Chapter 11 Lukas #2
Ben squeaks, and the crowd laughs while my cheeks burn with embarrassment. A few adults wolf-whistle, and Slappy shakes his head, pointing to the kids and then covering his ears. Somehow, I turned a simple tail reattachment into foreplay, and it shouldn’t send such a thrill through me.
Accidentally getting a handful of my secret boyfriend’s ass in front of a crowd should be a lowlight, not a highlight of today’s activities.
Clearing my throat, I step back from him. “All done, Slappy.”
He turns around and holds his hands over his heart again as a thank you before he pretends to check his watch and panic. He waves goodbye and takes off down the hall running, his tail flopping behind him.
“He’s going to bring the house down. Don’t you think?” Christine stares into the void after Ben and I nod in agreement.
“That’s a very talented beaver.”
“Look at the ticket sales lineup. He’s filling seats, Lukas. The season hasn’t even started.”
Sure enough, the line at the presale table is long, and Christine flits off to talk with people in line.
“Did you know you’d slap a beaver’s ass when you came here today, Piney?” Burnsy snickers as he bumps me with his shoulder.
“That was mildly embarrassing.”
“Whoever is in the suit seemed to like it.”
Oh, I noticed, and I’m glad Ben had the frame of mind to stay in character. Thankfully, Soupy interrupts us before I say anything more.
“Things are winding up now. You two want to get a beer?”
“Absolutely. Let’s hit the pub downtown.” Burnsy claps my shoulder. “You in, Lukas?”
“I could use a beer.” Or shots. Literally anything to calm me down.
The three of us leave our jerseys with Christine and head out, promising to meet up at the pub separately since we all live in different directions and have our own vehicles. Once in my car, I remove my phone and text Ben.
Lukas: You did amazing today. Tickets were selling like hotcakes when I left.
The responding bouncing bubbles are fast.
Ben: I especially liked the ass slap. I bet that helped warm their wallets.
I snort to myself and shake my head.
Ben: Did you just blush? I bet you did.
Lukas: Yes! I just slapped the mascot’s ass by accident! In public!
Ben: Come over and do it again on purpose.
I suck in a breath and close my eyes. Am I into that? Maybe. I won’t turn down the chance to find out.
Lukas: I just promised the guys we’d go for a beer at the pub.
Ben doesn’t respond for several moments, and I put my car in gear to start the drive just as he responds.
Ben: Tell me when you’re home then.
If texts can sound disappointed, this is one of them. If we’re dating, he should meet the team, who are also my friends. There’s no reason for me to sneak him around when he’s not in the beaver suit. They don’t know who he is.
Lukas: Join us. The pub we just had pizza at.
Ben: Only if you’re okay with me being there. If it’s a team-bonding thing, it’s cool, Lukas. I don’t need to intrude.
Lukas: Not intruding. I want the man I’m dating to be there.
Ben: I’ll be there then.
The three of us have only just sat at a table in the pub when I bring up Ben.
“So…I’m seeing someone and invited them. I hope you don’t mind.”
Burnsy grins in the affable way he has. “Not at all. We’re like family. Sarah would love another WAG to hang around with when we’re away.” Burnsy’s girlfriend just moved here after a long-distance relationship while she finished her PhD.
“Right, so it’s not a woman.” I know these guys are safe, but the jitters always get me when I introduce same-sex love interests. “His name is Ben.”
Burnsy shrugs. “Okay. I’m sure he’s a cool guy. Sarah won’t care.”
Shaking his head, Soupy just keeps smiling. “Nope. Neither do we, Lukas. Follow what makes your heart happy. Life is too short. Who you love doesn’t make you a lesser hockey player despite what some assholes think.”
I have good friends.
We lapse into conversation about the upcoming schedule without missing a beat, and it’s times like this when I’m so grateful to be with other players on a team that isn’t filled with toxic men.
Being out as bisexual wasn’t something I made public until a few years ago.
The announcement wasn’t all that smooth with my then-team, and I’d expected it.
It didn’t make it hurt less, though, when some of my teammates stopped talking to me.
When I came to the Aspens, Coach Nix made it known right away that the team wasn’t one to put up with toxic beliefs.
We have women trainers and bisexual players, which is all I’m aware of, but honestly, that’s enough to make me hope this team can bring change to the league.
It’s hard to find the words to express how grateful I am that I’ve landed here.
It feels like I’ve finally found a place to belong. Life is finally coming together.
“Season starts next week. How do you feel about us, Lukas?” Burnsy sips his beer and waits as I collect my wandering thoughts.
“I think we have a solid chance of doing something here. We’re a little weak on defence compared to our forwards.” I chuckle. “I’m aware that includes me.” The guys laugh. “But we could do something here. I truly believe it.”
“I agree.” Soupy raises his bottle. “You were the best choice as captain. I know Evans has a bee in his bonnet over it, but I mean it when I say you’re one of the best men to lead our bench. You inspire me.”
Swallowing, I nod to Soupy. “I appreciate that. I won’t let you down.”
Burnsy tips his chin as he looks behind me. “There’s a man at the door looking for someone. Is that your Ben?”
Twisting in my chair, I see Ben peering over the people in the pub. When he catches me waving, his face lights up like it always does, and I turn back to the guys. They both wear matching grins as they watch me.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Burnsy drinks from his bottle. “You just have this whole smitten kitten thing going on.”
“It’s cute,” Soupy adds, and I roll my eyes.
“Smitten kitten? What the fuck is that anyway?”
Burnsy doesn’t get to reply. A hand lands on my shoulder, and I stand to greet Ben. His hair is damp, and he smells soapy fresh. Bending down, I press a kiss to his lips. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He smiles at me with that dimple popping, and he’s so damn cute I want to toss him over my shoulder and carry him out of here. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends or just stare at me?”
“Sorry. You look nice, and your dimple is cute.”
A throat clears, and Burnsy stands up. “Hi, Ben. I’m Matteo, but you can call me Burnsy.” He gestures to Soupy. “This is Connor, but we call him Soupy.”
Ben shakes their hands as we all sit back down.
“Sorry, I don’t have a fun nickname, but it seems like all you do is add a y at the end of your names. You could call me Benny if it fits.”
The guys snort-laugh, and I shake my head as he moves his chair closer to me.
“How did you two meet?” Burnsy asks, and Ben turns towards me. A mischievous grin on his lips.
“At a bar. He tried to do a handstand and fell literally at my feet. It was fate. Then I invited him to the park where I’d teach him how to do it the right way.”
“Aww, that’s adorable,” Soupy coos.
Ben winks at me and eases his hand onto my thigh. “He is pretty adorable.”
The server comes by for Ben’s order, and after he requests a rum and Coke with lime, the four of us just slide into easy conversation.
The guys talk about their girlfriends and families, and we all talk about hockey.
Educating Ben once he admits he doesn’t know the rules of the game becomes our singular focus.
You can’t date a hockey player and not understand the game. You just can’t.
“Okay, so the point is to get the little black rubber thing into the net for a goal.”
“Yes,” I reply, and Ben cocks his head.
“So why skates? Couldn’t you just wear shoes and use grass or something?”
“Then that’s field hockey and different rules,” Soupy replies.
“Oh. What about shoes on the ice then?”
“Broomball,” Burnsy supplies, and Ben huffs.
“I just don’t understand the skating and hitting part. When Lukas got the black eye, I thought he was a boxer.”
“Sometimes he is.” Soupy shrugs when Ben’s eyes widen. “You should come to his games now. The spouses usually sit together. They could teach you,” Soupy says, and I turn to Ben, not sure how he’ll answer that.
“I’ll try, but I work most evenings, and it’ll be hard to line up a game.”
“What do you do?” Burnsy asks and leans forward.
“I’m a yoga teacher is the simple answer.” Ben’s answer flows from his lips as I hold my breath. “But I own a fitness studio. Yoga, pole fit, and stuff like that. Evenings are when I work the most since people are off work to take classes.”
“That explains the handstand thing, then.” Burnsy nods and continues. “Do you tumble? We have a mascot now, and they did some amazing stuff. I wish I could do that.”
Ben’s hand flexes on my thigh, and I bring my beer to my lips.
“Yeah, I can. It’s super fun.”
They don’t know he’s Slappy, and this conversation shouldn’t feel like it skirts dangerously close to the secret, but it does. Ben doesn’t seem bothered by it, but suddenly, I just want to get out of here because I’m seconds away from opening my yap.
“I don’t mean to cut this short, but do you two mind if we take off?”
Burnsy smiles slowly. “No, Piney. You two enjoy the evening together. It was nice to meet you, Ben. I hope we see you around again.”
Hasty goodbyes are made, and it’s only once we’re outside that I feel like I can be myself.