Page 59 of Shots on Net

I feel like a fucking idiot as soon as I say this. Being around Zeke has apparently put me so in tune with my feelings that I just spit out sentimental shit to anyone, now.

“Yes, Carter. I’m very happy,” he responds. I nod, turning to go. “And thank you for asking.”

???

I call Zeke the second I get out the door after my meeting with Coach and Joel Street. He answers on the first ring and I talk before he can even offer a greeting.

“I’ve got a fucking agent! I’m legit!” Several passersby look at me strangely. I glare at them until they look away.

“Yes!” He whoops. “That’s amazing! I knew he’d take you on—you’re a catch. What are we going to do to celebrate? We have to celebrate.”

“You home? How about I pick you up and we go to dinner?”

“Deal. See you soon.”

Zeke is sitting on the front step when I pull into the driveway. He’s wearing my old SCU hockey hoodie that I gave him a few months ago, which sends my stomach pole-vaulting into my chest. He climbs to his feet when I put the car in park, popping the passenger door and grinning at me as he scrambles inside.

“You did it!” He exclaims, and leans across the center console to kiss me. His eyes are bright with happiness and he looks disproportionately proud of me. I cup a hand around his nape and pull him back for another kiss.

“How do you feel about oysters?” I ask him.

“I have no feelings about oysters. Never had them before.”

“Willing to try?”

“Absolutely,” he says, and clicks his seatbelt into place.

I wait until we’ve left the driveway and are on our way to the restaurant before I reach my hand out to him. He grasps it, lacing his fingers through mine and resting our linked hands in his lap. Zeke loves small displays of affection: holding his hand on campus, or kissing him outside of the locker room after a game. It’s an easy desire to fulfill.

It takes a little bit to get seated at the restaurant; by the time our food arrives I’m starving. I give Zeke an oyster tutorial, and we dig in. He is so ridiculously excited about the whole thing, I can’t help but watch him. He opens one and gasps, theatrically. I smile at him—his joy is contagious.

“Did you find a pearl?”

“Yes!” He exclaims. Plucking it out, he cleans it carefully on his napkin and examines it. I want to kiss him so badly in this moment, I can hardly breathe. He holds the pearl out to me, eyes shining with the lights of the restaurant. “Here. For you.”

I hold out my hand and he drops the pearl into my palm. Brushing my thumb over it, I look up at him. “You don’t want it?”

“I want you to have it,” he says, reaching out to curl my fingers over it.

“Thanks,” I mumble, carefully tucking it into my pocket. I’m far too pleased with this gift than is warranted.

“So, tell me about the meeting. Tell me about this Joel Street guy.”

“Well, the fucker is huge. He’s built like a linebacker. It was kind of funny, actually, watching him with Coach Mackenzie. They’re, like, the exact opposite. But he seems like a solid guy, and if he’s good enough for Tony, he’s good enough for me,” I say, shrugging and reaching for an oyster.

“But you liked him? It’s important that you feel comfortable with him. Especially since…” He trails off, suddenly uncertain. Beneath the table, I press my knee against his.

“I told him I was bi, and that I was currently dating a guy,” I tell him, and watch as he visibly relaxes.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to. I’m not ashamed of you, or being with you. If anyone has a problem with it, they can fuck off.”

Zeke laughs, and then, as though the thought just occurred to him, he brightens. “So, that means you’re expecting us to still be together. When you’re off being a hockey star.”

I think about this, for a second, not wanting to give him a throwaway answer. This is the longest running relationship I’ve ever had, and things are going good. Great, even. But if I get picked up by a team, I’ll have to leave school. Will long distance work for us? Will Zeke even want to try? The pearl he gave me feels like a weight in my pocket.

“Yes,” I say, firmly. “I want us to still be together. In the future.”

---