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cellythefloshie · 10 months ago

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;; Baggage Chapter Two of Cool for the Summer

Table of Contents Chapter One «« 🤍 »» Chapter Three

Summary: Andrei arrives in Winnipeg for what he intends to be a summer of training. That is until he finds himself distracted by the girl next door, Harper. TW: No triggers apply. Word Count: 4k+

This chapter to be read in conjecture with @hockeyboysimagines I Loved You Three Summers Chapter One.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, was one of seven Canadian cities that an NHL team called home. Many players formed their opinions about the city: it was too cold, the hotels and accommodations were often less than satisfactory, and the city was too boring with little to do outside hangout with your teammates in the hotel room or at dinner. And after only a few years in the NHL, Andrei knew that all to be true. The winters were cold. The waters at the hotel had run cold. If it hadn’t been for his brother playing for the Winnipeg Jets, there would have been nothing for him to do during their one-night stay during the regular season. But in the summer, Winnipeg seemed different.

The golden glow of a golden hour that he had seen as the place descended over acres of farmer’s fields that building by building became the small city still lingered as he loaded one back, and then the next into the trunk of the taxi that was waiting for them at the airport. Andrei followed Seth’s lead, climbing into the back of the cab and watching as the city evolved around him on their way to Seth’s childhood home on the opposite side of the city.

The airport became factories, factories became shopping centers and apartment buildings that grew in height until they were towering office buildings in the heart of downtown. Hiding between it was, was the arena he had played in, and then it was all left behind as they were driven to the communities on the south side of the city.

The houses there were stout, humble, and not quite new enough that one was a carbon copy of the next. Each house had character, with sprawling yards in the front, and Andrei was sure more in the back. It was the kind of neighborhood that kids played street hockey in, and mothers grouped together in walking groups with their dogs and babies before going back to the porches for a glass of wine while husbands cooked on the barbeque. The thought made him smile, even if just a little. It wasn’t home, and it was only temporary, but it would do.

“That’s it, on the left,” Seth pointed out the window towards one of the larger homes on the street, one with two stories and a long driveway that sat side by side with their neighbors. Two vehicles sat fender to bumper, rusty and in desperate need of a replacement, but his eyes only lingered there for a moment as he got out of the car and rounded to the trunk to grab his bags.

Andrei was much more interested in what was going on next door. Crammed into the narrow driveway was not one white Jeep Wrangler, but two, and they were both blocked in the driveway by a large U-Haul box truck. Its large frame blocked out the hot, setting sun, but the shadows of the two young women that stood at the back of the truck still stretched across the pavement. Both blonde, and both pretty, they seemed to be conversing there as they unloaded the boxes - the taller pointing into the back of the truck while the shorter was gathering something - a box - from inside. The pair exchanged the box, and it gave Andrei a good enough look at them to conclude one thing: they were sisters. They had to be. They looked too alike not to be.

Before he could ask Seth about them, the taxi door was slamming, sending his gaze snapping back towards the road before a cheery shout of, “Seth’s home!” had his neck snapping back to the truck, but now, the taller of the blonde’s stood alone, with the smaller nowhere to be seen. Putting the box down at her feet, she jogged down the driveway - her blonde ponytail swaying back and forth against her shoulders with each stride - and she didn’t stop until her arms were thrown around Seth’s shoulders.

And Andrei just stood there, one bag held in his fist while the other sat on the ground at his own feet, and he watched them. At first, if only because of the smile Seth wore as he welcomed her close, Andrei thought that maybe, just maybe, this was a girl Seth had used to date, or at the very least hook up with. But they hugged and spoke like family.

“Look at you, mister NHL superstar,” her tone was teasing as she drew back, a bit of a hop in her step as she sunk her hands into the pocket of her hoodie.

“Hardly,” Seth laughed, a single hand reaching up to push through the tangles of his dark hair. He was grinning, but his shoulders slouched - a little embarrassed, maybe. “Where’s Maddie?”

“Uh?” the blonde hummed, her body turning to look back towards the U-Haul and the front door. “I don’t know. She was just right here.”

Andrei’s eyes fixated on her mouth as she spoke, her lips full and caught somewhere between a smile and a frown, as if each corner would downturn the moment he looked away. He shouldn’t have starred, but he was captivated by the complexity of her expression. Her smile spread so widely into the fullness of her cheeks, but there was no light in her eyes. Only a heaviness in the hazel hue that had Andrei’s shoulder slouching and neck craning forward as if he could get a better look at them. As if he were imagining the storm in her eyes that clouded over the radiance of her smile.

“Ah,” her smile altered, her nose wrinkling as she took a step back, “who’s this?”

Seth brought an arm around, his hand patting up against Andrei’s back firmly as he made the introduction, “my teammate Andrei, he’s going to be staying with me for the summer.”

“Lucky him,” there was an uncertainty in her tone, her eyes looking him up and down once and stopped once their eyes met again.

“Luckier now,” Andrei spoke after a moment, a hand reaching out into the space between them. He had a tightness in her stomach, one he couldn't shake. He had made her uncomfortable with the staring, he knew it, but he couldn’t look away, not as Seth gave him a nudge and questioned him silently with a thick raised brown. “Seth didn’t mention having a sister-”

“No, no, not my sister,” Seth spoke quickly, raising his hands, almost as if the mere idea offended him, “Harper and Maddie grew up next door. She was my babysitter.”

“I don’t believe it, you look so young” Andrei grinned wide, his words laced with a low laugh.

“Babysitter, not his mother. I’m not ancient,” Harper countered, her hand reaching out to shake his hand as it waited for her to hold between them.

Her delicate fingers slid along his, meeting calloused palms and his careful but firm hold. Her touch left him holding his breath, hiding the excitement that sent his heart racing in the depths of his chest behind a calm smile. Andrei shook her hand long and slow, the thought of letting go not once crossing his mind until she leaned him, offered a soft smile and spoke, “you think I could get my hand back now?”

“Yes,” Andrei’s eyes went wide, his hand letting go of Harper’s as if it were now suddenly as hot as flame. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” she spoke, taking a step back, her first step of her accent up the driveway, “I’ll ah-” she hummed, her hand reaching up to rub the back of her neck, and Andrei watched it all still staring, shameless, “I’m going to go check on Maddie, let her know that you’re home. I’m sure she just ran inside to get something-”

Andrei’s eye didn’t leave her once as she stumbled back over her sneakers towards her front door. And he smiled a dopey grin as he took in the full sight of her. Harper wasn’t just a pretty face. She was petite and lean, but not in a fragile, feminine way. Harper was strong. He could see it in her muscles as she picked up the box she had abandoned in the driveway, and in the hop in her step as she jogged towards the house. Then she was gone, lost beyond what waited for her beyond the front door. It was then, with her out of sight, Andrei felt the force of Seth’s hand knocking him against his chest.

“What was that man?” Seth was grinning as he reached down to grab his own bags and began to lead the way to his own front door.

“She is very pretty,” Andrei smiled, following in his path, all the while looking back towards the door of Harper’s house.

“Yeah, well,” Seth pushed open the door, his own words interrupting their conversation as he shouted out, “Mom, Dad? We’re home!”

Seth kicked his shoes off in the doorway, nudging them to the side with the toes of his dirty socks. Andrei did the same, tucking his sneakers to the side on a free space on a cluttered shoe rack before taking quick strides to catch up to Seth who was leading the way to the quest room that Andrei would be calling home until they went back to Carolina in September.

It was small, with nothing more than a queen sized bed and a dresser for him to pack away his things. It wasn’t much, but it would do - especially with a distraction like Harper next door. He wouldn’t need much else.

“Well?” Andrei pressed as he threw his bag down at the end of the bed, making himself at home. “Harper…”

“Last time I heard? She’s getting married in August-”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Without a hand to reach back for it, the front door slammed into its frame, leaving Harper to jump away from its firm rattle as it set her on course for her sister’s bedroom. One the way, she abandons what she considered the final box of her moving trip at the top of the basement stairs, and she doesn’t waste her time taking off her shoes - not when she will still need to run boxes to the storage locker she was renting on the outskirts of the city. But first, she needed answers.

Taking the stairs going up two at a time, Harper hopped onto the landing and called out to her little sister, “Mads?”

She paused, waiting for her to call back to her. Madison said nothing.

Brows furrowing, she craned her neck to peer through the door that was left open just a crack. Anyone else would have considered it closed, but to Harper, it was an invitation to let herself inside. Looking one way, Harper looked over an unmade empty bed, and looking at the other, she found her sister seated at her desk, one leg brought up to hug it against her chest, while she appeared occupied. But Harper knew her better than that. Madison was just trying to look busy.

Harper sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, her lead leaning to rest against the door frame. If their father was home, she would have walked right in and closed the door, but it was just them in the house and he wouldn’t be back until the early hours in the morning. They would have more than enough time to talk; “What was that all about?”

“What?” Madison didn’t look up from her desk, instead she reached out for something Harper couldn’t quite see, and toyed with it in her fingers. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Madison,” Harper’s tone was firm, caught somewhere between concerned sibling and mother. It was one of the harsh traits and realities of growing up without their mother - and growing up the eldest of two daughters.

“Harper,” Madison countered, the smile in her voice almost enough to leave Harper groaning.

Did she really have to be so difficult? Though, was Harper really in the position to push her way back into her sister’s life? She had been living on her own since she was eighteen, and was only now moving home almost a decade later because of her own mistakes. Mistakes Madison had not one clue about. They had grown so far apart there were parts of her life Harper was sure Madison couldn’t even fathom. Maybe that fact went both ways.

“You can’t hide shit from me, you know that,” Harper reminded. Before, when she was still at home, and they were still close, they told each other everything. And even when they didn’t, they always found out. “I know something’s wrong.”

Pushing off her desk, Madison swiveled in her seat. “You always were the smart one.”

“Smart?” Harper raised a brow as she pushed up from where she propped herself against the doorway and moved to sit at the end of Madison’s bed. “Sure, but that’s got nothing to do with it. I know you, and what happened outside, that’s not normal.”

Seth and Madison, they had been inseparable since they were in diapers. There were pictures on the walls and buried deep in photo albums to prove it. Harper knew that better than anyone - hell, she was the one that was stuck babysitting them both until they were old enough to be trusted alone. Even then, her father - and Seth’s parents - often had her chaperone. She had attended too many middle school dances in her lifetime to admit and even more hockey games. But Harper would do anything or her sister - and Seth, but only if he asked nicely.

“Fine,” Madison sighed, “Can we keep this between us, though?”

Harper only nodded, scared that saying anything else would leave Madison second guessing her decision to tell her anything.

“Last summer, things got kind of…” Madison sighed, her head hanging on her shoulders and sending her long blonde bangs into her eyes. A single hand raised to fix them as she spoke. “Weird I guess? We were at this party right before he left for camp-”

Harper’s stomach sunk, her head spiraling with every worst possible outcome, and every protective instinct sent her nerves raw.

“He was with some girl. It just pissed me off, and we had a fight.”

She shouldn’t have been relieved by what she heard, but Harper was letting out a long sigh of relief all the same. Then, she sat there for a moment, her fingers picking at her own nail beds as she worried that Madison might not like the conclusion she had reached with the little detail she had offered her, “was that fight with Seth because you were jealous.”

“No,” Madison scoffed, “I was just mad he was with another girl?”

Harper’s head cocked and her eyes narrowed. “That’s what jealousy is, Mads.”

Madison blew out a breath and let her gaze fall to her feet. “Whatever, so yeah,” she spoke quickly, “I’m just not ready to see him yet.”

“Holy shit, Mads,” Harper couldn’t stop herself from letting a smile spread over her features, “are you telling me that you like Seth?”

“I think so. I mean, why else would I get upset like that if I didn’t? Right?”

“Right,” Harper nodded, “I baby sat both of you for such a long time, and I would have never guessed it’d come to that. But maybe I’m not as good of a sister as I thought I was…” There were a lot of things Harper wasn’t good at anymore. She wasn’t a good daughter, a good sister, or a friend. Most days, she wasn’t even good at being herself. “Do you think he likes you?”

Madison’s shoulder shrugged, and Harper couldn’t help but to smile. Suddenly, she felt like a teenager again. A teenager just trying to help her little sister through the mundane pressures of middle school and puberty. When the troubles were nothing more than getting a bad grade on a test, what jeans were in fashion and crushes on boys.

“Last time I checked, the answer was no,” Madison sighed, but was quick to turn the table on Harper. If there was one thing the Alexander sisters were, it was supportive of one another. “And don’t say that. You’re a great sister.”

“That was last summer. Could be different now. He’s had a whole season away, and a lot of time to think about how things ended between the two of you.”

“Maybe-”

“Talking to him might help things, or at the very least put things at ease between the two of you. And if he doesn’t know how you feel, he can’t act on any feelings he might also have. You know?” Harper smiled, but it was quick to waiver. She was the last person that should be giving any kind of relationship advice. “I’m sure you don’t want my advice, though. I’m not exactly a love expert these days.”

Madison’s frown mirrored her own, but for a different reason. “I always want your advice. You’re the smartest person I know, and you’re my big sister. Don’t ever think for one second I don’t value what you say, or want your opinion.” It was the heart to heart they needed, and it was punctuation with a mischievous smile and a playful, “bitch.”

It was the very word they needed to break out into laughter. Harper lay back on her sister’s bed with open arms. She welcomed her sister from her perch on the chair, the two of them laying together in the bed for a moment as Harper stared at the ceiling. Her eyes burned with the emotional acid that were tears. Refusing to look at her own sister was the only way to keep her sister from seeing them. She had missed moments like that. She had missed what it felt like to have someone for support. Harper had missed her sister more than she had realized.

“You’re smart, kind and beautiful, Mads,” Harper did her best to keep her voice calm, “if a guy can’t see that, then he’s dumb and not worth your time. And that still applies, even if it’s Seth. The guy should know how amazing you are by now.”

“You’re smart, kind and beautiful too,” Madison reminded her, “and someday a guy will see that… Like that hottie in the driveway! WHO was that?”

Nope. Was the first thing to cross Harper’s mind at her sister’s words, and she wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t feel beautiful, kind nor smart, or if it was that she didn’t want to talk about the very awkward encounter with Carolina Hurricanes forward, Andrei Svechnikov, in her driveway. He had stared a little too long, and maybe so had she. His voice was so deep she could feel it in her bones as he spoke, and her hand? She swore she could still feel it wrapped around hers as she flexed it even then, as it was empty.

He had left her feeling more than she had in the last month, though she wasn’t exactly sure what it was she was feeling. So she settled on being confused, and not saying a damn word about it. “He’s Seth’s teammate, Andrei I think-”

Kissing her sister’s hair, Harper peeled away from the hug and began to move for the door before she could feel her sister’s pressure to divulge any further. What could she divulge? Harper didn’t actually know. Their encounter had been brief, but she had seen enough to support her sister’s question: he was very attractive, albeit young. But she wasn’t going to admit that. Not Maddie, not to anyone.

Andrei was far too young to have her thinking anything like that.

“Anyway, I have some boxes I need to unpack,” Harper hummed, her hand grasping at the door frame to whip herself from the room while calling out behind her, “and I’ll be ordering pizza for dinner. My thank you for helping my dumb as move back in!”

Then, before her sister could question her on it, Harper raced down both flights of stairs and was forced to stop in her tracks at the bottom of the second flight. What was once the basement she and her sister performed self-written plays for their father in, and also doubled as a mini-sticks rink was now a collection of piled boxes, and a new IKEA bed built and shoved awkwardly between furniture that has been around since the 90s. This would be her new bedroom. There was still much more to be done. Table to move, her boxes to unpack, and sheets to wash. It all seemed like too much, it all an overwhelming, suffocating feeling on her chest as Harper stood there surrounded by it all.

Her palms began to sweat, and a hand raised up to pull at the collar of her shirt that was nowhere near her neck. It was the new beginning she needed, even though she hated that it had to come at the ripe age of twenty-seven. This wasn’t where she was supposed to be, living in her father’s basement, but it was where she needed to be.

Harper had accepted that.

But Darren hadn’t.

Her phone vibrated in the tight pocket of her rights. It had been buzzing on and off throughout the evening as she had unpacked the U-Haul, but it was only as she stood surrounded by the mess that was her life that Harper had the time to answer it. Even then, she almost didn’t when she was her ex’s name on the call display, but she wanted to give him the closer he seemed to so desperately need.

“Hey,” her voice croaked, “what’s up?”

“I just got in. You left your keys on the counter? And I can’t find the-”

Harper’s eyes shut tight, a single hand raising up to pinch at the bridge of her nose. Darren knew this was happening. She didn’t know why he pretended he didn’t. It was only going to make it more difficult for the both of them.

“I moved out the rest of my stuff today, Darren.” Harper did her best to keep her voice firm. They were over. That needed to be clear.

“Harp-”

“Don’t!” Her grasp tightened around her phone, her heart racing in her chest, and her stomach on the verge of lurching. At first, going back home was just to get space. Harper had spent weeks sleeping on the sofa, trying to work things out, but there was no healing for Harper. Their problems were only solved temporarily, or only seemed to exist for her, not for him. She was tired, living each day in resentment while Darren lived each day, loved and taken care of.

Harper wanted that same respect.

Darren promised it.

It never came.

“Don’t call me anymore. Goodbye, Darren.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Winnipeg was cold until it wasn’t. Even in the early days of summer, Andrei could feel it. The heavy sweat on his skin that came with the thick humidity in the air. It should have reminded him of Carolina nights, but his place back home had a temperature control that didn’t rely on an old, rickety air conditioning unit that was wedged in his window. It rattled and stalled before roaring to life again when the heat became unbearable. It left Andrei tossing and turning on what would have been a comfortable bed if it weren’t for the heat that surrounded him.

Blankets were tangled between his legs, shoved to one side of the bed and then the other before joining the pillows on the floor and leaving Andrei laying in nothing but his boxers in the bed. It wasn’t enough. He needed to cool off somehow.

Groaning, he pushed himself up from the bed and moved quietly into the kitchen. Andrei moved through the cupboards quietly. Opening one after the other until he found a glass and filled it up with tap water when he couldn’t find a pitcher in the fridge. He filled it until it overflowed, drank it dry, and filled it again. It was cold, but wasn’t cold enough. It left him cursing under his breath as he placed the glass down on the countertop. His head hung low on his shoulders, his eyes shutting for a moment as he contemplated messaging his brother to sleep on the couch in his condo for the remainder of the summer.

But when his eyes opened, they fixated on the blue bin below, and a photograph that was buried among empty beer cans and old pizza boxes. Usually he wouldn’t have looked twice, but there was one face prominent on the glossy image, the pretty neighbor, Harper.

Crouching down, Andrei pinched the picture between his fingers and pulled it from the recycling bin. He winced as the box tumbled, clamoring as they fell to the ground, but the house remained silent. He was the only one awake. Letting out a heavy sigh, Andrei stood up straight, and held the photo in the moonlight that streamed in through the kitchen window.

Harper wasn’t alone in the photo. She was embraced by a handsome, apparently older man with his hair cut short and stubble covering his jawline. In elegant cursive it read, you’re invited to the wedding of mr darren fletcher and ms harper alexander. The save the date was for the August long weekend, just under two months away - but when Andrei moved to the large calendar that Mrs. Jarvis hung up on the kitchen wall to keep track of deadlines for the school year Andrei noticed one thing: the wedding date on the calendar was scratched out.

Taglist: @starshine-hockey-girl , @wingedwheelprxncess , @mp0625 , @misunderstoodwerewolf , @callsign-denmark , @puckmaidens , @xciciix , @cixrosie

#andrei svechnikov #nhl fanfic #real people fanfiction #nhl fanfiction #hockey rpf #nhl rpf #andrei svechnikov x original character #seth jarvis #collaboration fic

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sniper-rifle-coffee · 7 months ago

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Woop woop been playing with the tictoc lol 😆 😂

#winnipeg #canada #relaxing #canadian #mine #chill #therapy #smoke weed #420life #wine #menthol #woop woop

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workingforitallthetime · 2 years ago

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oh ok actually girl rutger offering to marry adam for citizenship

anon this is perhaps the most delicious ask that has ever arrived in my inbox. i got it just as i started a long drive and i immediately turned off my podcast and allowed my brain to simply bask in this premise for an hour straight. here we go…

our story starts three years from now, when the gang’s all reunited at phil’s wedding or something like that. around the table at the reception, everybody’s asking adam about his second contract with anaheim. he’s bitching about how there’s some massive cross-border tax hit he’s taking on his contract value because he’s filing as single. [please suspend your disbelief so we can have a good time here, okay?] the boys tell him he should just get married, he can find a wag easy enough. i don’t want a wag, adam says, she’d expect all kinds of shit. he likes living in anaheim with luca, he likes spending his money how he wants to spend it, he doesn’t want a goldendoodle or the hassle of a wag.

rutger returns from the bar with a tequila soda in hand and slides into her seat. you should marry rutger, someone says, she’s not a wag. “goddamn right,” says rutger. “what are we talking about?” adam explains the tax thing and rutger says sure, she’s up for it. it’s not like she has a boyfriend to get in the way. she wants a cut of the tax windfall, though, since adam’s second contract is poised to be a lot richer than hers.

their families shrug and roll with it. the mcgroartys were going to visit ontario this summer anyway, so the fantillis invite a few extra people over for dinner, drop a couple grand on flowers, and bam, they’ve got an impromptu backyard wedding. because this is my story and i get to have whatever i want, pat brisson and brendan are there. pat's not gonna miss two clients getting married, even if it's just a tax dodge.

it’s important that you know that rutger has an absolutely outstanding casual white wedding dress. slim skirt, tailored sleeveless midriff top, suntanned abs on display, one of those fancy ponytails with a section of hair wrapped around the rubber band and the ends curled just so. also white adidas slides.

adam watches rugter make her way down the aisle on her dad’s arm, a bouquet of peonies tipping sideways in her grasp as she reaches out to give fistbumps to their friends. when she reaches adam and he takes her hand, she gives him a big scrunch-nosed smile, like this is a joke just for the two of them, like this is the most fun she’s ever had in her life. he thought it might feel awkward or weird to fake-marry rutger, but it just feels… easy. maybe because they’ve been friends for so long. probably because it’s just fake.

nolan moyle gets ordained and performs the ceremony, because this is my story and I get to have everything I want. they swap silicone rings (v practical for hockey) and rutger gives adam a kiss on the cheek.

they take a series of wedding photos just in case the IRS asks any questions. after a couple of prom-looking poses, adam tries to scoop rutger up in his arms for a picture, honeymoon style, and she elbows her way right out of there. "don’t fucking do that," rutger says, 'i’m not your wag." she’s a pro hockey player in her own right! Not some wife who gets carried around by her husband. got it, adam says, sorry sorry.

nothing much changes now that they’re nominally married. they still train together part of the summer, go on the same getaways with their friends, have dinner together whenever winnipeg plays anaheim. they definitely indulge a little more on those dinners, get a really nice bottle of wine that rutger makes adam pay for out of his tax savings. all their friends know they’re not seriously married, so it’s not like they even have to keep it a secret when they discreetly hook up with other people. In a weird way, rutger finds she actually feels a lot better about dating now that she’s got a husband. having a shitty first date or a bad hookup doesn’t make her spiral about dying alone and unloved anymore. funny how that works.

the pieces finally start coming together for anaheim, and adam makes the playoffs. the jets don’t. rutger goes to adam’s home games in the first round, because it would look weird if she didn’t, even if she’s still licking her own wounds about another shitty season in winnipeg. adam calls her as she’s packing. he’s really, really sorry, but troy terry’s wife says to bring light-wash jeans and wedges.

rutger has murder in her voice. “please tell me they did not get me a wag jacket.”

"i’m so, so sorry," adam says. "dani got your measurements from the equipment manager. she said it’d be weird if you didn’t have one. they look pretty sick…" he trails off.

rutger asks, dangerously quiet, “does connor have one?” no, adam says, sheepish. they both know connor’s going to be in his usual dark suit, discreetly tucked away in a suite out of view of the cameras, masking his fury about watching mason in the playoffs while the blackhawks continue to suck. exactly what rutger planned to do, with maybe a little less fury and a few more bud lites.

rutger’s voice gets more brittle. “does trevor have one?”

…actually yeah, adam says. it’s not like she can wear it while she’s playing, but she made dani get her one anyway. rutger rolls her eyes. fucking figures. trevor will probably wear it in the dressing room afterwards, just strip off her pads and prance around in a wag jacket with drysdale on the back. fine, rutger says, ungraciously. you fucking owe me so big for this.

it's humiliating, to be shuffled off to the wag box with eighteen other blonde women when rutger’s worked her whole life to be down on that ice. the broad shoulders of her jacket stand out in the row of tiny little identical black leather jackets on the garment rack. even olen zellweger’s figure skater boyfriend looks more at home than she does. she puts on a brave face for the social media photos, though, and once the game starts it’s easy to get swept up with cheering for adam. she wants this for him more than any of these other girls wants it for her man. rutger knows what this means in a way they never will. when adam scores the go-ahead goal, she screams herself hoarse.

at intermission she takes a selfie with her back to the bathroom mirror, holding her phone up to her shoulder so adam’s number is in the frame and tilting her chin so the ends of her ponytail tickle the gold-trimmed fantilli lettering across her shoulder blades. it’s obvious from her profile that she’s smiling. she texts the photo to adam as a peace offering.

the notif is the first thing adam sees when he checks his phone after the game. He opens the photo and immediately hides the screen of his phone flat against his chest, his entire body going tingly like he just got an unexpected sext. he knows better than to tell rutger it’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen in his life. he even waits until she leaves town before he makes it his lockscreen. he can do that. that’s his wife, right?

the ducks only get a taste of the postseason that year. the offseason comes too soon, and this year it feels different. not on the ice – skating with adam’s just as fun and challenging as ever. he doesn’t ever take it easy on rutger, and that's what she likes about him. but off the ice it’s different. they remind each other more often: hey, we’re married, right? like when adam stretches out on the bench seat of the boat and rests his head in rutger’s lap for her to swirl her fingers through his damp hair. or when rutger steals adam’s favorite gray hoodie and snuggles up next to him by the firepit. and finally, quietly, when they’re the only ones left at the end of the dock on a moonlit night, and adam tips up rutger’s chin and kisses her.

as summer comes to an end, they’re making real plans. how adam can stay an extra night in winnipeg when the ducks come through town, where they’ll go for the all star break, whether it’s possible to spend christmas together. but then the last weekend they spend together before training camp, rutger catches a glimpse of adam’s lockscreen and everything comes crashing down. that’s how adam likes her, huh? just another identical blonde with his name on her back? what the hell is she doing here, planning to be adam’s wag? she deserves better. she’s got her own career. she deserves somebody who’ll cheer for her. there’s plenty of girls who’d be happy to be adam fantilli’s wag and he can goddamn go and find one of them.

rutger storms off to winnipeg and channels her righteous fury into a career season. she and adam don’t go out to dinner when they’re in anaheim. She cross-checks him instead.

two weeks later, when the news comes out that adam’s torn his [insert muscle or tendon of your choice] and he’s done for the season, rutger knows she didn’t cause it, but she feels vaguely guilty anyway. especially when team usa comes calling for [insert best on best competition of your choice]. adam should be there for team canada, but he won’t be. even if being married didn't work out, rutger’s always had the most fun competing against him, and they won’t have that this year.

adam shows up anyway. He goes to [insert european country of your choice] with rutger’s family, and he meets her on the concourse after games, and he gives her achingly specific compliments about her play, and he says the right sympathetic but not patronizing things after finland beats team usa in OT to take the top seed in their group.

when team usa wins gold, rutger sees her own red white and blue jersey among the families on the ice before she realizes adam’s the one wearing it. she skates toward him slowly, clutching the flag around her shoulders like a protective shell. “good game,” adam says. His voice is a little hoarse, like he’s been cheering for her.

rutger touches her fingertip to the little American flag temporary tattoo on his cheek. “looks good on you.”

“for today I guess,” adam says. His cheek lifts under her finger when he smiles. without his skates, rutger’s almost as tall as he is. rutger kisses him, and kisses him, and keeps on kissing him even when adam scoops her up off the ice, honeymoon style. she wraps her arms around his neck and kicks one skate into the air, and doesn’t protest one bit.

#anonymouskinis #campfire story!

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sujathaks · 11 months ago

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Brewers Direct Inc – The Wine Specialist |Winemaking |Beer Making

#Brewers Direct Inc – The Wine Specialist |Winemaking |Beer Making | Distillation | Distillers Winnipeg #Manitoba #Brewers Direct has been in the winemaking industry since 1989. We are 100% Manitoba owned and have over 22 years of experience #quality and service in the wine and beer making industry. We sell both retail and wholesale across Canada and the United States. We current #Tosca vino express white 4 week wine kit-7kg #Cru international wine kits 8L #Tosca Vino express red 4 week wine kit-7kg #Cru Specialty Dessert Wine-RJS Craft #FESTA BREW 23 Liter All Natural Wort #Crafted Beer Kit with Hops #Doric Beer KIt #Tosca partial Grain Beer Kits #Ball Lock 19L Keg REFURBISHED #BrewZilla (robobrew)V3 11 with pumb #BrewZilla(robobrew)V3.11 with pumb #Crafted Series Cider Kit(makes 23L)#Table top Water/Alcohol Distiller

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sevenoakstransmissions · 11 months ago

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beatricebidelaire · 1 year ago

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now and then

The Baudelaire Mansion, now and then.

~2.3k. Beatrice-centric, ensemble cast.

written for day 2 of woevember of @asouefanworkevent, The Baudelaire Mansion

The Baudelaire Mansion was built during Beatrice's teenage years. Beatrice still remembers seeing it gradually becoming taller each time she visited the then still-in-development building. Mother and Father were living in their previous place not far away from there but a lot smaller, and Beatrice was mostly living at the VFD headquarters when she was in The City. She spent quite a lot of time outside of The City though, back then. The Hinterlands and Mortmain Mountains. Paltryville. Widdershin's submarine. R's place at Winnipeg.

Each time she came back, the mansion looked a little more complete than the last time.

The mansion is her parents' gift to her, and since she's going to be the one to live in it after it's complete, she had quite a lot of say over the design. VFD's architecture classes came in handy, but even more so were the books she found in the library, and her friends - a couple of years older than her but already running a hotel of their own. Of course, each of them had their own opinion on things, which Beatrice took into consideration all very enthusiastically, and usually ended up with a surprising choice that people never quite expected. Or perhaps they did, knowing that she's always full of surprises.

Teenage Beatrice had thoughts about how the rooms and spaces would be used, once the mansion was all done. She had visions of filling the kitchen with all kinds of food and spices and ingredients (- well, aside from peppermints, something she and her family have always been allergic to) and kitchen appliances and fancy plates and wine collection. And of course root beer floats. Always root beer floats.

She and Lemony were very much in love then, and she's not only in love with him but also all the things they love together - poetry and literature and music and she playing soccer while he cheerleads in the background and various food and most of all the root beer floats. And of course their friends. Their wondrous collection of tight-knitted friends whom she adored endlessly and whom she once upon a time thought all those friendships could go on forever.

How young she was, back then. How young they all were.

[continue reading]

#asoue #baudelaire mansion #snicketverse buildings #beatrice baudelaire #lemony snicket #bertrand baudelaire #my writing #woevember

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brookstonalmanac · 5 months ago

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Holidays 8.4

Holidays

Administrative Professionals’ Day (India)

Air Force Day (Ukraine)

Assistance Dog Day

Backgammon Day

Barack Obama Day (a.k.a. Obama Day; Illinois)

Bartlett’s Quotations Day

Beirut Port Explosion Memorial Day (Lebanon)

Bhoto Jatra (Katmandu Valley, Nepal)

Bowser Day

Coast Guard Day (US)

Constitution Day (Cook Islands)

Cycle to Work Day (UK)

804 Day

Esther Day

Fiestas de la Virgen Blanca (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain)

Founder’s Day (Ghana)

Freedom of the Press Day

Great American Outdoors Day

Hooray for Kids Day

International Clouded Jaguar Day

International Day of Solidarity with the Belarusian Civil Society

International Owl Awareness Day

Johnny Cash Day (Arkansas)

Loch-mo-Naire Pilgrimage (Scotland)

Matica Slovenská Day (Slovakia)

National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day (Australia)

National Architect Day (Chile)

National Day of the Dahlia (Mexico)

National I Got My Happy Back Day

National Guard Day (Venezuela)

National Journalist Day (Colombia)

National Olivia Strong Day

National Owl Day

National Parks Free Entrance Day

New Brunswick Day (Canada)

Nicole Robin Day (US Virgin Islands)

Port of Beirut Explosion Anniversary Day (Lebanon)

Psychic Day

Quotations Day

Railroad Workers’ Day (Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia)

Revolution Day (Burkina Faso)

Satchmo Day

Saturday Evening Post Day

Single Working Women’s Day

Sinjska Alka (Croatia)

Skynet Online Day

Transport Workers’ Day (Kazakhstan)

Venn Diagram Day

Viking Pilgrimage (Spain)

World NTM Awareness Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

American Supermarket Day

Champagne Day

Kentucky Fried Chicken Day

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

National Lasagna Day

National White Wine Day

Poppin’ Fresh Day

Raisin Bran Day

Independence & Related Days

Ahmedland (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Cabuyao Cityhood Day (Philippines)

Constitution Day (Cook Islands)

Corennica (Declared; 2010) [unrecognized]

Krzakacja (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

NZRE (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Revolution Day (Burkina Faso)

1st Sunday in August

American Family Day [1st Sunday]

Blessing of the Sea [1st Sunday]

Day of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Ukraine) [1st Sunday]

Day of the Railway Worker (Russia)

Dé Domhnaigh Crum-Dubh (a.k.a. Crom Dubh Sunday; Celtic/Ireland) [1st Sunday]

International Forgiveness Day [1st Sunday]

International Friendship Day (India) [1st Sunday]

National Doll Day [1st Sunday]

National Friendship Day [1st Sunday]

National Kids Day [1st Sunday]

National Peacekeepers' Day (Canada) [Sunday closest to 9th]

Pilgrimage to the Llyn a Fan Fach in Dyfed (Celtic Book of Days) [1st Sunday]

Psychic Day [1st Sunday]

Reason Day (Northeastern Cross-Quarter; Aretéanism) [1st Sunday] (Independent Critical Thinking)

Selaks Wines’ National Roast Day (New Zealand) [1st Sunday]

Sisters' Day [1st Sunday]

World Meditation Day [1st Sunday of Every Month]

World Naked Kitchen Day [1st Sunday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 4 (1st Full Week of August)

Exercise with Your Child Week (thru 8.10) [1st Full Week]

International Assistance Dog Week (thru 8.10) [Begins 1st Sunday]

Knights of Columbus Family Week (thru 8.10) [1st Full Week]

National Farmers Market Week (thru 8.10) [1st Full Week]

National Fraud Awareness Week (thru 8.10) [1st Full Week]

National Health Center Week (thru 8.10) [1st Full Week]

National Motorcycle Week (thru 8.10) [2nd Week]

National Smile Week (thru 8.10) [2nd Week]

National Stop on Red Week (thru 8.10)

Rock for Life Week (thru 8.7)

Single Working Women’s Week (thru 8.10) [Week containing 8.4]

Weird Contest Week (thru 8.10) [2nd Week]

Festivals Beginning August 4, 2024

Andorra la Vella Festival (Andorra)

Ecuadorian Food Festival (Los Angeles, California)

Folklorama (Winnipeg, Canada) [thru 8.17]

Heritage Fire (Louisville, Kentucky)

Jackson County Fair (Jackson, Michigan) [thru 8.10]

Latin Festival: Tacos & Tequila (Monmouth Park, Oceanport, New Jersey)

Medieval Week on Gotland (Visby, Sweden) [thru 8.11]

NY Now Summer Market (New York, New York) [thru 8.7]

Smukfest (Skanderborg, Denmark) [thruu 8.11]

Feast Days

Aphrodite’s Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Aristarchus (Christian; Saint)

Buckwheat Day (Pagan)

Charles Addams Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Culhwich (Celtic Book of Days)

Dancing in Your Underwear Day (Pastafarian) (Writerism)

Dominic (Christian; Saint)

Euphronius (Christian; Saint)

Fairy Drying-Out Day (Shamanismvb

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (Artology)

Frédéric Janssoone (Christian; Blessed)

Hedda Sterne (Artology)

Is and Her Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

John Henry Twachtman (Artology)

John Mary Vianney (Christian; Saint)

Knut Hamsun (Writerism)

Laura Knight (Artology)

Loch-mo-Naire Magical Powers Day (Everyday Wicca)

Long Jane Silver (Muppetism)

Luanus (a.k.a. Lugud or Moles) of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Manzoni (Positivist; Saint)

Mead Day (Pastafarian)

Molua (a.k.a. Lua; Christian; Saint)

Nicolas-Jacques Conté (Artology)

Paul McCarthy (Artology)

Percy Bysshe Shelley (Writerism)

Raynerius of Split (Christian; Saint)

Robert Hayden (Writerism)

Sithney (Christian; Saint) [mad dogs]

Vigil of Oswald (Christian; Saint)

Zuni Corn Dance begins (Native American) [thru 8.7]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Anaconda, by Nicki Minaj (Song; 2014)

The A-Tom-inable Snowman (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1966)

Babe (Film; 1995)

Barnyard (Animated Film; 2006)

Beauty is Only Skin Deep, by The Temptations (Song; 1966)

Billboard Hot 11 (Song Ranking System; 1958)

The Case of the Screaming Bishop (Phantasies; 1944)

Coyote Ugly (Film; 2000)

Dick (Film; 1999)

Galaxy Express 999 (Animated Film; 1979)

Holiday Inn (Film; 1942)

Hound Dog, by Elvis Presley (Song; 1956)

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (TV Series; 2005)

King Ottokar’s Sceptre, by Hergé (Graphic Novel; 1938) [Tintin #8]

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (Film; 1950)

Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run (WB Animated Film; 2015)

Magnificent Obsession (Film; 1954)

Pink Tuba-Dore (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1971)

Pornografia, by Witold Gombrowicz (Novel; 1960)

Rocket-Bye Baby (WB MM Cartoon; 1956)

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Film; 1989)

Ship A’hoy Woody (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1969)

Space Cowboys (Film; 2000)

Sunset Boulevard (Film; 1950)

Super Fly (Fim; 1972)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Film; 2006)

The Tao of Steve (Film; 2000)

Young Einstein (Film; 1989)

You Really Got Me, by The Kinks (Song; 1964)

Today’s Name Days

Elizabeth, Johannes, Rainer (Austria)

Ivan, Tertulijan (Croatia)

Dominik (Czech Republic)

Dominicus (Denmark)

Veera, Veronika, Veroonika (Estonia)

Veera (Finland)

Jean-Marie, Vianney (France)

Berta, Elisabeth, Else, Rainer, Ulrich (Germany)

Eskakoustodianos, Maxmilian, Violeta (Greece)

Dominika, Domonkos (Hungary)

Francesco, Nicodemo (Italy)

Edmars, Romāns, Romualds (Latvia)

Domantas, Gerimantas, Irta, Milgedė (Lithuania)

Arna, Arne, Arnhild (Norway)

Alfred, Arystarch, Dominik, Maria, Mironieg, Protazy (Poland)

Maria (Russia)

Dominik, Dominika (Slovakia)

Juan, Rubén (Spain)

Arne, Arnold (Sweden)

Bohdanna (Ukraine)

Barack, Barak, Domenic, Dominic, Dominica, Dominick, Dominique,Reuben, Ruben, Ruby (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 217 of 2024; 149 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of Week 31 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 2 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 1 (Geng-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 29 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 28 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 7 Purple; Sevenday [7 of 30]

Julian: 22 July 2024

Moon: 0%: New Moon

Positivist: 20 Dante (8th Month) [Manzoni]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 46 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of August

Zodiac: Leo (Day 14 of 31)

Calendar Changes

蘭月 [Lányuè] (Chinese Lunisolar Calendar) [Month 7 of 12] (Orchid Month) [Earthly Branch: Monkey Month] (Qīyuè; Seventh Month)

#Holidays

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