Page 11 of The Official Problem
Ivan
McAllister’s, 8 pm. I’m buying.
He couldn’t help but grin. Ivan Petrov, captain of the Inferno, had been a good friend since Kieran’s rookie season in LA. Ivan had stayed with the team for a year after Kieran was traded to Seattle before moving east.
Kieran was excited to play alongside him again. They’d had great on-ice chemistry, and, for a while, pretty great off-ice chemistry too, falling into bed together more times than he could count. Not that it was ever romantic; just convenient. It had been nice having another queer player in the locker room. Would be nice again, Kieran supposed. Not that they were about to rekindle whatever that had been.
Four months ago, Ivan had eloped with some journalist. Kieran hadn’t even known he was seeing someone. He figured they were close enough that he’d at least get an invite. But nope. He found out the same way everyone else did: Ivan and his new husband grinning on the cover ofPeoplemagazine. The whole thing was… bizarre.
Kieran
I’ll be there. Will Jasper be joining us? I’m dying to meet the man who tied the great Petrov down.
Kieran had to Google him to remember the guy’s name.
Dots popped up, then disappeared and reappeared, as if Ivan was overthinking his answer. When the reply finally came in, it just said:
Ivan
Sure.
At least he wasn’t spending his first night here alone.
A little after eight, Kieran stepped through the doors of McAllister’s and spotted Ivan with Jasper, presumably, sitting at a high top off to the right.
The contrast between them was almost comical. Ivan stood an inch or two taller than Kieran, with long scruffy hair pulled into a man bun, thick brows, and Slavic features sharp enough to cut ice. A shadow of stubble covered his jaw, the dark hair making his green eyes pop. He was striking in a slightly terrifying sort of way. Jasper, on the other hand, was a foot shorter, with a slender frame, large brown eyes behind hipster black frames, and blonde hair sticking out from under a seasonally unnecessary wool beanie. Impeccably dressed, he was the polar opposite of Ivan, who had one hand hovering stiffly behind his husband’s back, not quite touching.
Kieran blinked, realizing he was staring. “Nice to see you, old friend.” He turned to Ivan with his friendliest grin.
Something about Ivan’s energy felt off. Too tight around the edges. Was he worried Kieran might bring up their past? Did Jasper even know? He hoped it wouldn’t be a problem, him and Ivan back together on the same team.
“Not as nice as seeing you. We could use fresh talent on roster, da?” Ivan said with a grin of his own. “Although, you too old now to call fresh.”
Kieran feigned offense. “You didn’t miss me?” He pressed a hand dramatically to his chest. “You’re just using me for my talent.”
Ivan huffed and rolled his eyes. “Is not your jokes I miss, trust me.” His accent had softened since LA, though only slightly. “Kieran, this is Jasper. Jasper, meet Kieran.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jasper said flatly, his expression suggesting he’d rather be anywhere else.
Ivan gestured to the empty seat across from them, and Kieran took it, already searching for something, anything, that might cut through the tension radiating between them.
“So, what do you do, Jasper?” Kieran asked—because that was a standard first-meeting question, not because he didn’t already know.
Jasper’s lips pursed as he answered stiffly. “I write for Q-NYC. It’s a digital magazine covering queer life, politics, culture, and sports.” He said that last word almost pointedly at Ivan, who suddenly became very focused on peeling the label from his drink.
“Oh, right,” Kieran said. “My agent, Cole, mentioned doing a feature once I’m settled.”
He could’ve sworn Jasper rolled his eyes. “I’m sure he did.”
Kieran was starting to think that inviting Jasper had been a mistake, but he pushed ahead. “Is that how you two met?”
“In a roundabout way. I wrote a piece on Ivan, and?—”
Ivan cut him off with a loud thud as he set his bottle down a little too hard.
“Eh… maybe we don’t talk about this?” He gave Jasper a warning look.
Jasper looked ready to bite back. Then his whole demeanor shifted, softening right in front of Kieran’s eyes as a practiced smile slid into place.
