For a guy who’d resisted being open about us the most, he sounded so natural now. He reassured me the way I needed a boyfriend to do.
“You’re right,” I said. “All that matters is us.”
We kissed again, and I reached down between my boyfriend’s legs and gave his crotch a little squeeze. A satisfied sound slipped out of his mouth.
I switched the TV back on and leaned back into the couch cushions. Kayden kissed my lips again, softly and sweetly, before his tongue slipped past my lips. Oh my god, it felt so perfect and always so fresh. From the corner of my eye, I saw the two of us kissing on TV again.
I drank that up, knowing that this wouldn’t last forever. We were America’s couple now, but we would have to return to reality sooner or later. Still, I wondered if the kiss would makethose Top Ten moments that would run on sports networks for decades. If it did, that would be totally okay with me.
52
KAYDEN
It took over a week for everything to die down. For that short period of time, people were calling us America’s Couple. I must’ve blushed every time I heard that. It definitely sounded kind of weird, but a good kind of weird. I’d never had to hope for acceptance before. When so many people showered us with it, I didn’t know what to think.
Being the center of attention could be great depending on the focus. I normally liked to keep private things private. I didn’t regret a single thing, though. People really seemed to have loved the kiss, lovedus. Even though the sports networks had stopped playing the kiss, we’d been contacted by media outlets for interviews. I’ve dreamed a lot of things, but sitting down for an interview withThe Advocatehadn’t been one of them. Ditto for pretty much anything that didn’t pertain directly to sports.
Okay, all right, I’ll admit I’d dreamed of appearing onThe Tonight Showafter my first (or sixth) Stanley Cup. I’d pictured myself sitting on the couch, engaging in witty banter with the host, showing America how hilarious I was. But that was different.
We’d said yes to all of the interviews. I found it amazing that I could have gone from being scared shitless of telling anyone who we were to actually baring our souls in interviews. I still had my hopes and dreams but now understood that we all hit a fork in the road sooner or later. Only we might not get to pick which road we take. When that happens, it was best to go with the flow.
“So, what are you going to tell the interviewer?” Erik asked.
“About what?”
“I dunno…how we met, how we were going to pound each other’s brains in before, you know, we started pounding other body parts.”
I snorted. Obviously, something about me must have rubbed off on Erik, just like he’d rubbed off on me. If I’d told him that, he would’ve made some smart remark about how much time we’d spent rubbing against each other.
Real mature.
“Why don’t we just let them ask the questions, and we can give the answers?” I asked.
He gave a tiny shrug like he could accept that. Deep down, I think he had a whole spiel in mind. He wanted the interview to go a certain way. I could understand that. I’d planned out so many things, only to see those things changed but not defeated. Great things happened even if they’re not quite what you pictured. Even still, I couldn’t help thinking my boyfriend had something else on his mind.
“Maybe we can talk about how hard it is to be a couple who wants to make it in the big leagues?” I asked.
Erik turned to me, as if I’d read his mind.
“You’re going to the Leafs, aren’t you?”
That wasn’t a question. He spoke like he knew it as a fact. His voice sounded flat for the first time since we’d won the championship, which had to happen sooner or later.
“I guess I am. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t pass it up.”
For a moment, neither of us said anything. These conversations had been a delicate dance at the best of times, and I didn’t want to cause problems. Not after so many awesome things had happened.
“You heard something?” he asked.
“It’s not a guarantee.”
“And you didn’t tell me about it?”
“I was waiting for just the right time. Besides, I didn’t want to get you worried about that when we had so many other things to be happy about. Like, I just wanted to enjoy the win and the glory and having all eyes on us. It was amazing.”
“I know.”
“I’ve never experienced anything like it. I probably never will again as long as I live.”
