Chapter 16 - Happy birthday #3
"Hey, baby, please remember you like me when you see my failures on the ice. I was a decent player back in the day and this next hour is not going to be a reflection of that. I promise to impress you in other ways." I give a sensual tilt to the last two words.
He snorts a loud laugh and takes my hand in his. "Already impressed baby, if anything it's going to be good for me seeing you fail at something."
I tsk at him and squish his face with both hands as I land a big sloppy kiss on his lips.
It's meant to be silly, but it turns hot really quickly and I have to be pushed back by Dex, so I don't maul him on the spot.
I make a very obvious adjustment to hide my semi from the guys and watch his eyes turn molten.
I leave him with a smirk and a promise of later.
Ryan's waiting with a few pucks next to Mark on the net, speaking in soft tones and laughing quietly.
Paranoia takes hold but I quickly push it down.
I know they're friends and not likely to be talking about me and Dex, or even if they were, I don't see Ryan ever being judgmental about it.
As I approach, Mark gives me a nod and angles his head towards where Dex is sitting.
"Boyfriend?" He asks and paranoia tries to come back up.
"Yep." I say firmly, popping the P. I know Dex and I didn't really say the words, but it's out in the world now and I'm not taking it back.
"Cool." He just says, his one-word reply putting me at immediate ease. Ryan must notice it too, since he gives me a small wink. "He seems nice." Mark speaks again and I let out a small snort. Nice isn't really the word to best describe Dex, but he is awfully special.
"He is." I announce, to keep it simple. "Ok, how are we doing this?"
We start by shooting solo, but Mark is a beast on the ice.
There's no corner of the net he doesn't reach, his glove seems to be in the exact spot it needs to be at all times.
Not even faking or changing direction helps, he sees right through every single attempt.
Even when I try my hand at a backhand shot, which I used to be pretty good at despite not playing forward, he brings a knee down in a seamless motion and blocks it with his pad, going into almost a full split.
I'm really out of practice, panting already, while the goalie looks like he just strolled in, despite stopping somewhere around thirty shots from me and Ryan combined.
That's when we decide to team up, if we ever want to stand a chance. We bring it out of the blue line and skate in tandem, passing the puck back and forth. All the time we spent playing together in college is now shining through. Even after years, we’re in sync, anticipating where the other will be.
Too bad both of us played defense and are not very good forwards, but the passes are impeccable.
I still remember this amazing game sophomore year where Ryan smashed an opposing player in the boards and wrestled the puck free, sliding it to me halfway down the rink, landing it right into my stick.
I’m reluctant to admit this is… actually fun. The long years of resentment have all but dissipated and I feel like I can finally enjoy the game again. The love I had for it wasn’t gone, just buried deep down. Shoulda pulled my head out of my ass sooner, because this feels amazing.
I’m slicing the ice beneath my skates, playing around with Ryan when I see the determined look he’s giving me.
I know all his tells, the straightened wrist on the stick, the slight tilt of his head signalling left, the way his feet shift ever so slightly to the right instead.
He’s not even looking at Mark, while communicating this is the shot.
I glance quickly at Dex and find his intense eyes on me.
I want to impress him, dammit. So I give Ryan the quickest nod and start skating rapidly towards the net.
Mark is more than ready for me as I approach with the puck and is expecting the shot, when I pass to Ryan who flies to my left, soars past the gate and puts the puck in my stick, exactly where he knew it would be, mere feet in front of Mark.
I’m exactly aligned with his front and for all his goalie splits, he doesn’t go down fast enough.
The puck almost grazes his balls as it flies straight between his legs and right into the net.
It’s been too long since I felt this high, even without the lamp lighting up or music coming on, which would normally show up in a regular game.
I can almost hear it though, the crowd screaming and jumping up and down, but when I look at Dex he is in fact whooping and jumping from his seat.
The biggest grin blooms on my face, to the point my cheeks hurt.
I accept a quick hug from Ryan and skate to Dex, who is now by the rink. “Did you see?” I ask pointlessly, knowing his eyes didn’t leave me for a second.
“Sure did.” He drags me by the jersey into a passionate kiss. I need to lean more than normal since I’m even taller on skates and the board provides an annoying obstruction when all I want to do is drag him to me. We separate, panting slightly, when he continues, “Color me impressed!”
“That’s what I was aiming for, have to show off for my man.”
“Your man, huh?” He asks, raising a brow.
“Yep, I claimed you.” I give his butt a squeeze so he knows exactly what I mean. For the first time since knowing him, I see a bit of pink in his cheeks. It might be from the cold, but I’m choosing to believe otherwise. The day I made Dex blush is an impressive feat in my book.
“Ok, hot stuff. Get out so we can leave, my fingers are going to fall off from the cold.” He says and I rush to the bench to change out of my skates as well.
“Hey!” Ryan shouts over. “We still have half an hour on the rink.”
“That’s fine, you guys have fun. I need to get Dex out of the cold.” I move to take the jersey off my head, but Ryan stops me.
“Keep them. You can both wear them to the first game in preseason. I’ll get you guys really good tickets.” He grins mischievously.
“You mean you’re going to email the PR assistant to arrange that for you?” I ask, with raised brow.
“Exactly that!” Ryan beams at his clever little joke. I’m thankful for the invitation, though. Although I could have easily organized tickets myself without the request, I appreciate that he wants me there.
“What do you think?” I ask Dex, who’s watching the exchange back and forth.
“Uhm.. not sure. I wouldn’t get to see you on the ice anymore, which was the main incentive today. But I guess I wouldn’t mind spending time with you in the stands instead.” He eyes me carefully.
“Yep, I’ll be with you the whole time. We’ll make a hockey fan out of you yet!”
He gives me a small snort, “Not likely.” He shakes his head next, “But maybe a Leon fan.” He whispers with a glint in his eyes.
“Maybe, huh?” I ask as my arms circle his waist and I pull his body to mine, kissing along his neck.
“Maybe, definitely.” He whispers with a small sigh.
“I’ll take it.” I whisper back, finally moving to his mouth. The day I don’t want to kiss him anymore is the day I die.