51. Sacrilège

As a couple of you asked for this... thoughts please.

Angus and Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane


ELLA'S POV


Y’know this was such a good idea coming here,” I said to Noah as we sat outside on the terrace enjoying our drinks. Noah had suggested running off to Quebec City for the weekend and we had arrived at Sacrilege on rue St. Jean just under an hour ago. The terrace was crammed with tourists and locals alike as the stressed waitresses darted through the tables, trying to serve everybody.

“I know, I’m always full of good ideas,” Noah said. “To us,” he said raising his glass and clinking Félix’s. I raised mine too and downed the final part of my Tia Maria and coke – my new drink of choice.

“So what else are we going to do whilst we’re here?” Félix said. I wasn’t sure; I had just come to get away from the hustle and bustle of Montréal for a while. Félix had offered to drive the two and a half hour trip and we had arrived last night, staying with a friend of the family who lived in Sillery.

“Dinner at the Frontenac!” Noah shouted. Félix and I looked at each other. Every time we come to Quebec City with mother she always makes us go and eat there – whether it’s a Sunday morning brunch or just dinner, we have come to associate the chateau with mother.

“Or not,” Noah said shrugging his shoulders. “I was feeling extravagant.”

“We could bike out to les Chutes Montmorency?” Félix suggested. I nodded, I haven’t been out there for a long time and it’s so pretty, not to mention a tourist hot spot, but we don’t often come to Quebec City too often.

“Hmm… I didn’t bring my spandex with me,” Noah said. “I’m not sure I could do that to the world.”

“Noah, I’m not sure the world would want to see you in spandex,” Félix bit back as he tried to smother a laugh. Noah shrugged in the only way he could that spelled camp with a capital C.

“Well, what should we do tonight? How about we go out?” I asked. We had come here on a whim, just wanting to break out of the scorching hot city for the weekend. “Chez Maurice, Dagobert, O-Zone…” I trailed off. I had packed my party shoes and wanted to go out.


“Look who it is,” Félix said, pinching my arm as I heard a familiar chuckle emanating from the alley way that led from the street upto the terrace at the back of Sacrilege. From our table which was perched a little higher at the back of the terrace in the trees under the corner, we had a good view over the rest of the small yet busy terrace. I turned around, so I had a better view of the terrace.

“Max?” I said, looking at the alley way. Félix nodded. He stood out in his loud plaid shirt as he made his way onto the terrace with a cap drawn low over his face. Despite his attempt at a disguise, he was easy for me to pick out. It had been ten days since I had spoken to him, and he was looking remarkably chipper.

“Get him over here,” Félix whispered as he nudged me to stand up. I haven’t seen Max since the funeral and I wanted to know how he was doing. He looked happier, his laugh sounded easier and not forced. He looked brighter than the shadow of a man I had seen at Gina’s funeral where he had been sombre and quiet.

“ELLA!” he exclaimed, causing people around us to turn and stare, running up the steps and embracing me in a tight hug. “Ça va?”

“Ouais, ben, toi?” I replied as I withdrew from his hug. I checked his eyes to see if the familiar sparkle was there. It was faint and it was clear that he was still hurting, even through this front he was putting on, but he was doing his best to convince me that he was OK.

“You don’t need to pretend,” I whispered in his ear, “It’s OK to show it.”
Max squeezed me into a tighter hug and kissed the top of my head. “Sshhh… Who’s the new guy?” he asked.

“Noah,” I replied grinning. Max would soon find out he’s not my guy in a minute or two. “Think he might be better dressed than you!” I hit his arm jokingly and gestured for him and his brother to pull up some chairs. “Never,” Max playfully bit back.

“Noah, this is Max. Max, Noah. Max was going out with Gina, he’s one of Jordan’s teammates,” I explained as Noah gave him the once over and gave me a nod of approval.

My phone vibrated noisily on the table. "Think he might be hotter than your ex blondie," Noah had sent me. I laughed as I discreetly passed my phone to Félix who just shook his head as he laughed at Noah.

"What brings you to Quebec?" Max asked us as the waitress brought him a beer.

"Change of scenery," Félix explained as Max just nodded. I was so pleased to see that he had made it back to Quebec after being holed up in Pittsburgh for so long.

"How long you here for?" Max asked as the waitress came out with more rounds of drinks.

"Just until tomorrow, I have to go back for my internship," I said. "Anyway it's good to see you again," I grinned at Max. He looked good - there was still a sad glint in his eye but his mood had improved remarkably.

"Had to drag him out of his house," Max's brother Will said. "Can't have him not throwing his annual party," he added.

"Yeah, you guys should come," Max said. "Next weekend in Montréal, Saturday night, party at mine. I'll text you the address."

"Cool, we'll be there," Félix said, agreeing before I even had a chance to think about it.

"And Noah?" I asked Max wanting to see if he was invited.

"Bring your new man along," Max said after he had downed his beer. That was rather presumptuous of Max to assume Noah was my new man - after all he could have been Félix's man, or my cousin or another brother we keep in the cupboard...

"Oh no, I'm not her new man," Noah said in his campest voice causing Max's eyes to open wide as he looked at me. I tried not to laugh as I looked between the two of them.
"Ooops, well, bring him anyway, and if you've got a new man, bring him too," Max said as his eyes twinkled.

"But Vinnie's gone back," Noah whispered to me. Vinnie is not my man, I thought, and never will be. He's gone back to Florida for the rest of the summer. Sometimes, like right now, I regret telling Noah things, particularly when this happens...

"Vinnie! As in Lecavalier?" Max said frowning as he glanced between Noah and me. I nodded feeling I had to explain this before anyone gets the wrong idea.

"A friend, we met in Montréal. Noah likes to bring him up a lot, like now," I glared at Noah.

"And Jordan?" Max said. "You know, if Jordan finds out, all hell would break lose on the ice next time we play them. He would have to shit all over the ice and on Vinnie." I didn't know, but Jordan wasn't going to find out, ever. And there's nothing for me to hide. We had met as friends and he had cheered me up. There was nothing that I should feel embarrassed about.

"Well, nothing happened," I said shaking my head as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And you're not going to tell Jordan because it's about as insignificant as that ant in the crack on the ground over there."

"Good, because Lecavalier has a fiancée back in Tampa Bay," Max went on. "So nothing should be happening."

I nodded. "Nothing did so it's chill," I repeated now wishing that a strike of lightning would take Noah out for mentioning this.

"Anyway, party next Saturday, n'oubliez pas," he said.

As the sun began to set, the patio emptied out and I could hear my stomach rumbling noisily. "I need food," I said to no one in particular. Noah nodded as he rubbed his stomach. He apologised for dropping me in any Vinnie shit with Max.

We made our way out of Sacrilege, leaving Max and his brother after promising we would see them next weekend, wondering where we were going to eat for dinner. Eating on St. Jean is always pricey - it screams tourist hot spot to me. "Shall we head down into Basse-Ville?" I asked the guys as we deliberated where to go.

"Yeah. Ells, you really have to introduce me to more hockey players if they all look like blondie, Vinnie and that!" Noah said as we headed down the hill. I chuckled - Noah could be so superficial sometimes. "He's just so rugged and sexual."

"Think someone's got a little man crush?" I asked as we crossed Jean-Charest not knowing where we were headed.

"Just a little. I'm so looking forward to his party," Noah said as Félix directed us into some Italian place. That makes one of us, I thought. Partying with Max was always fun in Pittsburgh, so why was I having reservations about his house party next week?