Page 94 of Unlovable Player

He pulls away. “What about your family?”

“I don’t think there was anything I could have been that would have made them happy.”

“So it’s their loss.”

He kisses my nose. “Wanna go to bed?”

“I was just kidding in the car, I think my dick needs a rest from this morning.”

He laughs. “Mine too, I meant to cuddle.”

“Oh, then yeah, that sounds nice.”

FOUR MONTHS LATER…

AUSTIN

There’s twenty seconds left of overtime as we stay tied with Michigan. I scored the opening goal in the first period and Michigan tied the game in the second. Our penalty kill is seven for seven and Olivetti is blocking shots on goal like a fucking futon. But if we don’t score in the next twenty seconds…

Gray wins the puck at center ice and passes to Seb, who breaks away down the wing. I skate like the wind to pick it up and it lands on my stick, perfect, just like we’ve practiced a hundred times. I snap a high glove side with ten seconds remaining on the clock and… the lamp lights up!

I’m swamped as the ref blows the whistle. It’s all over. We won. We fucking won! When the guys filter away, Seb stays and I tap his helmet with mine, catching his eyes through the cage, the freckles lining the top of his nose, the sheen of sweat across his nose and the lock of golden hair sticking out from underneath.

Fuck it’s going to be hard when he’s in Vancouver for eight weeks, but I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life that we’ll survive.

When Coach comesinto the locker room we’re all half-dressed and chanting, jumping up and down, singing. He doesn’t try to interrupt, just shouts how proud he is over us and we try to drag him into our little scrimmage in the middle of the locker room, but he manages to back away and save himself.

Gray snaps his towel against Seb’s ass on his way to the shower, saying, “good pass Gretzky.”

I want to tell him to keep his hands to himself, but I love the way Seb lights up at the compliment.

“You guys coming to get wasted now or what?” Gray shouts over the sound of twenty shower heads running at once.

“We have press now and then most of your families are here.”

Gray groans. “You’re such a killjoy.”

Seb laughs. “You are.”

“Shut up.”

We change into our suits and put on our most presentable smiles before going out to face the press.

Ma is waitingwith as many of my aunts and uncles as she could squeeze into her car or other people’s cars. I couldn’t get every single person a ticket to the game, but they worked it out amongst themselves and the ones who didn’t make the cut watched it in a local bar while waiting for us there.

I can tell which ones missed out on game tickets by how buzzed they are.

They all scoop me up the second I walk in, and whoever can’t get a hand on me reaches for Seb instead.

Most of them know him pretty well by now. He was at dinner for Christmas and he’s been grilled more than most people’s families would find appropriate. And the weirdest thing is, he seems to love every second of it.

Alyssa stands from a barstool and comes to give me a congratulatory hug before turning to Seb and kissing him on the cheek.

“Nice assist Gretzky.”

“Hey this is the second time someone called me that.”

“Don’t get too cocky.” I ruffle his hair and he gets all shy.

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