Page 59 of Role Model

“New York. It’s, y’know. The Big Apple. And that pin was from Pride, I guess. So. Yeah.”

“Big Gay Apple.”

Troy huffed. “I thought you’d like it.”

“I love it!” Harris pinned it on to his jacket immediately, then smiled at it. Troy had been thinking of him on his trip.

“Ilya took me to that bar Scott Hunter and Eric Bennett own. That’s where I saw the pin. And the bartender gave one to me when I asked about it.”

Harris’s mouth dropped open. “You went to the Kingfisher? Shit, I’m so jealous. I love that there’s a gay bar in New York that’s owned by two NHL players. Who would have ever thought, huh?”

“I know, it’s kinda unbelievable. But it’s a nice bar. And the bartender who gave me the pin is, uh, Eric’s boyfriend, I guess.”

“Oh yeah. I heard Eric Bennett was dating the manager of the place. They met there, before Eric and Scott bought it. They were regulars, apparently, which is adorable. Christina told me his boyfriend is super hot.”

“Christina?”

“The Admirals’ social media manager. We’re friendly. So is it true? Is the boyfriend hot?”

Harris enjoyed the color that bloomed on Troy’s cheeks. “He’s a good-looking guy.”

Harris was sure he had nothing on the good-looking guy who was standing in front of him right now. Harris admired his new pin, and made sure it wasn’t crooked on his jacket. He wondered how difficult it had been for Troy to ask the bartender for it. How difficult it had been for him to be in a gay bar at all.

When he turned his gaze back to Troy, he found the man smiling shyly at him. He looked pleased with himself, which was so cute Harris couldn’t stop himself from hugging him. “Thank you.”

For a few seconds, Troy’s arms hung stiffly at his sides. His whole body seemed to freeze. Then, slowly, he placed one hand on Harris’s back, then the other. “No problem,” he said. His breath tickled Harris’s cheek. His arms tightened, holding Harris closer.

Harris tilted his head, just slightly. Just enough to inhale the spice of Troy’s aftershave.

Then Troy took a step back, and stumbled because Chiron had managed to wrap his leash around their legs as if he was doing his own matchmaking.

Harris reached out and grabbed the front of Troy’s jacket to keep him from falling backward. Momentum brought Troy close again as he was pulled upright. His nose brushed against Harris’s own, and for an endless moment, they just stared at each other. Troy’s eyes were wide and bright and maybe a bit scared.

Harris wanted to kiss him so badly. He couldn’t remember any reasons why he shouldn’t.

But Troy laughed nervously and bent to untangle their legs from the leash. “Shit, Chiron. What did you do?”

Harris didn’t bend to help. He used the distance to clear his head and take a few deep breaths. What the hell had he been thinking?

Troy got the leash sorted, then stood and took a few steps backward. “I’m gonna go work out. But, um, thanks for the walk.”

“Oh. Okay.” Harris didn’t want him to leave, but he couldn’t think of a way to make him stay. “Thanks for the pin. And the latte.”

Troy glanced at the pin, and his mouth bent into that rough-hewn smile of his. “Merry Christmas.”

Then he left without another word. Again.

“I know what you were trying to do there with the leash, buddy,” Harris said to Chiron. “I appreciate the effort, but I think we need to let this one go.”

No boyfriends showed up at Troy’s apartment to surprise him on Christmas Eve, but at least he was in an actual apartment and not a hotel room.

The apartment was nice enough. It was a spacious two-bedroom, fully furnished, and everything looked fairly new, if slightly bland. He’d had some of his stuff shipped from his storage unit in Toronto—clothes, mostly—so he was officially no longer living out of a suitcase. The building had a pool and a gym, and underground parking, basically everything Troy needed.

Except maybe some company.

This was the first Christmas that Troy would be spending completely alone. He didn’t care about Christmas much, but it felt weird to spend it by himself. Part of him hoped for a text from Harris, inviting him to look at more Christmas lights. Or maybe a second invitation to dinner at his family’s farm. Troy wasn’t sure he’d say no this time.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the way Harris’s face had lit up when Troy had given him that apple pin. He wanted to keep giving him things so Harris would keep smiling at him like that. Not that it took much to get a smile out of the guy.

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