldn’t figure him out. What does he want?
The first couple days I was here he was a dick to me, but now he was going out of his way to act nice. No, not act nice; be nice.
The black cat? Okay, that was just silly and it wasn’t like he saved kids from a burning building or ended world hunger - but it had meant a lot to me that he helped; not only helped, but didn’t laugh at me either.
And then the ring? Does he like me, or what? None of it made sense.
Alex was a puzzle to me; like when you're writing a paper and you have that perfect word - right on the tip of your tongue - but you just can't find it, no matter how hard you try. Alex was that, that perfect word I couldn't figure out; he was making it impossible to focus on anything but him... I was fascinated, but his apparent fascination with me - and that was all. Once I figured out what he wanted, I'd forget all about him; I had to.
I sighed loudly, tring to forget about both of them, focus on my duties and the game; worry about everything else when I had to… only when I had to.


We won - or they won, rather - beating Philly 5-4 in a close, stressful three periods. I was glad it was over, glad that I didn’t have to stand with the rest of the medical staff, pretending that I wasn’t watching Alex; when I was.
The ring felt like it weighed a million pounds on my finger as I watched him skate around the ice. The feeling was accentuated by the idea of a giant neon light above my head that flashed ‘everybody look at me!’.
No one did, but as far as paranoia went; everyone knew.


I was in the storage room when Alex found me. “Did you bring clothing with you this time?” He asked pompously, his taut frame filling up the doorway.

“Clothing for what?” I asked, put-off by his patronizing tone of voice.

He sighed impatiently, “I thought we were going to Citronelle’s.”

I turned around and glared at him, “I don’t remember ever having that conversation… are you sure you don’t mean that you assumed we were going?”

He grunted at me impatiently. “So? What’s your point?”

I took a deep breath, trying very hard to not have a bitch fit. “My point, is that you can’t just assume someone knows what you’re thinking. And to answer your question, no, I don’t have clothes with me.”

I pushed past him, shaking my head as I moved off down the hallway. “Tomorrow night then?”

Tomorrow night. Friday night. The night Sidney will be in town… “I can’t.” I snapped, my retort coming out sharper than I had intended. I looked back at him, somehow feeling guilty. Guilty, when he’s the one being an assuming ass.

“Alright. Tomorrow day… want me to pick you up?”

“No.” I said quickly, my eyes growing wide. “Maybe some other time...” I added, turning around and walking off again before I could say anything else or make any more plans.


She was blond, tall, skinny and orange from tanning products. Her hair hung half way down her back, and swung when she giggled; which she did often. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the basic instinct that was erupting from me; mainly, slapping the shit out of that fake bitch and then demanding an answer from him.
It was funny the difference in the way that they handled themselves. Sidney would never allow himself to be cornered by a scantly clad fan; Alex looked like he had no intentions of moving.

I shouldn’t care, whatever he wanted to do was his own business; plus it was Alex, not like it mattered anyway. So why am I still standing here?
All the damn hallways looked the same, so it wasn’t my fault I had gotten lost in them. Fate, however, thought it was be hilarious to send me down this one, and here I was.
I should have just turned around and left, but I was stuck standing, watching, waiting.

The girl was moving closer and closer and it didn’t matter to me, not one bit; but he just stood there, grinning. Is he trying to make me jealous? Trying to show me how much I'm missing out on? If he was than he was an idiot, because I wasn't jealous... not in the slightest.
She bounced up onto the balls of her feet, leaning in to wrap her arms around his neck; pulling him down towards her.

Their lips met and I felt my heart begin to rattle around my chest; demanding some kind of explanation, that didn’t matter - not one bit.
She murmured something to him in Russian and took off down the hall, glancing back over her shoulder to blow a kiss through her fake gel-infused lips.

Alex grinned back, turning around and heading towards me. He didn’t even notice that I was there until he was a few feet away. “Oh, hey.” he said in surprise, his grin widening.

“Who was she?” I demanded, unable to stop myself as the words shot out. Not that I care who she is, he can kiss whomever and whatever he wants... like my ass...

“Masha?” He asked, nodding back down the way the girl had just left. I nodded, not taking my glare away from him. “She’s my girlfriend.”