Page 48 of Riding Pine
“I never doubted you guys. Piney and Youngblood, great play. Magnum, you put up a solid wall in net, and I can’t tell you all how proud I am to be your coach! Get some rest because our road trip starts with travel tomorrow.”
The rest of the post-game stuff passes in a haze. As the captain, I give an interview to the local radio station and shower before dressing and ditching the team faster than I should.
I leave for a two-week road trip tomorrow, and this is the last night I’ll be with Ben until I return. Hanging out with my teammates after our win isn’t a top priority right now.
Ben is waiting for me.
fourteen
Ben
Inever thought I’d perform again after the circus fiasco.
My reputation was mud, and I no longer lived in a city built for entertainment.
But I did it.
In the most unlikely venue and costume. The adrenaline surge that comes with performing is finally hitting me. Exhaustion like I’ve never felt before settles in, and while I wait for Lukas, I rest my head back in the driver’s seat and close myeyes.
A gentle knock on the window startles me, and with a blurry blink, I turn towards the window to find the handsome face of Lukas looking back. His hair is still damp and I open the door to step out.
“Sorry. I guess I dozed off.”
“I took longer than expected. They wanted a radio interview, and then I needed to shower. Coach had a few things to say and—”
“Don’t apologize for your job, Lukas.”
His palm slides across my neck, and he dips his head close to mine. “I watched James’s video. You were amazing, Ben. I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah? It looked okay with the suit on?”
Lukas laughs before kissing me softly. “I prefer without, but even with the suit on you were great. You really boosted the crowd for us, you know.”
“Really?” I reach for my overnight bag from the car and lock it. Lukas takes my hand, and we stroll towards his building.
“Oh yeah. When the crowd is loud and cheering like that, it can be like an extra man on the ice. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like an extra boost of energy.”
When we step into the elevator, I lean against him, and he wraps an arm around me, pulling me close. “You tired, baby?”
“Mmm, you smell nice,” I mumble. “Are we on to pet names now?”
The elevator doors open, and I yawn. Lukas again just smiles in that way that does all kinds of things to me and takes my hand again.
“I don’t just want to call you Ben, and I thought it fit. If you don’t like it, I won’t use it.”
His keys jingle on the pink rabbit’s foot keychain as he opens the door.
“What’s the story with the rabbit’s foot? Is it a superstitious thing?”
He closes the door behind us and kicks off his shoes while locking the door behind him. “It was a gift from my grandfather on my tenth birthday. He knew I was a shy kid and told me if I just kept it in my pocket it would give me the courage I needed.” Lukas takes my bag and tosses it into his room. “Do you know what a worry stone is?”
After leaving my shoes at the door, I follow him into the kitchen, where he turns on the oven and pulls a frozen pizza from the freezer.
“I think so? You rub it when you feel worried, and it’s supposed to take the worry for you?”
He nods. “Yeah, that’s it. I used to use my rabbit’s foot like that when I started playing hockey and when my mom got sick the first time. That’s why it’s missing fur.”
Lukas keeps himself busy, and there’s a shift in the air. Almost like he needs the worry stone now, but finds other things to do with his hands instead.
