Page 119 of Friendzone Hockey
He’s gasping, thrashing for air.
“Shh, c’mon, Dashie. Breathe with me, okay?” I release the hand that’s got my keys to place his free hand against my chest. I can’t … can’t leave him like this. His tears fucking kill me, but I maintain eye contact. “I won’t go. I’ll stay here with you. Or you can come with me. Whatever you wanna do, okay?”
The keys clang when they hit the floor. His chest shakes with tired laughter. He puts his arms out and I lift him, spinning him around, setting his ass on the kitchen island. Dash wipes at his tears.
“I shoulda cried sooner.”
His tears will always be my kryptonite.
“You have to go,” he says like we haven’t already been through this a few thousand times. The off-season was turmoil. Between his rocky relationship with Syd, and the impending season, we barely slept. “And I have to learn to live without you.”
“Hey now, no one said that.”
“This is bad, Stacey,” he says referring to his state. “I talked to Syd about it.”
He talked to Syd about us? Don’t know if I like that, but I’d be an asshole to ask him not to. “What did he say?”
“Mostly listened, but then he said I spend too much time with you.”
On the one hand, I can’t blame the guy. If I were Syd and my boyfriend—yep, they made it official—was spending as much time with me as Dash does, I’d have buried me in a hole somewhere by now.
But on the other hand, fuck that guy.
“You agree?”
“No. Yes. I mean, I like how much time we spend together, but this is too much—don’t say it’s not.”
It’s not. It’s so fucking not.
Okay, maybe we’re a little much, but we’re us and that’s nobody’s business. Fuck. Total disaster. And, yes, I regret not saying anything at the beginning of this whole Syd situation, but how was I supposed to know it was gonna last through the off-season? Dash’s relationships have never lasted. Ever. All evidence pointed to this being the same.
“We’re a lot,” I admit, “but I love us.”
“Me too.”
An eternity seems to pass before either of us speaks again.
“But even you’ve said it, Stace, in not so many words. I fought you on it as per usual, and now look, can’t even let you walk outthe door.” His fingers claw into my shirt, ribcage shaking. He thinks I’m gonna disappear.
“What if I got a tattoo?” I think up on the spot. To Dash, permanence is everything. A tattoo’s pretty damn permanent. Every time he sees it, it’ll remind him that he’s imprinted on me forever.
“L-Like, what kind of tattoo?”
“Anything you want.”
Something flashes in his eyes. Something deep, dark, and possessive. And then it’s gone so fast, I have to question if it was there in the first place. The chill over my skin’s the only evidence that I’m not losing my mind.
“Wherever I want, too?”
“Whatever you want, wherever you want.”
Casey barges in the door. He’s soaked, head to toe. “You two need to wrap it the fuck up, or we’re gonna miss our ferry reservation.” He bends to retrieve the keys off the ground, slamming the door behind him.
“Think about what you want. I’ll text you as soon as we’re on the ferry, kay?”
He nods. I plant a kiss on his forehead. “Don’t you dare say goodbye. You know how much I fucking hate goodbye.”
“Never, Dashie. We never say goodbye.”
