Chapter 6 The Shopping Game
The Shopping Game
Taylor always thought it was funny how Sánchez refused to go into a grocery store alone.
Funny and obvious. He claimed that he always needed someone in there with him for his safety, but Taylor knew it was just an excuse to hang out.
“If you wanted to spend time with me then you could’ve just said that” Taylor teased him.
“Hermano, we can’t go anywhere without getting recognized.
I don’t think I was made for the spotlight,” he said dramatically.
He sported a baseball cap and kept his head down as they walked past the other shoppers.
Every time Taylor noticed Sánchez would do a double take at the shoppers, he wanted to laugh his ass off. “This life is stressful.”
“It’s happened, like, three times tops,” Taylor scoffed. “I think someone needs to humble you.”
“You sound just like my sister,” Sánchez muttered. “Okay, what’s next on the list?”
Taylor looked down at his phone where he had a picture of the shopping list. Taylor made a weird look as he read it. “Condoms?”
Sánchez just laughed loudly and unapologetically. “I have a date tonight,” he said proudly. Taylor wanted to joke that Sánchez wasn’t doing a good job at remaining low-profile.
“With who?” Taylor asked humorously.
“An older woman,” Sánchez said with a smirk. “I’ll bring her to New Year’s so I can make you jealous.”
“Jesus Christ, man,” Taylor chuckled, steering the cart towards the back of the store and following Sánchez to the condom aisle.
A part of him felt weird about going with his friend to buy condoms. He worried that a fan could see and take it the wrong way.
Like think that they were secretly hooking up or something.
Taylor of all people knew that being a gay NHL hockey player could put a target on your back.
Even catching allegations of being gay could make you a laughingstock.
It was so normalized in the league to be openly homophobic.
Even though the league pretended to be progressive.
Half of the talk in the locker room was just homophobic bullshit disguised as teasing your best bud.
Taylor felt like he had to laugh along, but it always made him uncomfortable.
They turned onto the condom aisle, but Taylor froze when he saw Fletcher Armstrong standing there with a box of extra-large condoms in his hand. No attempts to hide. No worries about someone walking by with their camera.
“Look who it is,” Sánchez chirped. “Is that the right size for you, man?”
Fletcher laughed easily. “You wanna swing by my place and find out, princess?”
His eyes flickered to Taylor’s, just enough to register that Taylor was there, and Fletcher gave him a friendly head nod. “How’s it going? You guys planning on having a fun night with each other?” He smirked suggestively.
Heat crawled up Taylor’s neck. “Sánchez isn’t my type,” Taylor rolled his eyes, but it came out slightly defensive. He hated that.
Sánchez’s phone started to ring. “It’s my mom.” He groaned. “I’ll be right back. Watch the cart, Piers,” Sánchez said before walking away, leaving Taylor and Fletcher alone.
The aisle felt narrower with just the two of them there. He didn’t know why he was feeling this way. He and Fletcher were kind of friends now. They would walk out of practice together and chat. But seeing him here in a completely different setting was kind of unnerving.
Fletcher dropped his box of condoms in his basket, and Taylor was hyper aware of the noise it made against the hard plastic of the basket.
“So,” Fletcher said casually, leaning against the shelf. “What is your type?” he asked Taylor curiously. For some reason, the question made Taylor a little nervous. It was a completely normal question. Guys asked each other shit like that all the time.
But the way Fletcher was watching him—It made Taylor nervous. Like Fletcher was seriously asking him what his type was in a more than friendly way. Or maybe he was just overthinking it.
He just shrugged. “I’m not picky,” Taylor said, deciding to go with a safe option. Taylor didn’t really have a type, so it’s not like he was lying.
“Yeah. Me neither,” Fletcher told him. His mind went back to panicking about being in the condom aisle with a teammate. It would’ve looked a lot less suggestive if Sánchez was here too.
“So, I’m assuming you’ve got fun plans tonight?” Taylor asked forcing his voice to go lighter. In a friendlier way.
“I’ve got a date tonight.”
Taylor nodded. “That’s so funny. Sánchez said he’s got one tonight, too.” Taylor goaded. “If you’re taking my boy out tonight then you better return him in one piece.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes. “He wishes,” he chuckled. “So, New Year’s. Got any fun plans?” Fletcher asked.
Taylor nodded. “Sánchez and I were going to find a club with. You?”
“I don’t really plan that far ahead,” Fletcher replied. “I like to see where the night takes me.”
Somehow, Taylor wasn’t sure if he believed that. Fletcher had always seemed like someone who was too uptight to be a drifter. “You should come with us,” he told Fletcher. “We’re all bringing dates. More people, less pressure.”
Fletcher’s gaze sharpened. “So, you’re seeing someone?” he asked.
“Nothing serious,” Taylor chuckled awkwardly, a beat too quick. Not really sure why he needed to clarify, but whatever.
“Sounds fun. Thanks for the invite, man.” Taylor let out a sigh of relief when Sánchez reappeared, complaining loudly.
“My fucking mom just yelled at me for getting a minor penalty,” Sánchez groaned. “She acts like it’s an embarrassment to the entire family.”
Taylor and Fletcher both let out a chuckle. “I’m afraid to hear what she says about me, then,” Taylor quipped. Taylor probably spends half his games in the penalty box.
“She says you’re a very bad boy, hermano,” Sánchez said solemnly. “You need to get your act together. Get your head out of the gutter and shit,” he joked.
“Maybe she’s right,” Taylor laughed.
They bid Fletcher a farewell as they left to find the other things on Sánchez’s list, but Taylor spent the rest of the shopping trip with a lingering pressure in his chest knowing how easily he let Fletcher get under his skin.