“We went out after the game,” he said. “Mom and Aunt Lori are bad influences. I left my car at the arena.”
“I should have known you three couldn’t be trusted. Your shoulder do okay in the game?”
“Sore, but okay. Look at you asking questions like a real girlfriend,” he joked, jostling me gently.
“I think we’re actually friends now. I’m comfortable calling it that.”
“Really, Jessie?”
“Really. Now shut up and go to sleep.”
When my alarm went off a mere three hours later, I had to pry Ben’s heavy arm off my middle. As I scooted to the edge of the bed, he tried to pull me back.
“Tell them you’re sick,” he mumbled.
“No. I’ll see you tonight. Be careful out there,” I said. He was already knocked out again by the time I got out of the bathroom. I had to smile at his form in the bed: one arm dramatically draped over his eyes and the other stretched out to the side. Who was this loud, snuggly, big-living creature that had blown up my life?
I got home from work on Friday to find a big black box with a shiny purple ribbon on the counter with my name on it. I couldn’t go to his Thursday game, but I had no excuse for Friday. I’d be going to the game with Mikey’s mom, Aunt Lori, and Kitty. He’dbeen so sweet about everything that I felt like I owed him the favor. And professional hockey is supposed to be fun, right?
“We can skip the WAG suite. I had Guy get us some seats down low,” Kitty said. “It’s hard enough that you have to pretend to be his girlfriend while his mom is there. No sense subjecting yourself to WAG scrutiny.”
Opening the box he’d left for me on the counter, I found an explosion of Princes gear: his jersey, 27 with MIKNEVICIUS across the back, a Princes pajama set, and a round neck long-sleeved tee, plus a big water tumbler thing. He left a little note inside on Princes’ stationery.
You’ll look great in these. You can’t wear the jammies to the game, though. Your legs’ll get cold. Anybody hates on you, they answer to me. See you tonight, Sweet Cheeks. -Jockey
The note was Mikey in a nutshell: protective, thoughtful, silly, sweet, and somewhere in there, thuggy.
* * *
Debbie, Lori, and I met Kitty outside the arena. Debbie and Lori wore Mikey’s jersey, and I had on the Princes long-sleeved tee he’d gotten me with some jeans. It was a hair too tight, but Kitty told me it would be a faux pas to wear Mikey’s jersey as his girlfriend. Thank God for Kitty Gatto.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you! Ben’s said so much about you over the years. I’m a little starstruck,” Debbie gushed to Kitty as she hugged her.
“And how wild that you and Jessie work together!” Lori said after introductions were made.
“Shall we go in? I could use a Friday night beer,” Kitty said.
We fought through the crowd, and someone from the Princes’staff stopped by our seats to get our drink orders. I’d never been to a hockey game, much less with VIP treatment. I could get used to that. He returned with a tray of drinks, one of which had a lime in it. I scrunched my nose in confusion when it was handed to me.
“Miknevicius specifically requested that you get Bud Light Lime, which we don’t have, so you get a Bud Light with lime,” he explained. My stomach jumped and my ears grew hot. Mikey had thought of me enough that he wanted me to have my drink of choice.
We thanked the man and cheers’ed our drinks. “Don’t you think we should do a shot?” Debbie asked.
“I heard y’all went out last night and got a little wild,” I said skeptically. “Mikey smelled like booze when he came in.”
“That was yesterday. This is today!” Lori said.
“Alright, then,” Kitty said, going along with it. “When they come back around, I’ll have them bring the WAG intermission shot early.”
I widened my eyes at her and she just patted my leg. I squeezed my lime into my beer as Kitty perked up. “Here they come!”
Pucks were knocked off the wall by the benches and players poured out of the tunnel. I surprised myself with how proud I was when I saw number 27 hit the ice. There was Mikey, as big as I hadn’t expected him to be. I mean, yeah, he’s big anyway, but still, I don’t know what to call it, narrower than I thought hockey players were? And there he was being all broad and padded up and big. Debbie and Lori let out a long yell when he sank his first practice shot into the net.
“It never gets old,” Lori said, grasping my hand. “We watched him grow up and now here he is. It must feel wild for you! You’ve never seen him play.”
“I, just, there he is,” I managed, actually getting kind of emotional seeing him work. What the fuck was that? He was beautiful. And like, really fast? While he waited for his next practice shot at the back of the line, he found me and made adrinking motion. I shot him a thumbs-up. He blew me a kiss and waved at his mom and aunt.
While the rest of the team did various drills, he skated over to the glass. We were a few rows back. Debbie and Lori ran down to him and dragged me with them.
