“Is that how you all know each other, because you’re athletes?” she asks the guys.
“Actually, only Heikki and Tapio are. Emil and I are social media influencers,” Lauri explains. “We all met at a children’s hospital fundraising event years ago and get together once or twice a year.”
“So basically, it’s me and all you famous people?” Vivian asks.
Suvi walks out of the bathroom at that moment. “I’m not famous, if that helps.” She sits next to Vivian and introduces herself. “I’m Suvi, a dentist and Lauri’s girlfriend.”
That makes Vivian smile. “Lovely to meet you. I’m glad I’m not the only woman and non-famous person here,” she says as Emil hands over her drink. She takes a sip and asks, “How did you two meet?”
Suvi laughs and looks at Lauri. “Can I tell my side of the story?” He nods, so she continues. “Lauri and Emil were filming this stupid stunt, and well, things didn’t go as planned. Lauri ended up at the ER dentist, and I was the one who temporarily fixed his front tooth.”
“Ouch. But that’s a story to remember, right?”
“Definitely. Did you guys meet back in New York?” Suvi asks and gestures between Vivian and I with a smile.
Suvi’s question makes Vivian smile in return. “Technically, yes, but not in a way you would expect.”
“Now we need to know all the technicalities,” Heikki teases, listening intently. Like my cousin, he and the other guys love gossip.
I squeeze Vivian’s hand and say, “I was on my way to Finland for the holidays and saw this beautiful woman at the airport lounge. Hours later, she needed a place to stay in Finland, and I offered to be her tour guide.”
Emil snorts. “Is that a new term for holiday fling?”
“Tyst, Emil,” I tell him to shut up in Swedish before switching back to English. “Even though we had chemistry from our first conversation, it wasn’t that simple. But now that we’ve spent more time together, we can say that we want to be more than friends.”
“I love it!” Suvi shrieks and claps her hands. “How romantic is that?”
“It surely is,” Vivian admits, smiling at me softly. Her beautiful eyes are filled with admiration and I’m so grateful that we met. It was as if the universe had conspired to bring us together, and now, here we are, sitting in a room full of people I can trust to have my back.
I sip my drink and lean closer to Vivian, whispering in her ear. “You know, if we were alone, you wouldn’t be wearing that sexy black dress much longer.”
Her cheeks turn pink, and she giggles. “Stop it, Jasper.”
I pull away and grin. “It’s true.”
Vivian leans in and kisses me on the cheek before turning to Suvi and starting a conversation about their favorite places in Helsinki.
* * *
Two hockey players, two social media influencers, a football player, a dentist, and a human rights lawyer walk to a bar.
It almost sounds like the opening line of a joke, right?
When I asked Emil to book us a table, I should have been prepared to go out and be surrounded by people. But now that we’re getting all the attention, I wish we could have stayed at the suite.
“Shit, I had no idea it was going to get this crazy,” Emil comments as we make it to the VIP section of the club. “But you can handle it, right?”
I nod in agreement, seeing Vivian looking around at the sea of people trying to catch a glimpse of us. She’s still not used to this kind of attention, but it’s common for the rest of us.
I grab her hand and lead her to a corner booth. “Are you okay?” I ask her as we are finally alone. “I’m sorry, I should have reconsidered our plans, especially after I posted about our relationship today.”
Vivian laughs like it’s no big deal. “You really think that I wasn’t expecting something like this the moment I found out what the rest of the group did for a living? Heck, I would be starstruck if I didn’t come here with you!”
I smile at her, relieved she’s taking it all in stride. It’s not easy to be thrown into the spotlight like this, especially when you’re not used to it. I should have been more thoughtful, but it’s too late to think that now.
Just as I’m about to ask what she wants to drink, a group of four women clad in revealing clothes walk past us. They’re giggling and swaying their hips in an attempt to look seductive.
“Oh my God, is that Tapio Korhonen?” one of them squeals excitedly and looks my friend’s way.
