Page 99 of The Official Problem
Time slowed as the camera cut to Kieran. Cole, sitting to his right, handed him a folded sheet of paper. Kieran stared at it, a flicker of indecision in his eyes, before he sighed and unfolded it.
Matthieu sucked in a breath.
This would be it, the moment when Kieran gave his heart one final stab.
“My agent and PR team have drafted clear instructions on what I should and should not say to you this afternoon,” Kieran began, eerily calm. “While I appreciate their hard work in trying to manage a private situation that was picked up and twisted into something it's not by the media, I cannot sit in front of you today and tell a lie.”
He let the piece of paper fall from his fingers and drift to the table. Cole made a frantic lunge for the mic, but Kieran raised a hand and pushed him back gently without taking his eyes off the room.
“Part of the story they wrote is true, so I’ll start there.” He leaned into the microphone. “Ten years ago, I played hockey at Michigan State. I was teammates with Matth—Mr. Bouchard. Best friends. More than that…” Kieran swallowed hard. “I was in love with him, in a way I have never loved anyone else in my life. And he loved me back.
“Life had other plans for us back then. Ten years passed before we were in the same city again. I thought maybe timewould dull how I felt about him.” Kieran paused. “It didn’t. It never could.”
The room buzzed with disbelief, broken only by the frenzied clicks of cameras. Matthieu didn’t know when he’d gotten to his feet, but his hand hovered in front of the screen like he could stop the words from coming out if he pressed his fingers to Kieran’s lips.
What was he doing?
“Matthieu and I reconnected back in October. At first, we tried to ignore what was still between us. We lied to ourselves, told each other we’d moved on. However, it was pointless to deny the connection still between us. We entered a romantic relationship in December.”
This time, someone actually gasped. Cole, still sitting next to Kieran, looked like his whole career was flashing before his eyes. Matthieu wouldn’t have been surprised if he doubled over and puked.
“Matthieu has been struggling financially,” Kieran said, more quietly now. “Through no fault of his own. I won’t share those details, because they’re not mine to tell. However, I was in a position to help, and so I did.”
He let that hang for a beat.
“It’s true. I paid off three hundred thousand dollars of his debt, but Matthieu didn’t learn of this until the media broke the story this morning.”
The general manager stood abruptly. “Will someone turn his damn microphone off?”
A flurry of activity broke out near the stage as someone jumped up to take care of it. Kieran simply stood and raised his voice so it filled the entire room.
“They want me to say Matthieu approached me for a loan. That I, being too stupid to see what it looked like, agreed. They want me to spin it so it sounds like he took advantage of myposition in the league.” He shook his head. “The truth is: I love that man. With everything I have. There is no price I wouldn’t pay to make him happy.”
Matthieu’s breath caught in his throat. His knees felt like they might give out.
“I know our relationship is inappropriate given our positions. I know people will question Matthieu’s integrity, his ability to do his job objectively. I promise you that has never, and will never, be a problem. He is the most honest man I’ve ever met.”
Kieran looked down briefly, deep sadness flashing behind his brown eyes.
“He’s furious with me. He might never forgive me for what I’ve done. I acted alone. Without his knowledge. Without my team’s involvement. I would do it again, a thousand times over. The only thing I regret is that I put his career, the job he’s worked a decade to build, in jeopardy.
“My agent,” Kieran motioned toward Cole, who now looked practically catatonic, “advised me to end things with Matthieu. To distance myself from him for good. He told me that if I wanted to keep playing hockey, I had to give up the love of my life.”
A heavy silence followed.
“I already made that mistake once. I let ten years go by without him. I might’ve had a career every kid dreams of. I might’ve had fame. But I didn’t have him, and those were the emptiest years of my life.”
The GM had taken to hissing into his mic, desperate to regain the appearance of control. “A player cannot be romantically involved with a referee under any circumstances. It’s a conflict of interest.”
“Then you’ll understand when I say this.” Kieran turned to face the press pit again, eyes blazing. “I will cooperate with the league’s investigation. I will answer every question. I willgive them whatever evidence they need. But as of today, I am officially retiring from the NHL.”
No.
“This season, 2023/2024, will be my last.”
On the screen, chaos erupted. Reporters surged forward like a dam had burst, practically scrambling over one another to ask the first question. Cameras strobed.
Kieran didn’t look at them. He looked straight at the lens. Straight at Matthieu. And mouthed three words:I love you.Then he turned and walked off the stage, leaving behind a room in stunned silence.
