We did it.
I’m still dazed and catching up to reality when my team tackles me, yelling cheers in my face and shaking my shoulders. It’s hard to hear the crowd in the background over my teammates yelling in celebration, but I don’t care.
Even though the next few minutes are a battle between my post-goal high and the tense waiting game as the clock ticks down, the high wins out and erupts once the buzzer sounds, sealing our 3-2 win. The team shares a round of congratulations before dashing into the locker room.
I’m about to pull my phone out when Axel taps me on the back. “Hey, go shower,” he says. “We’re all going out to celebrate.”
“Oh yeah?”
Nils jumps in, a towel slung over his shoulders. “Yeah, of course. And you better not try to pay for anything. You saved us tonight.”
I’m about to reply, but Nils cuts me off.
“Dude, you’re not allowed to be humble. You scored a goal and made an assist in yourfirstgame here. Celebrate a bit.” At that, he walks his bare ass off to the showers, leaving me to fumble around in my gear bag for my wash kit, and my hand makes contact with something cold and hard.
It’s Luke’s silver hockey puck. I put it there when he gave it to me, and I guess I forgot to take it out.
Given my performance tonight, I’d better keep that puck in my bag. Maybe it’s some kind of twisted good luck charm.
After a thorough shower using expensive soap from a brand partnership, we all head over to a raucous bar next to the rink. As expected, we get a round and drink to our first win of the season, but we have an early practice tomorrow, so the celebrations fade within an hour, leaving me alone with Nils.
“So, where are you staying?” Nils asks me.
“With my parents for now, in Lidingö.”
He winces. “Ooh, that’s far as hell, buddy. You planning on moving any closer?”
I finish the rest of my beer. “Yeah. Haven’t had much time to search.”
“There are a few apartments in my building if you’re interested,” he says. “I’m right across the water on Kungsholmen, only one stop away on the metro.”
I perk my head up. “Consider me interested. Is it nice?”
“Oh yeah. It’s one of the few apartments Silja and I found that has in-unit laundry.”
My concerns about balancing basement laundry room bookings and annoying my neighbors with frequent gearwashing dissolve almost instantly. “Send me all the information you have. I’ll apply as soon as I get home.”
“Awesome! I’d drink to us being neighbors, but you have a long trip back.” Nils turns around to face the menu above the bar before turning back to me and leaning in, his eyes narrow. “Okay, here’s the deal. There’s a dude behind me, and I caught him making eyes at one of us every time I looked in that direction. I’ve had my back to him the whole time, so I’m guessing he’s interested in you.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Yup. Dark hair, black shirt, and he’s a little shorter than us. Can’t miss him.”
Also pretending to read the bar menu, I look around for this guy, more out of curiosity than anything, and sure enough, he’s easy to spot. The guy is hot, sure, with a square jaw and a decent build, but there’s no force that draws me to him.
“You see him?” Nils asks.
“Uh huh. Not going there tonight.” Even though Luke and I weren’t together for real, hooking up with someone else would still feel like cheating. He showed me how good things can be when someone actually gives a damn, and I don’t want to go back to meaningless hookups that kick me out two seconds after the end of something barely satisfying.
I mean, I hadsomedecent sex before I met Luke. It’s just that only a handful of those guys pulled their weight, and Luke still put himself in a league of his own.
Nils claps me on the back. “Damn, your Canadian guy must have set the bar real high.”
I shrug, downplaying everything, even though Nils hit the nail on the head. “Guess so. I’m still not over Luke, but it’s only been a week, so I’ll get there.”
“For sure.” Nils checks his watch and straightens up. “Anyway, sorry to cut the night short, but I gotta head home. See you tomorrow at practice?”
“Yup.”
