“We literally saw him alive and well in the camp’s story,” Silja deadpans, but Nils is on a roll.
He fixes me with an intense, pointed expression. “Luke. You need to do a grand gesture and get through to him.”
I cock my head. “Come again?”
“Grand gesture. Send him a food delivery with your phone number in it.”
“That camp is locked down so tight, I don’t think they’d let anything in,” I mutter.
Silja pipes up. “Maybe you could tip the driver to say that he’ll get fined if the delivery doesn’t go through.”
“Maybe,” I say. “I don’t think that would work. The only person who cares enough to talk their way through Elite Camp security is gonna be me.”
And then the first seeds of yet another elaborate scheme start to grow in my head. “Icouldgo to him,” I think out loud. Then I shake my head. “Nah, that’s clingy, right?”
“Do it,” Nils says. “That’s so romantic.”
I press my eyebrows together. “You think so?”
Silja is amused, but she nods. “Yeah, he might appreciate you visiting him if it isn’t too far for you.”
Nils jumps in. “Do it. Drive there now.”
“Okay, you convinced me. I’ll go.” Setting my phone down, I open my laptop and search for flights to Minneapolis. There’s one at 11:30 a.m. today, and it’s cheap enough if I use points, so I book it. Getting from the airport to the camp is something I’ll think about when I arrive.
“Guys, I booked my flight to see Erik!” I announce to Nils and Silja’s confused faces.
“Flight?” Silja asks.
“Yeah, of course, I’m not about to drive for fifteen hours or however long it takes.”
Nils breaks into a smile. “So you’re flying all the way to see Erik,” he says. “I had a good feeling about you. You’re smart.”
Silja laughs at that and leans against Nils’s shoulder, leaving me confused, but I can ask questions later. “It’s been great talking to you, but I need to pack. That flight leaves in three hours.”
“Good luck, Luke,” Nils says before ending the call, and then I kick myself into action.
My brain works on autopilot all the way through finding one of my old phones so I can lend it to Erik, packing my luggage, and taking the train to the airport. The sheer insanity of what I’m doing only catches up to me at check-in when the agent asks me why I’m traveling, and why I booked a last-minute ticket.
“To hand-deliver the best news of my life so far to my boyfriend,” I think, staring blankly back at the agent.
“Oh, one of my friends is coaching at a hockey camp in Minneapolis, and my vacation request to visit him only got approved this morning,” is what I say instead. Technically, none of that is a lie.
The agent doesn’t blink, and I head through security and US Preclearance before pulling up to my gate as soon as boarding begins. Once I take my seat, I release a deep breath.
I am so fucking insane.
Erik won’t freak out, right? He was apprehensive when I suggested visiting him—he likes things to be equal, but he’s dating me, so that’s tough for him. In my mind, he put up with my chaotic planning for the past three months, so another short, inexpensive trip to see him won’t tip the scales. I’m doing it because I care, and because I love the guy to bits.
Hold up.
I love Erik to bits.
Hell yeah I do. Talk about a no-brainer—he’s gotta be the most lovable guy I know.
All the way through taxi, takeoff, and landing, I’m smiling into my hand. I can’t help myself.
God, I love him.
