Page 35 of Between the Pipes

“Aw, it’s okay Tony. You’re pretty, too.” He gives me a pouty look, and pats his gloved hand on my shoulder.

“Alright, shit head, knock it off. Back in the crease.” I shove him, sending him sliding backward on his skates. “Troy! Get over here and fire some bullets at my goalie.”

By the time practice ends, I’m in a riotously good mood. Nico, walking beside me, doesn’t outwardly appear to be riding the same high as me, but he’s not scowling, either. Plus, I’ve somehow convinced him to gooutto dinner with me. The sun seems to be shining down on me today, and I mean to capitalize on it.

“Alright, what do we feel like?” I ask, buckling my seat belt and looking across the car at Nico.

“Whatever you like.”

“The Tailored Hem?” I suggest. He looks at me.

“You want to go to a gay bar for dinner? Just the two of us.”

Before he can remind me of theno public datesrule, I speak over him. “Good burgers, remember?”

“Sure. Let’s go there.”

Grinning, I pull out of the parking lot.This is abso-fucking-lutely a date.

???

There’s a young guy I don’t know manning the bar tonight, but he definitely recognizes me. His face practically lights up the dim room when he sees me, and I bite back a groan. Nico’s not going to love the fact that we’re going to be eating dinner alone, in a gay bar, under the watchful eye of a hockey fan. If I want toconvince him to give a real relationship a shot, this isn’t going to tally in my favor.

I pick a table far in the back, and pull out Nico’s chair for him. It’s dark in here, even for me. I can only imagine how hard it is for him to navigate.

“Thanks,” he says, and slides into the seat. The server appears beside the table, beaming at us. This one, I recognize.

“Hey, Chris. How’s it going?”

“Lawson! Not bad, pretty slow night.” He smiles at Nico, who looks stonily back. “You guys need a second to look at the menu? Want to start with drinks?”

“Just water for me, thank you,” Nico says, and I nod my agreement. Chris walks off, with the promise to be back soon, and I pick up the menu. I usually get the same thing, but maybe I’ll be adventurous today. Nico is sitting, hands resting in his lap, not looking at the menu on the table in front of him.

“You already know what you’re getting?” I ask, and he smiles, a little sadly.

“Same thing as usual. It would take me forever to read this,” he taps the menu and then waves a hand through the air to indicate the ambiance, “so I just save myself and the staff the headache, and get the same thing.”

I frown. “Shit, I’m sorry. Maybe we could pull it up on your cellphone and you could zoom in?”

“It’s fine. Really, Anthony.”

Chris returns, and we both order. I feel bad; Nico functions perfectly normal as far as I can tell, so it’s easy to forget he’s got such a debilitating impairment. I need to be better—make sure I’m not walking him into situations he’ll struggle with. The last thing I want is for him to be uncomfortable.

“Thank you, for bringing your friends today. They were great,” Nico says, and smiles just a bit.

“Aren’t they? Cor and I have played together his entire time in the NHL. Nicky’s a little more fresh.” Nico’s smile grows at the mention of Troy, and my heart warms toward him. “Maybe, next time we have a get-together at Cor’s place, you could come.”

“Really? Wouldn’t that be strange?”

“Nah, Saint would be there too, and Troy’s friend Sam.” I’m not super fond of lying, but neither Troy nor Corwin told me it was okay to tell Nico about their partners. He’d probably figure it out, the second he saw Troy and Sam in the same room together, but that’s a problem for another day. Today, they’ll just have to be ‘friends’. “You could come as my friend. We’re friends, right?”

I’m only teasing him, but he looks a little hurt by the question. “Yes, of course we are.”

“Good, then you can come to the family barbeque.” I want to reach across the table and touch his arm, but luckily Chris arrives with our food and prevents me from making a mistake. As though summoned by our conversation, I get a text notification and check my phone to see a message from Sam.

Troy just got home. He had fun and also told me that he thinks you and Nico are fucking. I’ll go ahead and leave that conversation for you, shall I?

Smiling at the screen, I send him back an affirmative, and a promise to call Troy soon. Looking up, I find Nico’s eyes on me and that same soft smile on his face.

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