Rhythm & The Blue Line, Chapter Four by PennLady - 12/31/2011

Description: A song and proposal.

© 2011 All Rights Reserved

A week later, Ryan was on the UMD campus. She walked over to the statue of the diamondback terrapin, symbol of the school's teams, and rubbed its head. The week had been hectic, including a tense dinner with her parents, and it felt like it was the first time in days she'd even been able to take a deep breath.

"So, let's see." She patted the terrapin's head again. "In the last week, I've filed a record number of reports at work, argued both on the phone and in person with my parents, argued with our guitarist, and picked up a boyfriend. A hockey-playing boyfriend." She shook her head. "It doesn't feel quite real." When she got no response, she shrugged and leaned against the statue's base and waited for Evan.

It had only been a week, but so far Brody hadn't done any of the things she might have expected from a person obsessed with sports. He'd called when he said he would, and left messages that made her laugh if she couldn't get to the phone. He asked about the band's progress, and although he said he wanted her to come to a game, hadn't pressed her on it.

Ryan realized she had to give up her preconceived notions. Lara had been right, at least so far. Brody treated hockey like his job, which it was. Like anyone else with a job, he talked about it at times, and let it go at others. She needed to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"It must be a set up. It shouldn't be this easy." Ryan stared at the terrapin, but he remained impassive.

"Hey, Ryan!" Evan jogged up and gave her a hug.

"Hi." Ryan reached up and mussed his hair. "You need a haircut."

"Yeah, I know." He grinned. "Sorry I'm late, got caught up in homework."

"They make the basketball players do homework?" Ryan teased.

Evan put a hand on his chest and took a stumbling step back. "Oh, I'm hurt! How could my own sister say such a thing?" Then he grinned. "Come on, is that the best you've got?"

She laughed. "Sorry, long week. I'll think on it and come up with something better." Then she saw the book in his hand. "So, what? You carry that to impress the girls?"

"Oh." Evan looked down, as though he'd forgotten he was carrying anything. "Oh, well. Here. Don't say anything to Dad, okay?"

Ryan gave him a puzzled smile and took the textbook he held out. "'Introduction to Architectural Principals?' Wow, Ev." She paged through and gave a low whistle. "It's all Greek to me. Wow." She handed it back. "I didn't know you were interested in architecture."

"Well, I'm not sure how interested I am yet, but it sounded neat when I was checking out courses. And you remember my friend, Reza? His dad's an architect and I've talked to him a bit about it." Evan shrugged, embarrassed. "I don't know, it may not work out."

"Why don't you want me to tell Dad?"

Evan snorted. "Are you kidding? You think he wants me to take anything resembling difficult? He wants me to take safe courses to keep my GPA up so I don't get on academic probation or anything. Of course he thinks I'll declare for the draft. He even told me, why bother declaring a major when I know I'm not going to finish it."

Ryan was silent, leaning against the statue and studying her brother. "So I'm guessing you don't agree with that plan?"

"I don't know." Evan rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping all this on you before the gig."

"It's all right. I have some time, and the sound check's done. Come on." She stepped away from the statue and started walking. Evan caught up in two long strides.

"I don't know what I want," he said after a few minutes. "I mean, I love playing basketball, don't get me wrong. But I just don't know if I want it the way JT wants football, you know? Or the way you want your music."

"You still have time to decide, kiddo." Ryan put her hands in her pockets. "I mean, you've just started your first semester."

"Oh, come on, Ry." Evan barked a laugh. "You and I both know that if I do anything other than declare for the draft when I'm eligible, Dad will have a fit. He doesn't care about anything else. Last time I saw them, I tried talking about classes and if there's something beyond ignoring a person, that's what Dad did."

Ryan nodded, knowing that feeling all too well.

Evan went on, "It was all about sports, all about basketball. And if not that, then about JT and football. Dad acts like this is all just filler until I play games. He knows I need to take the classes, obviously, but he acts like it's a waste of time."

"Dad can be tough to talk to. Not that I try anymore. You know, I'm still sorry I left your birthday like that. I was just so mad."

"No worries." Evan shrugged. "Besides, I have to tell you—I was jealous."

"What?" Ryan stared at him.

He patted her shoulder and laughed. "I wish I could be like you, Ryan. I wish I knew for sure what I wanted, and that I could just ignore Dad and do it anyway."

"I thought you wanted to play basketball."

"It's fun. I just . . . I don't know. I'm glad it got me a scholarship, I just don't see myself playing in the pros. I know it's what Dad wants, but I don't know." He shrugged. "I don't want to disappoint him."

"That's okay. I disappoint him enough for all of us." Ryan nudged him but he frowned at her dark humor.

"Ryan, don't say that. I mean, I know it must feel like that, but it's not right. It's on Dad, not you, if he's going to be like that."

She smiled. "Thanks, little brother."

"Oh, don't go mushy on me." Evan pretended to scowl and push her away when she hugged his arm. "I guess JT will have to make up for the both of us, huh?"

"I think he can handle it."

They walked for a little while longer, heading toward Evan's dorm. Once there, Ryan waited outside while he dropped his book in his room.

"Okay, let's go." He let the door close behind him. "I guess it'd be dumb to ask if JT is coming?"

Ryan shook her head. "I doubt it. I haven't talked to him in a while, so I don't even know if he knows."

"Let's change the subject. What's new with you, anyway?" Evan asked as they headed back to the gym, where the band would play as part of the homecoming festivities.

"Well . . . okay, I'll tell you but if you laugh I'm going to smack you."

Evan raised an eyebrow. "What, did you try to rob a bank or something?"

"Oh, funny. No. I'm going out with someone."

"Really? Well, hey, that's cool. I mean, not that I need to think about my sister dating anyone, but okay. Who is it? Anybody I know?" Evan grinned. "Is it some musician with dreadlocks and tattoos that will give Dad a heart attack?"

Ryan laughed. "No, no musicians. He might have a tattoo, I guess; I haven't asked. Anyway, believe it or not, a hockey player. Brody Lang. From the Capitals."

Evan stopped and stared at her. "Seriously?"

"Yes." She smacked his arm. "Why would I make something like that up?"

"I just know how you are about the whole athlete thing. I mean, geez, if I wasn't your brother, you'd probably never talk to me." He laughed as he dodged another swing.

"Smart ass." But she smiled and explained how they'd met.

"Have you told Mom and Dad?"

"No. No way, not yet." Ryan shook her head. "It's only been a week, just barely, and I'm not sure how it will go. Besides, I can't subject Brody to Dad. Not this soon. Can you imagine?"

Evan nodded. "Oh, yeah. Smart move."

They talked a little more, and then Ryan turned when she heard someone call Evan's name. A girl with long black hair and Indian features came up to him, her smile wide and her dark eyes bright. Ryan looked at her brother and bit back a smile at the pleased expression on his face.

"Hey, Amira." He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

Ryan hid her grin under her hand; Evan had forgotten she was even there. She watched as he hugged the girl, then took her back pack, which looked like it would burst.

"So, Evan, who's this?" Amira nodded at Ryan, who had to laugh when Evan went bright red in the face.

"I'm Ryan Bancroft, Evan's sister." She held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Amira Patel."

"Amira's in my economics class." Evan cleared his throat. "And we've been going out for a few weeks now."

"Really? That's great." Ryan beamed. "If you want to know any embarrassing secrets, Amira, I'll give you my email."

Amira laughed. "Thanks."

"You want me to come to your show or not?" Evan gave Ryan a half-hearted glare, then turned to Amira. "Remember, I told you about Ryan's band?"

"Sure." Amira nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing you perform."

"Terrific." Ryan checked her watch. "Well, I guess I'd better go if I want this to come off on time. Call me afterwards if you want, Evan."

"Okay." He grinned. "If your new boyfriend won't be jealous."

Ryan looked at Amira. "He thinks he's so funny." As the other woman chuckled, Ryan turned to her brother. "He's in Buffalo tonight, doofus. Now, are you coming or what?"

Evan chuckled and gave her a one-armed hug. "Yeah, we're coming. Break a leg and all that. And, Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

Evan stepped back and put an arm around Amira. "Don't tell Dad, okay? About the courses and . . . stuff?"

Ryan nodded. "You got it. See you later."

x-x-x-x

Three days later, on a game-free Tuesday night, Brody whistled as he flipped a zucchini pancake over.

Mark eyed the contents of the pan warily. "What is that?"

"A zucchini pancake with angel hair pasta and a few other things. It's like a frittata." Brody sprinkled some salt and pepper on it, flipped it again.

"How the hell do you come up with stuff like that?"

"Saw it in a magazine." Brody shrugged. "Looked good, thought I'd try it. Come on, when have I ever let you down with food?"

"When you tried to mix red peppers and sauerkraut." Mark shuddered at the memory. "I can't eat either of those things now without flashbacks, thanks to you."

"Not every experiment works. We learn from our failures."

Mark snorted. "Anyway, I'm not trying that, whatever it is."

"Fine, it's not for you anyway, you wuss. It's for Ryan."

"What is it with you and cooking for her? Every time I turn around you guys are eating together."

"I can't cook for my girlfriend?"

"No, you can cook for whoever—what?" Mark walked over and poked him in the shoulder. "When did she become your girlfriend? On the bus to Philly you said you weren't going out with her."

"And at the time, I wasn't." Brody turned the heat down on the stove. "Things change, man. That was almost two weeks ago. You need to keep up."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you going out with her?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" When Mark didn't answer, Brody shrugged. "I bet Hilary loves it when you get all big brother. Anyway, I wanted to. I asked, she said yes, so we're going out. Very simple."

Mark looked about to say something, then turned his head and paced into the living room. Brody ignored him for a few minutes, then turned around. "What is the problem here?"

"I don't know. I like Ryan. And I know you and how you are with women."

Brody raised an eyebrow. "How I am?"

"Oh, please. You've been commitment averse since I've known you, to say the least. And I don't think Ryan is like that. I don't want you doing anything to hurt her."

"Yeah, because I'm such a monster. Because I've left a trail of broken hearts in my wake. Christ, Gainer." Brody turned back to the stove. "Look, I asked her. She said yes. We're just going out. Relax."

"Fine." Mark went to the door. "But you can't tell me the first time she tries making plans more than a week in advance, you won't freak."

"We're both busy enough that plans are made on the fly. With her band, she's probably busier than I am a lot of the time. And besides, my freaking limit on plans is more like two weeks."

"Okay, fine." Mark had to chuckle. "Just, seriously, man, don't mess with her."

"Jesus, you really are a big brother." Brody made a shooing motion. "Go away."

Mark left and Brody shook his head as he dumped his knife and cutting board in the sink. Ryan was an adult, for God's sake, he thought. He hadn't blackmailed her into going out with him. True, he hadn't been, and still wasn't, looking for the long-term stuff, as he'd told Baxter. Someday, that'd be fine; some day, after his NHL career, when he was done with road trips, potential trades, and all of that.

There was no point in having something derailed when it was avoidable. Ryan, he figured, had to feel much the same. She was busy with her band, and was working to get busier. He doubted she was looking for the picket fence either. More likely, she was looking for a tour bus.

The knock at the door drew him out of his thoughts, and he went to answer it with a sense of anticipation that surprised him.

"Hey there." He smiled at her when he opened the door.

"Hi." She looked up with bright eyes, a little breathless. "Sorry I'm late."

"Not a problem." He stood back and gestured her in, then closed the door behind her. He watched as she strode in and rested her guitar case against side of the couch, then draped her coast over the arm. He had to admit, he liked that walk; it was confident and not just a little sexy.

She put her hands on her hips and took a breath, then turned back to him and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi." He came over and faced her for a moment, then leaned down to kiss her. "How are you?"

"Good." She leaned into him for a moment, then pulled back. "Hey, something smells good."

"Thanks." He tugged her towards the kitchen. "You're a guinea pig tonight. I decided to try something new."

"Hmmm." Ryan pretended skepticism. "Maybe I should go back for my ramen noodles."

He raised an eyebrow. "Tell me you at least added some meat and vegetables to it."

"Um, no, can't say we did." Ryan had the grace to look embarrassed.

"I don't know how you've lived this long," he said, but couldn't help a chuckle.

"But if I hadn't done that, how could I appreciate you now?"

"There's something to be said for appreciation," he allowed. "Now, sit. It's almost ready."

Ryan smiled as she sat back in the chair. She'd had a busy day, been late for rehearsal, and had come right from her ride with Lara up to Brody's apartment, not even stopping to drop off her guitar. In the elevator she'd laughed at herself, so anxious to see her boyfriend. Not that she hadn't had boyfriends before, but she couldn't recall looking forward to seeing any of them like this.

It had been a few days, she reminded herself; she hadn't seen him since the previous Friday. Five days, she thought wryly; it had been less than a week, and here she'd been in such a hurry she'd dragged her guitar along with her.

Brody brought over the plates, each with a piece of some odd pizza-looking thing. Ryan looked from him to the food as he set glasses of water on the table.

"What is that?"

"Zucchini pancake with angel hair pasta. Don't judge, just eat it."

Ryan did, with some trepidation, but nodded in approval. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"Well, thank you for that glowing review." Brody shot her a look and she laughed. "So, anyway, sorry I missed your show at Maryland. How did it go?"

"Pretty good." Ryan cut another piece of the food. "Jason only ran over on two songs." She rolled her eyes. "At least it was songs where he'd done it before, so we could cover. I let him have it afterwards, but I doubt it'll help."

"Sorry."

She shrugged. "I'm trying to let it go, for now anyway. And I did get to see my brother, Evan. He's the youngest. Plays basketball."

"And your other brother is . . .?"

"JT. Football. At Maryland, in fact." She stabbed at the pancake. "Just like Dad."

"I'm sensing a little hostility."

Ryan gave him a half-smile. "Sorry. It's kind of automatic."

He reached over and squeezed her hand. "It's okay."

"No, no it's not. It's stupid to get upset about it." She shook her head. "It's been that way my whole life and I should be used to it—I am used to it, really."

"Yes, I can see that." Brody gave her a somber nod, which made her huff out a laugh.

"I could bore you with the reasons why, but I don't want to ruin a nice dinner. So let's just forget about it. I'll start over. The show was fine, I let Jason have it about the songs, and I got to see Evan, so that was fun." She took a deep breath. "There, see? Now, I watched the Buffalo game and some of the one on Sunday. You guys looked good. That was a stupid call in the Buffalo game that cost that guy . . . what's his name? The Russian guy?"

"Obie?"

"No, the other one."

"Oh, Tolya Strelkov." Brody grinned. "Yeah, he was pretty pissed about that goal being disallowed. But he'll get another one."

"You got one." Ryan smiled at him.

"I did indeed. It was a great feeling, let me tell you. I was on the verge of a slump. Well, a slump for me."

They talked a little more, then cleared the table when they finished eating. Ryan offered to help with the dishes, but Brody waved her off. Instead, he took her hand and pulled her out to the living room. She laughed as he yanked her down to the couch, half on top of him.

"So, what do we do now?" Ryan asked. "Watch more Iron Chef?"

"If you want." Brody smiled. "I actually didn't have a plan."

"Okay." She covered a yawn. "Why don't you tell me about your family? I like hearing about families where everyone gets along."

He laughed at that. "Well, we get along most times, I guess."

Ryan shifted to get more comfortable and laid her head on his shoulder. "Go on, tell me. My family problems annoy me. You have, like, a dozen siblings, right?"

"I don't think five kids is any kind of horde," he said, "but it did make for a crowded house. We're all experts at the five-minute shower. Except my sister, Lana."

"Lana? No, you can't be serious." Ryan lifted her head. "You have a sister named Lana Lang?"

"What's wrong with that?" Brody widened his eyes, all innocence.

"Your parents did not name your sister after a character in Superman comics. Tell me they didn't."

"Okay, no, they didn't." He laughed as Ryan dropped her head in relief. "Seriously, my oldest brother is named Rick, then there's my sister Carla, then me, then Josh, and my youngest sister is Eileen. My mom's name, though, is Lois, so they had some fun with that."

Ryan chuckled. "I bet. So, what do they all do? Anyone else play hockey, or another sport?"

Brody paused, trying to remember everything. "Well, we all played sports at some point, but I was the only who got serious about it. Rick works in construction, and Carla is a teacher. Second grade, more power to her. Josh is a computer programmer, and Eileen is in her last year of college. I forget what she's majoring in; she changes all the time. Last I talked to her, she was talking about joining the Peace Corps or something."

"That sounds neat. Did you all get along?"

"Oh, pretty much. There was the usual sibling rivalry. Frogs were strategically placed in dresser drawers, things like that." He paused. "Usually it was rubber frogs, or spiders, but once Josh found a real frog and man, Carla almost broke the windows when she screamed."

"Nice." Ryan laughed.

"Well, my sisters were no slouches in about getting us back, let me tell you." Brody chuckled and absently rubbed her arm. "They were sneakier, too. They liked to take my hockey equipment and hide it. They'd fill my skates with dad's shaving cream." He made a face. "I can't tell you how weird that felt."

Ryan smiled. "I should have thought of doing that to my brothers." Her eyes drifted closed; between the warmth of his body and the softness of the couch, she could feel herself on the verge of dozing. She made herself wake up. "Are any of them married?"

"Rick is, and he has two kids, two boys. Carla got married last summer, no kids yet. Josh was seeing someone but I think they broke up. I think; they were kind of on and off a lot. Eileen always says she's too busy, and she probably is."

"Wow. I don't know how you keep up on all that."

"Mom has an amazing recall, and we use Facebook. And that doesn’t count any cousins, aunts, uncles, second cousins . . . ."

Ryan laughed, then covered another yawn. "Sorry. It's not the company."

"Busy day?"

"Oh, sort of. Mostly I was up late. Couldn't sleep."

"Working on some music?"

"Yeah, some." Ryan shifted against him so that his arm was around her shoulders. That drowsy feeling crept up on her again. "I'm a little stressed about the show at the 9:30 Club."

He chuckled. "Isn't that still over two weeks away?"

"Well, yes, but I can't help it."

"Ryan, you really need to relax."

"Please? At this time of year?" She raised a hand began ticking off points. "First, Thanksgiving, then our gig, then Christmas. All of which means the pace at work increases to get things done for the holidays and people taking off. Not to mention buying presents, which with my family is the definition of 'exercise in futility.' None of that adds up to relaxation."

"Yes, but you have one thing this year you didn't before."

"What?"

"Me." He grinned. "I'm good at relaxing, and helping people relax."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"It is. And since I'm your boyfriend, doesn’t it make sense to take advantage of me?"

She laughed. "Well, if you put it like that . . . ."

"Get your mind out of the gutter. Geez. Musicians." Brody sat up and gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes while Ryan kept laughing. "Come on, come on, sit up."

Ryan pushed herself up and yelped when Brody tickled her sides. "Hey! That's not helping!"

"Okay, okay." Brody got serious and directed her to the floor and then sat on the floor behind her and began to massage her shoulders.

Ryan remained tense for a minute, then gave in. "Thanks. That feels great."

"You're welcome."

They were quiet for a while, and Ryan felt herself drifting again. "I guess I should go. I didn't realize I was so tired." She yawned and sat back, leaning against Brody's chest. Which, she thought to herself, was not a bad thing.

"You can't keep this up, you know," Brody told her.

"Hmmm?"

He shifted her so that he was half-holding her. "This pace. The stress levels. You've got to find a way to relax. Take a night off or something."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that."

He gave her a wry grin and smoothed her hair back. "You look beat."

"I am." She shrugged. "I'll get over it. Not much I can do about it now."

"I think you need a new relaxation technique." Brody wiggled his eyebrows.

"Is that so?" Ryan laughed. "I've tried yoga. Lara made me, but it didn't take. What do you suggest? Pilates? Aromatherapy?"

"No, too new agey. I like the tried and tested methods." Brody grinned and leaned down to kiss her.

Not bad as far as relaxation techniques went, Ryan thought. She shifted in his arms, turning towards him as his lips moved against hers. She let him coax her lips apart and deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers. His free hand stroked her arm, then moved lower and ran up and down her side. She put a hand on his shoulder, then raised it to toy with his hair, pleased when he made an approving sound.

Ryan relaxed, enjoying the physical contact. It had been a while since she'd dated, and she hadn't realized how much she'd missed this aspect of being with someone. Not just kissing—although she wasn't complaining—but just being next to someone, or holding hands.

"We could take this somewhere more comfortable." Brody slid his hand under her shirt.

"We could, but I think I'd better go." She smiled. "Lots of work to do and all that."

"You sure?" Brody kissed her again. "Because you seem a lot more relaxed now. Maybe we should do this for a while longer."

Ryan laughed and rubbed his arm. "I am, much more. You were right, you're very good at relaxing people."

"I've barely gotten started."

"Well, then, I'll have something to look forward to." Ryan realized what she said but it was too late to change it, so she just grinned at him.

"You mean it, don't you?" Brody feigned hurt. "You really want to go. I must be losing my touch."

"Your touch is just fine. But . . . well, this is about all the touching I'm up for right now." Ryan sat up and faced him. "If it helps, it's not you, it's me."

Brody laughed and stood, then offered her a hand and pulled her up. "That has to be the worst line invented, ever." He pulled her into a hug, gave her one more kiss, and then stood back. "Okay, rock star, you better go, then."

"Thanks, Brody." Ryan picked up her coat and guitar. "For dinner, and everything else."

"I should have made you play me a song." He nodded at the guitar as he walked her to the door. "Music goes so well with food."

"Next time." She stepped through the doorway and turned around. "Thanks again, really."

"You're welcome. Get some sleep." He reached out and put a hand against her cheek for a moment. "Go on. I'll call you tomorrow."

"All right. Thanks. 'Night."

"Good night." Brody watched her until she got on the elevator, gave one last wave and closed the door.

He dealt with the dishes and decided it was time for bed. First, though, he needed a shower. Cold.

x-x-x-x

The next night, Ryan was sitting with her guitar, deep into a song when she heard Lara come in.

"So, how's it going with the boyfriend?"

Ryan looked up to see her friend leaning against the wall, a gleam in her eyes.

"It's going fine, thanks." Ryan went back to her song and hid a grin, knowing the neutral response would drive Lara crazy.

"Oh, come on. There must be more than that."

Ryan pretended to think, then shook her head. "No, that's all." Lara made a frustrated sound and Ryan laughed. "Okay, what is it you want to know?"

"I don't know! Just . . . how is it going?" Lara walked over and sat on the couch. "You hardly say anything. Inquiring minds want to know."

"It's . . . it's pretty great," Ryan admitted. "Brody's a lot of fun, and he helps me de-stress. He also cooks a mean dinner."

"You do look more relaxed." Lara grinned. "With most other people, I'd say it's the sex, but with you, I'm sure it's the food."

"Oh, thanks. How would you know?"

"Because I know you." Lara sat back. "You don't jump into things. Even the band. As much as you've wanted it, and for as long as you've wanted it, you plan. So I'd hardly expect you to jump in the sack with Brody on the first date."

"Yeah, well." Ryan shrugged. "I won't lie. He's certainly made it clear he'd like that, but he doesn't seem upset that we haven't."

"Good. A guy who'd be upset about that isn't worth your time."

Ryan chuckled. "Thanks. Good to know my judgment is still intact."

"I never had a doubt. Okay, change of subject. You still coming to my mom's for dinner tomorrow?" Lara's mom always invited Ryan for Thanksgiving.

"I was planning on it. Is it still okay with her?"

"Oh, sure." Lara nodded. "She just wanted me to check. Mitch is coming, too, I think. His parents are out visiting Maria before she has to deploy again."

Ryan shook her head. "That sucks, having to go before Christmas. I guess it's good they'll see her now. Mitch didn't want to go?"

"He said he did but couldn't get the time off from work. And he saw Maria last month when she was here on leave, so that's something, at least."

Ryan nodded. Mitch's sister, Captain Maria Renatti, was a doctor in the Army and about to leave on her third tour of duty in the Middle East. The whole family was proud of her, and the band was as well, by extension. Ryan hoped Maria would be okay; she was a lot of fun and had been a big supporter of her little brother and his friends when they'd started, even helping them get one of their first gigs.

"We'll have to get her address," Ryan said. "Make sure we send care packages and stuff."

"You know, I was thinking we should add something into our Facebook page, too. I'm not sure what, but some sort of fan page for Maria and her unit. It's not much, but Mitch mentioned it a while ago and thought it would mean a lot to her." Lara tapped a finger against her leg as she thought about it. "Yeah, we can do something. I'll talk to Trout and poke around and see what's out there."

"Excellent idea." Ryan nodded. "Let me know how I can help."

"You sure your parents don’t mind you missing dinner with them?" Lara asked.

"They won't be home." Ryan set the guitar down, stood and stretched. "JT's last game of the season is in North Carolina, and Dad decided he wanted to make it a big trip. I can't get the time, and I don’t want to go anyway. Evan's going with them. They wanted to do the traveling tomorrow. Even if I could get the time, I can't say Thanksgiving dinner at a rest stop on I-95 sounds like a fun proposition."

"No, me neither." Lara shook her head. "Okay, well, I think Mom's planning dinner for about three, so don't eat a big lunch. Is that okay?"

"No problem. Can I bring anything?"

"Nope, Mom says she has it all under control."

"Knowing your mom, she probably does." Ryan smiled and sat next to Lara on the couch. "Your mom is a fantastic cook, and I don't know how she keeps track of all the details."

"I don't either. She wouldn't tell me." Lara laughed. "Says it's a mom secret that I'll learn some day."

"I'm not sure I buy that, and it makes her all the more impressive."

"It does. So, what's Brody doing for the holiday?"

"There's a team dinner or something, he said. They're playing in Nashville tonight, coming back right after." She shrugged. "I'm going to go to the game on Saturday, when they play St. Louis."

"Well, well, well." Lara gave Ryan a knowing look and squeezed her arm. "Going to a game. You must really like him."

"Oh, knock it off." Ryan swatted Lara's hand away, making her friend laugh. "It's his 250th game. He asked if I'd come and said some people would be getting together afterwards for a few drinks or whatever. He's been really good about the band, coming to the show and all, and so I feel like I should go. I mean, I want to, and it sounds like fun."

"You're so cute when you're trying to figure out a relationship. It's adorable, really."

"Shut up." Ryan tried to scowl but ended up laughing instead.

"I'm sorry," Lara said over her own laughter. "Seriously, I'm glad to see it's going well. I knew it would be good for you."

"Relationship as therapy? Oh, please."

"No, no. Not like that. You just get so wrapped up in the band that sometimes you don’t do anything else. It's good that you're seeing someone, because it forces you to get out and try different things."

"I'm sure Brody would love to know that he's forcing me into the real world." Ryan shook her head and wondered if Lara was right. Did Ryan focus on the band to the exclusion of everything else? She wanted it, though. If there was one thing she'd agreed with her father on, it was that if you wanted something, you went after it with everything you had.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it."

"You're right. Sorry." Ryan leaned her head back on the couch. "It is fun, but it is taking some getting used to. I guess—I know—I expected him to act like my dad, my family. But he's not."

"Told you so." Lara tapped her feet on the floor in a happy dance.

Ryan threw a pillow at her.

x-x-x-x

Saturday night came around and Ryan felt a little weird as she handed her ticket over to the attendant at Verizon Center. She had, as she'd told Brody, gone to a couple games after Mark had given her tickets. More often, she'd given the tickets to Nate or Mitch, although she and Lara had had a good time at the games they'd attended.

Aside from her brothers, she'd never gone to a game for anyone in particular, she thought as she made her way through the crowd. She had to admit to some ambivalence about this game. Her guard was up on the whole sports issue, but Brody had only asked once, and since he'd come to her gig, and was coming to the 9:30 Club, how could she say no?

Jesus, she thought. She was going to need therapy for this relationship.

Ryan followed the usher to the steps at the top of the section, then saw Hilary waving at her from the seats. Relieved to see a familiar face, she waved back and went down the steps.

"Hey, Ryan. Brody said you were coming. Glad you could make it. Here, have a seat."

"Hi. Thanks." Ryan followed Hilary a few seats in and they sat down.

"Here, let me introduce you. You remember Lena, right?"

Ryan nodded. She'd met Lena a couple of times; as she recalled, Hilary and Lena were best friends, and Lena was with another guy on the team. In quick succession, Hilary introduced her to Sara, Nancy, Mina and Meg. Ryan hoped she'd remember the names; it was tempting to pull out her phone and note them all down.

"Ryan's with Brody," Hilary explained with a grin. "Believe it or not." Ryan gave her a puzzled look and Hilary laughed. "Sorry, Ryan. That's a comment on him, not you."

"Ah." Ryan just nodded, not quite sure what to say to that.

"Never mind her." Lena touched Ryan's arm and gave Hilary a dirty look. "She just likes to cause trouble. Brody's a great guy."

"Yeah, he's not bad." Ryan grinned and the other women laughed.

Lena started to say something else but was drowned out by the roar of the crowd and the blood-pumping music that accompanied the team's entrance onto the ice. Ryan looked down and couldn't help a smile when she saw Brody skate out, zip along the blue line and then around the boards to warm up.

The first period moved at a quick pace, and the teams traded goals within the first ten minutes. Ryan winced when Brody took a hit into the boards, then laughed at herself when he didn’t even slow down.

With five minutes left, Brody's line was out, cycling the puck around the St. Louis defensive zone. Ryan realized she was on the edge of her seat, hoping they'd get another goal before the intermission, but couldn't make herself sit back.

Brody sent the puck towards the net and the goaltender kicked it out, straight to Mark, who sent it around to another Capital, who in turn threw it back at the net. Brody and his linemates drove to the net and collided with the Blues defensemen as they fought to get the puck over the goal line.

Ryan's nails dug into her palms and the other women shouted encouragement. They sat back with groans of disappointment when the goalie covered the puck and the ref blew the whistle.

"I can't believe that didn't go in!" Mina protested. "Unreal!"

"That goalie's no slouch," Nancy said, shaking her head. "It's going to be tough the rest of the way."

"He's good, hmm?" Ryan asked. She felt as though she should try to contribute, although she didn't know much about hockey beyond the Capitals, and little enough about them.

"Oh, yeah." Nancy nodded. "We even tried to get him in the off season, but St. Louis made a better offer. He was a runner up for the Vezina, too. The NHL award for the best goaltender," she explained to Ryan.

Ryan was saved having to think of a reply when play resumed. The Caps pressed again, but the St. Louis goalie held steady and the siren sounded to end the period with the score still tied. She slumped back in her seat, relieved it was over. The other women talked for a moment and then broke away for restrooms and food. Ryan waved off their offers and stayed in her seat, as did Sara.

"Enjoying the game?" Sara asked.

"Pretty well." Ryan nodded. "I'm not usually much on sports, but it's fun."

"Not much on sports? That must make things interesting."

"Oh, it's not so bad." Ryan shrugged. "It's not that I hate it, exactly. Just haven't had great experiences with it." To put it mildly, she thought, then changed the subject. "So, which one is yours?"

Sara gave a hearty laugh at that. "I hadn't though of it like that. It makes it sound as though they're a bunch of stuffed animals. And a lot of them are teddy bears, but they'd hate to hear me say that. Anyway." She chuckled again. "I'm seeing Tolya Strelkov."

"I'm going to need a score card for all the couples." Ryan shook her head. "I still don't know the team roster."

"I felt like that when I first started meeting everyone," Sara agreed. "But you'll get used to it."

Ryan laughed and they chatted as intermission wore on. Sara listed the couples on the team and Ryan wondered how anyone could keep it all straight. As the other women drifted back, she found out that Hilary had decided to go for her MBA and that Lena had recently gotten into a Master's program at GWU. Mina, a chef, had recently been promoted. Nancy and Meg were older and had children, and Ryan couldn't imagine how they balanced being moms with working and their husbands traveling so much.

"What do you do, Ryan?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, I—"

"Ryan's got a band!" Hilary interrupted with a grin. "And they're fantastic!"

"No kidding?" Lena said. "Wow."

The other women plied her with questions about the band, its name, their music, and Ryan was happy to answer. She realized she'd expected any conversation to center around hockey, and so the talk of jobs and family was a pleasant surprise. She told them about the 9:30 Club and the shows after that, and that she hoped they'd come. They all promised to check their schedules and then the lights went down for the second period.

Ryan let the other women's enthusiasm carry her along and she settled in for the rest of the game, trying to put her usual dislike of sports aside.

Brody's line came out for a face off in the Caps' zone and she noted his linemates, Baxter and Callahan. Mark was out on defense, as was Meg's husband, Curt Weldon. Callahan won the puck, and dropped it back to Mark as the Caps' got into position.

Mark carried the puck up to the blue line, then passed it up to Baxter. Baxter nearly lost it to the Blues' winger, but he managed to get enough stick on it to push it away and Brody grabbed it, heading up ice with Callahan.

Ryan leaned forward and clasped her hands. St. Louis seemed to be a little off-kilter, just a step or two behind the Caps. A couple of times she expected a penalty as they tried to knock Brody's line off the puck, but the refs didn't call anything.

Another check, another pass, and the Caps set up and began cycling, playing keep away from the Blues.

Description: Song and proposal

Baxter let a shot go, but it bounced off the cross bar. Brody scrambled to get it back to Callahan, who passed it on to Weldon. After holding for a few seconds, Weldon sent it on to Mark. Mark looked for an opening and Ryan heard Hilary urging him to shoot. Instead, he winged the puck to Brody. Brody make a quick shot, which tumbled around the crease before scooting back near one of the circles. Brody got it again and slid it to Mark, who slammed it home.

When the light went on, Ryan jumped out of her seat along with the rest of the crowd. She turned to Hilary. "You know, this is kind of fun," she shouted with a grin.