Max
After practice, we headed to the locker room, where the sharp stink of gear mixed with the steam from the showers.
The post-drill exhaustion felt good, a solid weight in my limbs after an hour of suicides and gap control.
Will was sitting next to me on the bench, humming some pop song off-key while taking off his shin pads.
Seth was across the way, leaning back like he owned the place, grinning the second he caught my eye.
“So, Finn,” he said, drawing it out, “how’d date number two go? Didn’t see you around much Saturday.”
I groaned, tugging at a stubborn skate lace. “Disaster. Again.”
Lewis perked up. “What happened this time? Didn’t you just survive Cat Lady?”
Will chimed in, wagging his finger like a teacher. “Melissa. With three cats and, like, six thousand pictures of them. Don’t forget the details.”
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me,” I muttered. “At least Melissa just talked about her cats. This one took selfies for two straight hours. Different angles. Different lighting. Same face. I don’t think she knows what my eye colour is.”
Seth slapped the bench. “Buddy, you’ve got a gift. Nobody else finds dates like this.”
Lewis shook his head, laughing. “Hey, at least Cat Lady talked to you. This one sounded like she only wanted you to hold her phone charger.”
I laughed along, but honestly, it felt empty inside. It wasn’t just the bad dates. Every single one made me feel like I was auditioning for a role I didn’t understand. Like everyone else got the script but me.
“Maybe I just have bad luck.” I tried to sound more casual than I felt.
Seth shook his head, smirking. “Nah, you’re overthinking it. That’s your problem. Keep it casual, man. Don’t go chasing ‘the one’ – just have fun.”
Will sat up straight, shocked, and pointed at Seth with his elbow pad. “That’s terrible advice. Don’t listen to him, Finn. You just have to wait for the right woman to come along. It’s about love, not… hookups.”
“Here we go.” Lewis rolled his eyes. “Romeo over here is writing poetry in his spare time.”
“I don’t write poetry,” Will protested. “But when it happens, it happens, you know? You’ll see. Finn will find her.”
Seth grinned, shaking his head. “Yeah, probably at a pet store or an Instagram convention at this rate.”
Everyone cracked up again. I shoved my gear into my bag and laughed with them, shaking my head. “Thanks, guys. Real supportive.”
Will threw his arm around my shoulders as we were heading out. “Don’t worry, buddy. Third time’s the charm. I can feel it.”
“More like third strike,” Seth snorted, grinning, and I chucked a tape ball at him just as the door swung shut behind us.
Suddenly, everything got quiet – the usual hush after practice. It hadn’t been easy – not finding what I was looking for, not even knowing exactly what that was. Out on the ice, at least, I always I knew what to do.