Page 72 of Puck Shots
“John’s coming for the first time in years, so I guess it should be okay.”
“He doesn’t normally come home for Christmas?”
“Not since he started in the league. What about you?”
“I can’t wait. Christmas is the best. The whole family get together, and extended family. Well, Brent wasn’t there for a long time. I’m not sure if he’s coming out this year either, given he was only here a few months ago, but it will be amazing with or without him.”
“Your family really goes all out for the holidays, don’t they?”
“My sister always jokes that Mom and Dad would celebrate the opening of an envelope if they made decorations to match. Thanksgiving weekend was a little lower key with the twins away, but fuck, the last Fourth of July party was off the hook. Brent was here for that, too, so I’ll probably always rate it top shelf.”
“It will be super weird being away from you for two whole weeks, though,” I say, and he pulls me closer.
“You could always come out and visit me at home.”
My stomach flips.
“Really?”
“Sure. Come out for new year’s, it’ll be the best. We have fireworks and bonfires by the lake.”
“I’ve never met a guy’s parents before. What if they don’t like me?” I ask, a nervousness rising in the swirl of my gut the longer he takes to reply.
He turns in the seat toward me, cupping my face in his hand, and smiles.
“When are you going to see that you are an extremely likable person? You won over pretty much every guy in this house, and the guys on my team.”
“I guess so.”
“I know so.”
***
When I get off the bus in Habersham, I spot him right away, sitting on the front of a bright yellow jeep holding up a sign that reads ‘Welcome, Eli.’ It’s painted in big red letters, and it’s the most adorable thing anyone’s ever done for me.
“Good thing you weren’t going for inconspicuous,” I say, dropping my bag on the ground as he jumps off the hood and wraps me in his strong warm arms.
“It’s Tony and Calvin’s. They’re both in the Banana Ball league, so when they saw this, they just had to have it. Just wait until you see the inside,” he says, grabbing my bag and slinging it over one shoulder like it weighs nothing. He opens the passenger door for me, and I laugh. The seats are covered in Banana Ball themed covers, one Funky Monkey, the other Animal Control. The back seat cover is a mix of both, too, splitting in the middle on opposite sides as the front seats.
“Well, at least no one can say they aren’t passionate about the sport.” I chuckle, climbing in. Cosmo throws my bag in the back and gets in.
“Now I have to warn you, my brothers can be….a lot.”
“Just your brothers?”
“My sister is less work, but her and Mom will trap you in a hug, you can be sure of that. Oh, actually the twins probably will, too.”
“I like hugs.”
“I’ve noticed.”
He pulls out of the car park, and we head along the grey road, lined by bare trees, waiting out the cold of winter with the rest of us. The ground is dark, and littered by broken branches, victims of the snow this place saw a few weeks ago. It’s all melted now, replaced by the sludge of wet soil. Who knows, maybe we’ll get some more over the weekend, and we can see in the new year under a pure white blanket.
Maybe I can put on a white tracksuit and hide from the rest of the Parks family. I’m trying to act like I’m not nervous, but I am all sweaty and hot, and my stomach hasn’t stopped flip flopping since the bus turned onto the first corner out of Boston. Cosmo and I have been texting since we went on break, and we had one really hot phone sex video chat the night before last when the distance just got all too much, but am I really ready for the meet the parents stage of this relationship?
He lays his hand over mine and laces his fingers, holding tight.
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?”
