Page 2 of Dating Goals
I manage to unlatch my chest piece and clatter down the hall with it before collapsing on the bench. My gear’s soaked through. My entire upper body aches. My lower body too. Heck, I think my hair aches. Coach really put us through the wringer today.
The locker room carries a heavy silence. Everyone’s lost in thought, probably thinking about what comes next.
“So,” Kevin Tate breaks the silence first, unlacing his skates. “Anyone else got plans if this goes south?”
“DEL reached out,” Owen says, his voice tight. “Emily’s not thrilled about Germany. Think I’ll wait it out, see what happens.”
“You speak German, right?” I say, jutting my chin at Hendrix.
“Yeah. Not great, but yeah.”
Sawyer tosses a towel over his shoulder. “Maggie’s already told me she’d follow me anywhere, but I don’t know. With everything going on with my dad right now…” He runs a hand through his sweat-soaked hair, not finishing his thought. But we all know. Most of us anyway. If Sawyer can survive the revelation that he’s the son of an Irish mob kingpin, we can get through a lockout. But it’s still going to hurt.
“My agent’s got feelers out in Sweden,” Kevin says, unlacing his skates. “But Leigh’s pregnant, and the kids are in school. I can’t just up and leave them.”
“She’s pregnant again?” Sawyer bellows, slapping Kevin on the back. “Way to go, my man.”
“You animal!” Owen gives him a high-five. “What’s your secret?”
“What can I say?” Kevin flexes dramatically. “The Tate genes are just too powerful to contain.”
The locker room erupts in groans and wadded-up tape balls flying at his head.
Owen’s already typing on his phone. “Hold up, gotta tell Emily. She’s gonna flip.”
“Oh no, don’t give her any ideas,” Sawyer mock-whispers. “Maggie will hear about it and next thing you know, the whole WAG squad will be planning some kind of pregnancy pact.”
Kevin beams. “Leigh’s already in the group chat. Trust me, they know.”
“The real question is,” I say as I lean forward, wiggling my eyebrows, “did you score with a slap shot or power play?”
The guys howl with laughter as Kevin turns bright red. “I’m not discussing my…shooting methods with you clowns.”
“The man, the myth, the baby-making legend,” Hendrix declares in his best announcer voice.
Owen starts a slow clap that quickly turns into the whole locker room chanting “Stud! Stud! Stud!”
Kevin just grins wider, if that’s even possible. “When you’ve got it, you’ve got it.”
When the jeering dies down, Kevin asks me, “So what about you, single guy. Any plans for the lockout?”
“I’ve got a team in Switzerland sending me emails.” I wipe my face with a towel, trying not to think about how empty this locker room might be tomorrow.
“Are you going to go for it?” Sawyer asks.
I shrug. “It’s not like I have anybody to stay here for.”
“So sad for you, bro,” Hendrix grumbles, stuffing equipment in his bag. “Colette and I are already doing medium-long distance. Long-long distance would suck.”
“Could be worse.” I start unbuckling my pads. “You could end up like Beckett over there, who’s dating his PlayStation.”
“Hey!” One of our latest rookies, Dominic Beckett, chucks a rolled-up sock at my head. “At least my PlayStation doesn’t complain when I hang with the guys.”
“Dude, you have no clue about women, do you?” Sawyer teases.
“He’s never been kissed,” says Jonny Tolliver, making obnoxious kissing sounds. Jonny is new this season too. Practically fresh out of high school.
It feels like yesterday and yet a hundred years ago when I was a dork-faced rookie like them.
