“Sure, uh. That shouldn’t be a problem.” Leo sounded uncertain as he wrote everything down. “If it’s a salad, which dressing would you like?”
“Just a bit of olive oil and red wine vinegar, if it’s not too much trouble. Or a lemon wedge.”
“He isveryfun to go to restaurants with,” Ilya teased. Everyone laughed except Shane, who irritably bumped his knee against Ilya’s.
“I’m on a strict performance diet,” Shane explained defensively after Leo left. “It’s normal for professional athletes andrecommended.” He aimed this last word at Ilya, who ate like a thirteen-year-old most of the time.
“Shane thinks he is getting old,” Ilya said. “He fears death.”
“That’s not it at all! I fear not living up to the expectations of the Montreal Voyageurs organization and our fans.”
“Would be easier to cheat death,” Ilya said, “than to meet Montreal’s hockey expectations.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Do you both play for Montreal?” Fabian asked.
“No. Just me. Ilya plays for Ottawa.”
“So it’s not a super-long-distance relationship,” Fabian observed.
Shane squirmed because this was the first time anyone at the table had directly acknowledged the fact that Ilya and Shane were a couple. “It’s, um. It’s not a huge distance, but—”
“Feels farther,” Ilya said. “We are so busy, during the season. Not much time together.”
“That must be hard. And this—” Fabian waved a hand between them “—is a secret, right?”
“A big one,” Ryan said.
“That makes it harder,” Fabian said sympathetically. He leaned in so he could lower his voice. “Why is it a secret? You wouldn’t be the only gay hockey players. Or queer. Sorry, I shouldn’t assume.”
“I am bisexual,” Ilya said, nodding. “Shane is super gay.”
“I’mregulargay,” Shane argued. “And, no, we aren’t the only queer NHL players. But our situation is complicated.”
“Because you’re on different teams?”
“Mostly, yes. It’s a little bigger than that, though.”
“The league has built up this huge rivalry between them,” Ryan explained. “Been going on since their rookie seasons.”
“Before that, even,” Shane said.
“Oh wow. That’s kind of fascinating,” Fabian said. “But everyone knows you’re friends, obviously. You have this charity together. What difference does it make if you also kiss?”
Shane opened his mouth to explain the difference, but couldn’t quite find the words. The way Fabian said it made the distinction sound so unimportant. It reallyshouldn’tmake a difference. But it did.
“It would make things very...hard for us,” Ilya said. “Distracting.”
“It would be a fucking shitshow,” Shane agreed. “I think we’d both rather focus on hockey for now.”
Fabian hummed, then said, “For now. How long have you been together?”
Shane and Ilya looked at each other, which made Shane blush for some reason.
“Not an easy question,” Ilya said.
“Over ten years, though,” Shane clarified, “depending on your definition of ‘together.’”
