“The hockey player? Yeah, that’s him,” another one confirms before pointing at me. “And there’s Jasper Åkerman. I heard he’s worth millions as he plays in the NHL, but he’s sadly taken.”
I roll my eyes as Vivian chuckles beside me. The women are clearly drunk, and I’m not interested in the kind of attention they are giving me. I’m about to tell them to leave when Heikki walks over to them.
“Hey ladies, I noticed that your glasses are empty. Can I buy you drinks?” he asks them in Finnish. They all shriek, nodding, already forgetting about me as my footballer friend is one of the best Finnish players in his sport.
“I have to say, it’s a little strange being here with all of you. I’m used to spending my nights at home with a good book or maybe going to the nearest bar with my friends for a few drinks. People who arenotfamous athletes and influencers,” Vivian admits, looking around at everyone, a smile on her tempting lips.
“I’m sorry that it’s not a quiet night with just the two of us.”
“We’ve had lots of quiet nights, just us two,” Vivian responds, winking. “Besides, if I saw you out tonight, I would be paying attention too.”
As if on cue, a pair of young men approach our table, smartphones in hand. I want to crawl under the table with Vivian and hide.
“Hi, man, we are huge fans. Can we take a selfie with you?” one of them asks, showing his phone.
I don’t want to be an asshole, even if I wish I hadn’t come out tonight, so I turn to Vivian. “Would you mind taking a photo of us, muru?”
She nods, and I stand to pose with my two fans. After they are happy with the photos, I turn to Vivian, who’s scanning the room with a calm look on her face. I marvel at how effortlessly she carries herself, even amid chaos. I wonder if she’s ever felt nervous or out of place in a crowded room.
“Do you think that you might start to resent this?” I ask, motioning to the two guys now walking away with their phones in hand.
“Resent what?”
“The attention. The fans. The constant need to put on a show.”
Vivian gives me a small smile, running her hand along my arm. “I’m not the one who’s famous, remember?”
“But it’s a part ofmylife.”Just like I hope you will be.
“Only a tiny part,” she reminds me. “Maybe we only control the things we can and do our best the rest of the time?”
This woman really is meant for me. Vivian has already stolen my heart and she has no idea. She has a way about her that makes me feel like I’m the only person in the room. Like I’m cherished for me, not the man I am on the ice. And I love that about her.
Wanting to get my feelings out, I tell her in Finnish, “Vivian, mä voisin rakastaa sua ikuisesti, jos saisin mahdollisuuden siihen.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, and she smiles hesitantly. “You know I don’t speak Finnish, other than a few swear words.”
“I just said how freaking amazing you are.”
That’s bullshit. The truth is that I told her that I could love her forever if I was given the chance to do so.
But that would have been silly to say after ten days together, right? It would be way too quick. At the same time, I know my parents fell in love in a similar time frame—look at them still being happy almost thirty-one years later.
Vivian’s eyes linger on mine for a moment, searching for something that I’m not even sure of myself. Like she can read my thoughts, she finally says, “You don’t have to be afraid of how you feel.”
I feel a lump form in my throat. “What do you mean?”
“I know you are scared of how I will see you after today. But all of this changes nothing,” she tells me, gesturing to the people around us. “We don’t have to rush things. We can take our time and explore what this could be once we’re back in New York. I’m not scared of your fame.”
“You’ve only seen a fraction of it.”
Vivian smiles in a way that shows me she understands what I’m trying to tell her. “Still, we have all the time to figure things out. There are no guidelines on how to continue from here. We can create our own timeline.”
“I love that idea,” I tell her honestly.
As she takes hold of my hand, leading me to the bar to get more drinks, I know we can get through this together as I’m ready to be in a relationship for the first time in my life.
But only with her, no one else.
