“Yeah, it’s not far from here,” he says. “If you want, we can visit some of the wineries tomorrow before we leave.”
I must be crazy, because his eyes seem soft as he looks at me.
“I’d like that,” I say.
“Riesling or Merlot?” Petra asks me as she holds up the bottles Sigga brought in.
“Merlot, please,” I say. I hold up my glass, and she fills it. I swirl thewine and take a sip. It’s dry but smooth, and I get those familiar notes of cocoa and clove that Merlot is often known for. It’s well-made wine.
“Tell us about yourself, Gray,” Petra says. “Ash has been short on details.”
I give Ash a panicked look. He told me more about his family on the way up, but he didn’t mention what he told them about me. I’m also not sure what they know about how we met, and I’m afraid of unraveling whatever he might have said to them.
He seems to read my thoughts because he says, “They know how we met and why you’re working with me.”
“Is it really true you study trash talk?” Petra asks.
“More broadly, I study Sport Communication,” I say. “Trash talk is my focus area.”
“And why did you choose that?” she asks.
“I grew up in a family of trash talkers,” I say. “We all play competitive volleyball, so family picnics can be a bit hardcore. I’ve always been fascinated by how aggressive language and verbal sparring can affect people during competition. It’s a surprisingly understudied area.”
“Why is that?” she asks.
“Based on my experience, people like to dismiss trash talk as unethical. They think that if you ignore its existence, it will go away. But that’s not the case, and the consequence of that thinking is that when someone is having trouble dealing with it in the game,” I give Ash a quick glance, “there’s no strategy for dealing with it.”
“Do you think using trash talk is unethical?” Inga asks me, and it feels like a challenge. She’s not the first person to ask me this question, though.
I take a careful sip of my wine before I answer. “I think there are lines competitors shouldn’t cross, but trash talk is far more complex than people give it credit for. For instance, teammates will often trash talk to hype each other up.”
I look at Ash to see if he’ll confirm or deny this, and he gives a conceding head tilt.
“Yeah, that’s true,” he says. “Nilsen and Fig have this really weird dynamic where they shit talk each other non-stop, but it does seem to make them both play harder.”
“Trash talk has also been around for a long time,” I say. “People like to make David in the Bible out to be this innocent young man up against an evil giant, but if you actually read that story, David trash talks Goliath before their fight.”
Surprise crosses Inga’s face, and I dare to think I’ve silenced her for the moment.
“It sounds fascinating,” Petra says.
Gunnar returns from taking our bags and sits down next to his wife.
“So what made a smart woman like you decide to date a lunk like my brother?” Inga asks. She’s smiling and her tone is teasing, but I feel like she’s throwing shade at Ash.
I’m tempted to point out the irony to her. She was ready to challenge me on the ethics of trash talk, but her own interactions with Ash are playfully aggressive in the same way trash talk often is.
Then her question hits me, and I come up blank. What am I supposed to tell her about why I’m dating Ash? Because he accidentally sent me a pic of his dick the day I met him? Because we got cornered into fake dating when he tried to help me out with an ex? Because he’s hot as hell and part of me is entirely too proud of being able to say I’m dating a man who looks like a Greek god?
Then the answer hits me, and I look at Ash.
“He’s sweet,” I say. “I always thought of hockey players as aggressive idiots who just liked to fight, but Ash isn’t like that, and neither are most of his teammates. He’s also really smart, which I’ll admit I also wasn’t expecting based on my own unfair biases.”
Ash’s face splits into a genuine smile, and I’m rewarded with the appearance of his dimples. Damn those things.
“Aww,” Sigga coos. “Aren’t they an adorable couple?”
“So you’ll be coming to the wedding with Ash then?” Inga asks.
