“I miss you, too,” I mumble, blushing. I really do, too. Behind Nate, Vas is—was—my favorite member of the team. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met.
“Carter is going to be very surprised to see all of us here,” Vas comments happily. “I did not tell him, even though it was difficult to keep the secret.”
“You live with him, right?” Nate asks around the chicken nugget he shoved into his mouth.
“Indeed,” Vas agrees. “Although, during the season, it is more that I live with Zeke. Carter is not home very often.”
“I bet it’s nice living with them, though. Always having your friends around,” I comment, although I wait until I’ve swallowed my food, unlike some people in the vicinity. “Always having someone to talk to, and eat dinner with.”
“Yes, it is very enjoyable. I am trying to teach Carter how to close doors without slamming them, but have not been very successful.”
Nate chokes a little bit as he laughs, turning his face away from us and covering his mouth with a hand as he coughs. Vas pats his back helpfully, pulling out his phone to check his text messages. I look away and out at the empty ice as I eat the food Nate bought me, not wanting to snoop on whomever he’s texting. A few minutes later, a hand lands on my shoulder and I startle so badly, the last of my fries jump off the tray and onto the ground.
“Coach Lawson!” Vas says, turning. Heart pounding and face likely red as hell, I turn around to see Anthony Lawsonstanding behind us. He gives an exasperated shake of his head, aimed in Vas’ direction, and pats my shoulder before letting go.
“How’re you boys doing? You’re here early as hell,” he comments, checking the time on his phone.
“We wanted to watch warm-ups,” Nate tells him, placing his empty tray on the ground and sliding it underneath his seat. “Is Coach here?”
He leans back in his seat as though trying to see if Coach is hiding behind Anthony Lawson.
“Nope, just me. Sorry.” He puts a hand on Vas’ curly head and ruffles his hair a little bit, the way I’ve seen Desmond do to Parker. Vas’ cheeks pink, but he looks pleased. “Come on, you three, let’s go see your buddy.”
Nate stands up immediately, grinning, and swings a leg over the seats to climb onto the level where Lawson is standing. Vas and I follow a little slower, and trail behind the pair of them as we climb the concrete steps back up the way we came. I wonder if we’re being led somewhere we aren’t supposed to go, and have those fears summarily confirmed when a security guard sees Lawson and laughs.
“You sure you don’t still work here?” he asks, grinning. “I swear I see you skulking around more often than anyone on the payroll.”
“We’re sneaking down to the ice,” Lawson replies, slapping the man genially on the shoulder and indicating us with his other hand.
“I didn’t see anything,” the guard says, hands held aloft. He winks at me, and walks in the opposite direction.
“Come on,” Lawson prompts, once more striding purposely off. Vas sends me a slightly put-upon look, but follows. At least if we all get arrested, I’ll be in good company.
Nobody gives us a hard time as we head below, even though we cross through several doors that are labeled with warnings about staff only. He brings us to the bench, checking the time and leaning over to mutter something to the training staff that makes them laugh.
“Right on time,” Lawson says to us, smiling. “They’ll be coming out soon and you can surprise Carter. Give him something new to grump about.”
I stand as close to Nate as I can, feeling like my presence here shouldn’t be allowed. Ridiculous, since we passed at least eight people who knew Anthony Lawson by name and didn’t stop us. Even still, the fight-or-flight portion of my brain is telling me it’s time to bail before the cuffs are slapped on. I lean down to plead my case to Nate and try to convince him to leave with me, when the team starts taking the ice for warm-ups.
Troy Nichols is the first one through the open door, blade cutting into the pristine ice as he hits it at a run. Nate whacks his hand against my stomach, as though thinking there’s any way I didn’t notice my favorite player just run by.
Corwin Sanhover passes through the open door in the boards, and does a double take when he sees Anthony Lawson. Instead of taking a lap around the ice the way everyone else is doing, he turns and skates over to us.
“They’re going to give your photograph to security and bar you from the arena,” he notes, which makes Lawson scoff.
“Please. Like security could stop me.”
Corwin Sanhover laughs and shakes his head, nodding politely to me and Nate, and murmuring a hello to Vas that makes him flush. When he skates off to warm up, Nate sighs.
“He’s so hot,” he comments at a volume that immediatelymakes me want to slap a hand over his mouth. Lawson snorts.
As the last of the forward and defensive players make their way through the chute, the goaltenders finally make an appearance. Carter doesn’t even look over as he steps onto the ice, heading off to skate a slow lap around their half of the ice. Nate grins, leaning his forearms against the boards and watching. I try to relax a little bit and just enjoy the treat that Lawson is bestowing on us. Clearly we aren’t going to get in trouble, and clearly I need to chill-the-fuck-out.
When Carter notices us, his stern expression is clear even from across the ice. He looks pissed. Vas beams.
“He is happy to see us!” he exclaims, which has Lawson tipping his head back and laughing. Carter skates over, shaking his head at Vas but nodding at me.
“Hey, guys,” he grunts, coming to a stop at the boards. Nate, who apparently was a magician in a past life, produces a Sharpie and holds it out to Carter.
