Page 61 of Replay

I stopped for the trainers to check out my knee after we got off the ice. Everything was fine, no pain to report. Guys were coming out of the showers by the time I was stripping down.

“What was that?” Oppy asked, flicking me with a towel.

“Sorry.” Coach had kept us an extra half hour after my slipup.

“It’s not like you to flake out like that,” Deek, my other linemate, said.

“I know. It’s a personal thing, and I’ll keep it off the ice, I swear.”

Barnes passed by. “Still that girl?”

“Oh, right. That’s why he’s not focusing on his game?”

“I’m focusing just fine, fuck you very much.” I currently had more points than anyone else. Sure, we were just a few weeks in, but…

“What’s the problem?” Oppy leaned against his locker, watching me closely.

“It’s not a problem,” I argued.

“Well, you were distracted and Coach got pissed. You’re normally his golden boy.”

I huffed. “I’m trying to think of a way to hang out with her, as friends.”

“I thought you wanted to date her.”

“I do, but she’s not ready yet. I need something fun we can do together that isn’t too much like a date. And then after we spend a lot of time together, we can be more than friends.” Everyone frowned. “It worked in high school. She was my tutor first. Then we started hanging out and pretty soon dating, for almost two years.”

Royster slapped my shoulder. “Okay, we have to help Ducky find some way to impress his ‘friend’ so they can move into having sex again.”

I glared at him, because it wasn’t just about sex, but if they could think of something I hadn’t, it would help.

“A nice restaurant?”

“That’s boring, and also, definitely a date.” I’d come up with that idea on my own.

“But if he can use his reputation to get into someplace expensive with a long wait list…”

Bongo turned to me. “Does she like that? When you use your hockey influence?”

I shook my head. “Not really. If she did, she’d have asked me for stuff, right?”

Everyone nodded. We all got hit up for favors and gifts.

“We need something not boring, and not too much of a date. Something friends can do.” Oppy frowned, like it hurt his brain to think that hard.

“You said she’s smart, right?” Mitch asked.

I nodded. “She’s here doing her master’s. In math.” Yeah, I was bragging.

“And you think she’d date down to you?” Bongo teased.

That was a good question. “I hope so.” But maybe she was out of my league now.

“Ducky, that was a joke.”

“Maybe it’s not. I mean, hockey doesn’t last forever, and then she’d be stuck with me?” Right now, I had money and was known to some people, but she hadn’t been jumping over the chance to be with me, had she?

Mitch spoke up. “I’ve got it.” He was tapping on his phone, looking things up. “Yeah, this will work. Find out when she’s free.”

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