Page 138 of Two Guys One Puck
“And you didn’t look it up? That’s your fault.” Now he’s looking at me like I’m an idiot.
“I want you to tell me.”
“I want to see your face when I tell you, so this works good.” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Is this you being sweet, Leontiy?”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“Tell me what it means.” I cup his face.
“My love,” he whispers over my lips.
My hands freeze. “Really?”
“Yes. Is bad?”
“No. I love it. I love you.”
“You better because I’m going to make you really mad next week.”
“Dick,” I mutter into his lips.
“I love you too.”
EPILOGUE
SEABORN
The NHL Draft
“Don’t be mad when I go before you, Seaborn.”
I slap him playfully.
We’re sitting next to each other but like bros because we’re still playing our relationship close to the chest. I know it will be better that way in the long run since we have a lot to prove in our first season, and we don’t want our relationship to call anything into question with our teammates or coaches. We talked about eventually coming out, but we’ll see how it goes. Even if he doesn’t care, there is so much in the air with his residency and getting a waiver for his mandatory military service in a couple of years, and I’m okay with that. His safety means more to me than being able to brag I fuck him.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
My hands are clammy, and the walls feel a little like they are pushing in, but I nod. “Yes. I want to get it over with.”
“You’re going to be drafted. Don’t worry.”
“I know. This just feels—” I shake my head.
“Like what?”
“A lot. What if I’m on the other side of the country?” Anxiety crawls up my throat. I know my brother won’t want to change schools, and Emily can handle it, but my dad will die in the next few months, and I don’t want him alone for that.
“They invented these things called airplanes. Is like magic. They can get you across the country in hours!” Ktytor’s hand lifts, but he clenches it into a fist and puts it back down.
I can tell he wants to touch me or put his hand on my thigh like he does to comfort me but holds himself back. The intention helps, and I just try to focus on breathing.
“Fuck off.”
He puts his finger to his lips. “Shhh. I want to hear my name when they call it.”
I cannot roll my eyes hard enough, but the whole thing kicks off, and the entire room gets quiet.
