Page 8 of The Tape Job
Vicky’s with me. Leave her to calm down. See you tomorrow.
“At least Johnny’s not pissed.” I flash my phone towards Ryan and Jen.
“What happened?” Jen presses, so I give her a rundown and watch her frown.
“Oh. Tomorrow will beawkward.”
“No, it won’t. I’ll be going home tonight. In fact, I’ll get my stuff and I’ll head out now, even if I have to wait in the airport.”
“You can’t go. It’s Christmas.”
“Yeah, and the last thing Vicky needs is another ruined Christmas. It’s settled. I’ll be back in August, and we’ll figure it out then.”
I’ve never seen Ryan look so desperate as he does right now, but he nods and holds his hand out to shake mine, more of a habit than anything. I take it and pull him in, letting him squeeze me before letting go.
“We’re going to make it one hell of a season, Lee. You make sure you keep the training up. And make sure you hydrate. Oh, and fucking eat right. Food is—”
“Fuel. Yes, I know.” I roll my eyes at him. “But first, I’ll stop off and speak with Vicky; if she’s not cool with it—”
“I’ll give you a ride,” Ryan says, and we head towards the back doors.
Vicky
I’m in this weird in-between state where I don’t want to be on my own, but I don’t want to be with anyone either. It’s like the night I first saw Liam playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. So obviously, coming to Johnny’s is the only choice.
“Ryan just called me,” Johnny says as he sits next to me on the sofa. “Lee’s going back to Toronto, but he needs to swing back and pick up his things.”
My stomach twists in knots. I don’t want Liam to go, but I don’t want him to stay either. I could scream.
“Vic, do you want to go back to yours so you don’t have to see him?”
I haven’t told Johnny the full story, only that we’d agreed to call it a day for good this time. Annoyingly, he had spent the past twenty minutes going on and on about how much he thought it was a good idea and how much better off I’d be.
“No. It’ll be fine.” I pull the blanket draped over me up higher and hug my knees. I fix my attention on a Christmas movie Johnny put on to ‘get us in the spirit,’ but I couldn’t be further from the spirit if I tried.
We don’t talk for what feels like an eternity. Johnny fidgets with his phone before tossing it aside, and when the doorbell chimes he springs to his feet, rushing over to let Liam in.
I try my hardest to concentrate on anything other than the muffled conversation. But then there’s movement, and Liam’s voice drifts over to me.
“Vic, can I talk to you for a moment?”
He sounds sad. Like really fucking sad. My chest heaves with the effort to stop myself from crying as the inner battle begins. I wonder if hearing him out would be best, but he takes in a breath and speaks again.
“You don’t have to talk. Just listen, please.”
He sounds desperate, so I nod and switch off the movie. But I keep my focus on the blank screen, hoping it’ll stop me from crying. It’s funny really. Not funny ‘ha-ha’ but funny that it’s me who’s got the broken heart.
He strides further into the room and moves around the sofa, coming to a stop at the side where I’m sitting before crouching; a groan slipping from his mouth. I glance over to him and then shuffle up, making room for him to sit.
“Thanks. My knee has been causing me a few issues,” he says, collapsing down next to me. “I’m sorry, Vic. I’m sorry about the cupboard, and… well, I just wanted to let you know I’m thinking of retiring. But I was planning on playing one more season here with Johnny. And let’s face it, Ryan is likely going to stay anyway, so it’s an ideal opportunity for us to play pro together.”
“You’re quitting?” Johnny bursts from his bedroom as if he was waiting for an opportunity.
“Retiring, but I’m not going into that right now. I just wanted to make sure that whatever the hell is going on between me and Vic…” His eyes dart back towards me and I can’t help but meet his gaze.
“Are you asking my permission to come and play here next season?” I ask, but Johnny interrupts, and thunders into the room.
“What the hell? What are you going to do instead? Why—”
