Chapter 3 Hudson
HUDSON
Early October
“Ready for tomorrow?” Oliver Bell, one of my favorite guys on the team, asks as I sit next to him on the bench in front of my locker to unlace my skates. “Your final home opener.”
“Yeah, the crowd is always great for the first game, I love it. What about you? No longer your rookie season, anything you want to do differently?”
“Oh, thank god I caught you,” a very out-of-breath Adrian interrupts before Ollie can respond, and I glance up to see him leaning against the doorframe.
“Hey, Charming, did you want to drive home together?” I ask, trying to remember if I forgot something we’d talked about.
Living with Adrian has been amazing. We were just gone for another away preseason game, but the few days in Chicago have been so much better spent with him at his condo than if I’d been stuck alone in a hotel.
He’s always happy to hang out with me, and I’ve loved the distraction of his company.
When he’s there, it’s easy to forget that my life is kind of a mess right now.
Admittedly, finding a new place hasn’t exactly been a priority with everything else going on, but Adrian doesn’t seem to mind having me around.
“What? No, we both drove our own cars today,” he reminds me.
“Well, we should look at our schedules and see if we can ever do that,” I suggest. No need for us to both waste the gas, and it sounds way better than sitting in my car alone.
“Um, yeah, sure. But that’s not why I practically sprinted across the building to find you. And let me remind you, I am not an athlete, I feel like I’m dying.” He puts his hand over his heart, chest still heaving, and I can’t help but smile at his theatrics.
“Well, you look great,” I assure him. And he does, his hair is still perfectly styled, and his stylish suit isn’t even wrinkled. Adrian always looks so put together; I don’t know how he does it.
His eyes widen a little, and then he shakes his head like he’s trying to clear it before he stands to his full height. “I ran here because we need to go to HR before they’re all gone for the day.”
HR? I can’t catch a break. “Did I not turn in all my paperwork? Am I in trouble?”
Adrian lets out a short laugh. “No, you’re not in trouble. But we should let them know you’re living with me. A few days is one thing, but as far as I know, you still haven’t had any luck with your realtor, so we need to let them know we’re roommates.”
Haven’t had any luck with the realtor, haven't called him yet… Same difference.
“We actually have to do that?” I ask, not doubting Adrian so much as I’m surprised that it would be a thing. “It’s not like we’re dating.”
“We’re obviously not dating,” he agrees quickly, cheeks growing red.
I love that I seem to be able to break through his seemingly perfect act that he puts on for everyone else, that I get to earn those little reminders that, as put together as I might think Adrian always is, he’s also just a regular guy like me.
Even living with him, I still feel like I barely know anything about him. He’s always so upbeat and positive, but I’m hoping that with a little more time, he’ll be comfortable enough to let me get to know more.
“We probably don't need to, but living together, being roommates, is still a type of relationship that we should notify them of,” he explains. “It would be different if we were both players or both back of house, but we don’t want anyone to accuse either of us of taking advantage of our job to pressure the other into anything.”
“See, this is another one of those things I never would have thought of. Thanks for always being five steps ahead.” He smiles softly and nods at my gratitude as his cheeks darken even more, a hint of his dimples shining through.
“I need to take a quick shower, but I’ll meet you there in fifteen? ” I offer.
“Okay, I’ll see if they can have the paperwork ready for when you get there. Thanks, Hudson.” And as quickly as he came, he’s gone.
“You’re still living with him?” Bell asks.
Honestly, I’d kind of forgotten he was there. Adrian has a way of demanding my full attention. “Yeah, he’s the best,” I reply easily, hurrying to get out of the rest of my gear so I can shower.
“And it doesn’t bother you that he’s gay? Are you worried about what people might say about you moving in with him two seconds after your wife kicks you out?”
I turn to face Ollie. I might be in a hurry, but I can’t rush this.
“I can’t tell if that comment was homophobic or not, but it’s important that you know I have a zero tolerance policy for that shit.
Adrian is an amazing person, and we’re lucky to have him working for our team.
I don’t care how good you are out on the ice, this team is accepting of everyone, and if you can’t get behind that, I won’t hesitate to harass the coaching staff to trade you. ”
Ollie puts up his hands like he’s trying to prove his innocence as he lets out a surprised laugh.
“Hey, man, I’m the last person you have to worry about that with.
I was just surprised. I thought that ancient people like you were more concerned about that bullshit,” he teases, and I drop my warning glare.
“Fuck off, man, I’m not that old,” I say with a laugh, glad that this kid is a good one.
He’s so young, and the team has invested pretty heavily in his success, plus we’ve always gotten along well, so it would really suck to find out he was an asshole.
I’m relieved he isn’t. “But nah, people can talk shit all they want. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the truth. And hockey. They should always focus more on hockey.”
“So true,” he agrees with a shake of his head. “Well, have fun with HR.”
“Thanks, man.”
“I’ll have one small iced coffee with a splash of cream and a large iced chocolate almond milk shaken espresso,” I order, relieved that the coffee cart is still open.
I know Adrian seemed like he was in a rush, but hopefully he’ll appreciate the coffee enough to not care if I’m an extra minute or two late.
“That will be right out,” the barista promises with a smile. I leave a generous tip before moving to the pickup area, and in no time, I’m walking into the reception area of Human Resources.
I wonder how people end up with these jobs. I always wanted to play professional hockey, but do people actually grow up wanting to work in HR? I used to love daydreaming about all the random things my kids might want to be one day, but now when I have those sorts of thoughts, it bums me out.
I know my life isn’t actually over, and my chance of having kids isn’t completely gone.
But what used to feel like such a close future plan now feels like more of a fantasy, and the time that it’ll take to get me back to that I-could-be-a-dad-soon feeling seems horribly long.
My parents had me in their twenties. I’m almost ten years older than they were, and they know better than anyone how quickly life can change; how future plans can be gone in an instant.
I don’t like to focus on such negative thoughts, but it’s hard to ignore them sometimes. I know I should probably be more upset about losing Shelby, but she showed her true colors with how she ended things, and I honestly haven’t missed her like I probably should.
“Oh my god, what is that?” Adrian asks as he steps out of one of the conference rooms off the reception area I’m standing in.
“Your coffee?” I check, glancing behind me before holding it out to him, not completely sure if that’s what he’s asking about or if I missed something.
“You got me coffee?”
“Yeah, of course.” I shrug, taking a sip of mine as he does the same.
His eyes widen, and he stares at me in shock as he slowly lowers the cup. “You got me my coffee. Like, the correct order and size and everything.”
“Should I not have done that? You don’t need to drink it if you don’t want it.”
He gasps, holding the cup closer to his chest and turning away slightly to guard the cup like I’m going to try to take it back. “Of course I want it. Chocolate and caffeine are my love languages. I just wasn’t expecting it is all. Thank you.”
I smile and wink. “Anytime, Prince. So what’s the plan here, do we sign something, or…?”
Adrian’s cheeks darken before he straightens like he’s physically going back into professional mode. I immediately miss the more relaxed posture he’s had more and more around me, but I appreciate how on top of everything he is, so I try to focus on why we’re here like he is.
“Yes, Natasha was kind enough to stay a little late to help us get everything done before the home opener tomorrow. I’ve already explained the situation and the importance of avoiding media involvement around your separation.
She agreed it was better to do it now while less people are around.
We started the paperwork so I think you’ll just have to sign a few things. It should be easy.”
“Thanks, Adrian. Hey, Natasha, sorry to keep you here so late,” I apologize as I follow him into the conference room.
I take a seat across the table from her and Adrian sits next to me.
It looks like he’s already signed some things and there’s a stack in front of me with highlights next to where I assume my signature is needed.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous all of a sudden. This should be no big deal.
But for some reason that stack of papers feels more important than the ones Shelby served me. That probably says something about how shitty my marriage actually was.
“Hello, Hudson. It’s no problem. I’m sorry to hear about your divorce,” she says sweetly.
“Thank you,” I respond, and I know that’s all I really need to say, but I can’t seem to stop talking.
“Yeah, I had no idea we even had to do this or I would have come in sooner. I’ve heard of people needing to declare when they date a coworker, but it’s not like we’re dating, so I had no idea.
” I shrug apologetically, but then I realize how that sounded, so I rush to add, “Not that dating Adrian would be a bad thing. It wouldn’t be; Adrian is great. ”
Fuck, did that make it sound like I wanted to date him?
I should probably just shut up, but I also feel the need to clarify so she doesn’t think we’re trying to cover up a relationship.
“If I was gay, he would probably be my first choice, but unfortunately I’m straight,” I explain.
But damn, that sounded bad too. “Not unfortunately, because being straight isn’t bad.
Not that being gay is bad either,” I add.
“Oh my god, how do you manage to be so endearing even when you’re bumbling?” Adrian asks with a laugh. “Stop stressing, this is a formality. We don’t actually directly work together, so you can calm down. It’s not like I’m your boss.”
Natasha laughs too. “Yeah, thank God Beckett Caldwell has never tried to date a player. That would have been a problem. But Adrian is right, no need to stress. And honestly, even if you two were dating, I don’t think it would matter.
It’s the same form, you’re just disclosing a personal relationship outside of your professional one, and like Adrian said, you’re not reporting to each other, so there’s no real conflict.
This is just so that the team can have your back in case anyone tries to point fingers and make anything up later on.
But thank you for sharing so much about your opinion on sexuality,” she says with an amused smile.
“Can we all just pretend that I handled this whole thing very calmly and professionally?” I ask with a wince.
“Nah, this was way more fun,” Adrian teases.
And yeah, if Adrian looks that happy, I don’t mind embarrassing myself a little. I wink at him, waiting to see his cheeks turn pink again before turning back to Natasha, and pulling the papers closer. “So I sign these?”
“Yes, everything is highlighted so it should be pretty straightforward.”
“Thank you.”
And a few minutes later, my nonprofessional roommate relationship with Adrian is official.
“Should we celebrate declaring our relationship?” I tease as we walk back to our cars.
“Oh my god, Hudson, you can’t say it like that, what if the media heard you?”
“Who cares.” I shrug, earning a very confused look from him.
“They always say whatever they want to anyway. I have a game tomorrow, so I can’t really eat anything fancy, but I could watch you eat something more fun if you want me to pick up food on the way home,” I offer.
“I can enjoy the smells and live vicariously through you.”
He smiles at that, shaking his head a little. “Want to do that takeout place right next to my building that has the grilled chicken and veggies and stuff you liked last time?”
I groan and my mouth is already watering from picturing the pasta he had. “Hell yeah, you want the same rigatoni with breaded chicken?”
“As long as you don’t mind me having a way better meal.”
“Not at all. Like I said, I’ll pretend I’m enjoying it too,” I assure him. “Plus, you should always have whatever you want. Don’t let me hold you back.”
He smiles up at me as we get to his car, his dimples drawing my focus for a moment as he looks around. “Where are you parked?”
“The other side of the lot.”
He turns back to me, wide eyed and staring at me like I’m crazy. “Then why the hell did you keep walking with me?”
“We weren’t done talking.” I shrug. “Plus it’s dark. Can’t I make sure you get to your car okay?”
“I am perfectly capable of walking myself to my car,” he insists, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.
“Obviously,” I agree with a short laugh. “But I still wanted to. Anyway, I’ll call and order the food now so it’s ready when I get there. Want to watch that design show you introduced me to last week while we eat?”
He uncrosses his arms, eyeing me skeptically. “Do you actually like it, or are you just suggesting that because I like it?”
“I liked it too!” I insist. “And I need to study before I have my own place for the first time in years.” Shelby moved in shortly after we started dating almost six years ago. We got married about a year later, but that all feels like a different lifetime now.
“Fine, I’ll get everything ready for when you’re back. You sure you don’t want me to pick up the food?”
“Fuck no, I’m living with you and you refuse to take any money, so buying food is the least I can do.” I turn away before he can argue and shout “See you at home” over my shoulder, ready for another fun night of ignoring the fact that my life looks nothing like I thought it would a month ago.
At least it’ll be with Adrian.