Liam
If you don’t want me to come, I won’t. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.
I pause for a moment, reading back over my message exchange with Liam, and I decide I very much want him there.
Vicky
No, I want you there.
Vicky
Please.
He sends me a ‘thumbs up’ emoji, and I stuff my phone back in my bag. I’ve never had such a weird text chat with Liam. He’s never sent me a thumbs up emoji before. Aneggplant emoji, yes, but never a thumbs up. And I don’t know why, but it pisses me off a little.
I’m simmering with curiosity as I sit back down to speed date. I let my ‘dates’ talk for as much of the two minutes as possible because I’m even less in the mood now. And when Gary sits in front of me, I ask him about field hockey, and fortunately, he uses the full two-minutes on that.
When the final buzzer goes, I’m relieved to be done; I just want to go home and call my mom. I slip out of my chair and head over to the desk and join the matching queue.
“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out for you and Gary, but it looks like you’ve had a good night!” ReLinda hands me back the completed match form. I’m in disbelief as I stare at the four phone numbers, clueless about what to do. Kirsty, on the other hand, ends up with Johnny’s phone number which I suspect she already has. Bettsy manages to secure two numbers which was two more than he expected, according to him.
“Does Liam know you’re here then?” Bettsy asks as we head out.
“Why would he, Mike? We’re both free and single to do whatever and whomever we want.”
“Really? So, why hasn’t he taped his own stick yet?”
Fuck. When did Bettsy get so observant? I didn’t plan to keep doing it, but when he first got here and his gear arrived, I just picked his sticks out of the pile and taped them. And I’ve been re-taping them ever since. Liam isn’t the type of guy who re-tapes his twig after every game, anyway, opting to do it only when absolutely necessary. I’ve been monitoring the state of his blade between games. But we’re in a different place now, and maybe it’s time to cut that cord loose—after I see the end of that video, of course.
Liam
The clubs’ ‘Meet the Players’ night takes place in a fancy hotel across the city. There are banners and live-action shots scattered around the room, and a large flat-screen plays footage of the season so far whilst the fans mingle with the team. It’s a night for schmoozing and thanking the guests for their support, something Johnny is absolutely loving—the guy can’t smile wide enough.
It’s not even nine o’clock, but I’m ready to call it a day. I feel socially exhausted, and I’ve lost count of the number of selfies I’ve been asked for, all whilst trying to pretend I’m not looking for Vicky. Bettsy and I are at the bar waiting for her and Lisa, the events manager, to get the show on the road. They have a planned presentation; and, by the sound of it, a few of us might be called up to speak.
Bettsy’s got this new set of false teeth clipped in, and they look pretty good. He’s ironed his shirt and trimmed his gingery beard. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say there was a girl involved.
“Who you trying to impress, Betts?” I ask, sipping my beer.
He doesn’t acknowledge me straight away because his eyes are darting around the room as if he’s looking for someone. I nudge him and ask again.
“Just someone I met on Monday. She said she may stop by,” he says, pulling at his collar.
“Where’d you go on Monday?” I ask. “And why wasn’t I invited?”
“I went speed dating. Just a bit of fun. Didn’t think it’d be your scene.”
“Speed dating?” I knit my brows together.
“Yeah. I ran into Vicky and Kirsty, actually,” he says.
“Vicky Koenig?” I ask just in case there’s another Vicky I didn’t know about.
Bettsy nods and takes a sip of his water. Another first. I’ve never known Bettsy to pass up an opportunity to drink. “She told me she got four matches.”
“Good for her,” I reply, trying to keep it cool, but that knot of dread fills my stomach.
I hate to admit it, but I feel jealous, even though it’s unjustified. Vicky’s always had other guys show her interest, but she’s never paid them any attention. But speed dating—that just shows how keen she is to meet someone new.
