it was definitely a better game than Sunday.” I chuckled. Then I continued, “I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk much yesterday. We were tied up most of the day and then we had a team dinner that lasted way longer than I thought.” I didn’t know why I was making excuses; ordinarily, I wouldn’t give two shits. Like I said—weird.
“You don’t owe me an explanation. I told you that last night when you called.” The thing was, I’d wanted to call her as soon as I opened my eyes that morning too. She was the first thing I thought of when I woke up, and the last thing I thought of when I went to bed. That was extremely unusual for me.
“Yeah, I guess. Anyway, we’re about to fly home. I know I asked you to meet me for a drink, but it looks like it will be kind of late by the time we land. What about tomorrow after you get off work?” Even as I said the words, it seemed like a million days away. What I really wanted was to go straight to her house the minute I landed.
Jesus, I needed to get a grip. Or get laid. Maybe that’s what it was. If I could have her again, I’d get over the spell she had on me. Maybe my mind had built the experience up to be more than it was. Except as soon as I thought that, I knew I was full of shit.
“I know I said I would,” she began, and I could tell she was getting ready to blow me off. I’d asked her too soon and given her time to talk herself out of it.
“Don’t you dare let me down. You said you’d meet up, and I’ve looked forward to that this whole road trip. It’s what drove me tonight.” I laid a little guilt on for good measure.
She sighed, and I’d have given anything to have seen her face to be able to read her better.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. Where do you want to meet?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her to come to my house. McGregor called my name, and I glanced over my shoulder. They were heading out to the plane.
“Pick a place close to the arena and text it to me. We’re boarding, so I gotta run,” I didn’t want to end the call. If I’d called her earlier, I would’ve talked to her longer, but then people would’ve wondered who I was talking to. It would’ve been evident I wasn’t talking to either of my parents or my brother.
“I can do that,” she replied. “See you tomorrow.”
As I raced after the guys and took the stairs up to the plane two at a time, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
“What are you smiling about?” Halvorson laughed as I stepped into to cabin behind him. “You look like you just won the lottery.”
“Maybe I did,” I cryptically replied.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head before taking his seat. I grabbed a seat a few rows back from him, next to McGregor and across the aisle from Beck and Heikkinen. On the ice I thought of everyone as being on my side. We were teammates, after all, but McGregor and I had gotten pretty close. Other than my brother, he was probably my best friend since moving to Texas. Beck, Heikkenen, and Baranov were up there too.
As the plane began its ascent, I really thought I’d be too hyped up to sleep. Except the next thing I knew, I was being tapped by McGregor and I woke up to the pitch in my stomach as the wheels hit the ground.
We all said our goodbyes and climbed into our vehicles to head home. Since McGregor, Baranov, Novacek, Beck, and I all had houses in the same neighborhood, we’d carpooled with Novacek in his SUV.
“You’re quiet,” Beck observed, pulling me from my musings as I vacantly stared out the window.
“Hm? Oh, just a lot on my mind right now.” We pulled up in front of his place first. He got out and waved to us as his motion lights all came on. His place wasn’t quite as big as mine, but equally as nice.
My place was next.
As I got out, McGregor held a fist up over his shoulder. I bumped mine to his, Baranov’s, and then Novacek’s. “Thanks for the ride, man,” I said to Novacek.
“Of course,” he replied with only the slightest tip of his