Page 44 of The Pucker and the Princess
“You look like you’re trying to bend your phone in half with your mind,” Bouchard says, slapping me on the shoulder beforetaking his own seat at the locker next to mine after morning skate.
Sighing, I toss my phone on my bag and finish dressing to leave. “Just hoping to hear back from someone.”
His eyebrows jump. “Ohhh. Anyone special?”
“Fuck off.”
He cackles. “I’ll take that as a yes. Is it that chick you brought to Thanksgiving? What’d you do? Leave the toilet seat up? Chicks hate that shit, man. You gotta do better. With a woman like that, you need to bring your A game.”
“I thought I told you to fuck off,” I mutter.
“Dozer!” Abernathy calls from a few feet away. “Quit hassling Bouchard.”
Turning, I hold out my arms in protest. “He’s the one hassling me!”
Nick arches an eyebrow. “And yet you’re the one cussing at him.”
“Cause he won’t leave me alone!”
After studying me for a second, Nick jerks his head. “Come on, man. Walk with me.”
Bouchard lets out an, “Ooooh,” like I’m a kid at school getting called to the principal’s office, and a couple of the new guys join in, laughing and generally acting like assholes.
I grumble to myself, muttering, “I don’t have the time or energy for this shit.”
“And that’s exactly why we need to have a chat,” Nick says quietly as he falls in step beside me on the way out. “What’s up, Dozer? You’re not usually this pissy.”
Leave it to Nick to cut right to the chase.
I stop in the hallway, and he stops too, turning to face me, waiting patiently with his hands in his jacket pockets, his face bland and nonjudgmental. He might’ve busted my balls a little in the locker room, but I know that was more for the benefit of the others. His way of showing that bad attitudes won’t be tolerated in the locker room, and that he, as captain, sees it as his job to make sure we’re all in fighting shape mentally as well as physically.
When I don’t say anything right away, he shrugs and jerks his head toward the door. “Wanna walk while we talk? Or should we just head to my place?”
I shake my head. “You don’t want me around Tina and the kids like this. You’re right. I am pissy.”
He lets out a bark of laughter. “Glad you can acknowledge it at least. Care to tell me why? The only time I see you this way is when …” He trails off, glancing at me, understanding on his face. “I thought you said you weren’t going to date for a while. I seem to remember you throwing around time frames—six months minimum? Maybe a year?” He tilts his head to one side. “I guess we’re nearing the six month mark, but c’mon, man. The point was to avoid the bloodsuckers who only want you for the paycheck. No more hobosexuals, Dozer!”
A rueful chuckle escapes me at the oblique reference to Jenny. “It’s not like that, man.”
“Then what’s it like. I can’t help if you won’t talk to me.”
I shake my head, waiting until we’re on the sidewalk, both of us turning up our collars against the drizzle. After another sigh, I finally mutter, “I kissed her.”
He turns his head sharply, studying me, waiting for me to continue.
“The other night, Marissa came over. We watched a movie and had a few beers. We ended up cuddling. At the end, I kissed her. It was barely more than a peck, but then she ran like demons were chasing her, and she hasn’t spoken to me since.”
He’s quiet a long moment, both of us walking side by side, occasionally shifting to let people going the other direction pass by. Finally, he stops under an overhang and looks at me. “What did you say?”
“Were you not listening?” My voice gets louder now. I know I was kind of muttering before, but I didn’t think I wasthatquiet. “I. Kissed. Marissa.”
He waves a hand like he’s trying to dispel a stinky fart. “No, I know that. What did you say toher? After the kiss. What did you do? How did you act? Did you pull out your dick and flap it around or something?”
That visual startles a laugh out of me. “Fuck, man. No. You know I’m not like that.” He just shrugs in response. “Fuck you. I’m not.” I shake my head, thinking back to that night. “I didn’t even get a chance to say anything. We kissed, then after the kiss, she got up, put on her shoes as fast as she could and raced for the door.”
Nick’s eyebrows lift a centimeter, the tiniest tell that he doesn’t quite believe me.
“I’m serious! That’s what happened. I tried to get her to talk to me. But all I got out was her name, and then she was out the door and gone. I texted her that night, but she still hasn’t responded. I’ve been holding myself back from blowing up her phone because I don’t think that’s the right play, though god knows I want to.”
