“Good choice,” Axel says softly. He picks up the moon and hands it to Luca, who clutches it to his chest like it’s precious.
My eyes burn. I look away before anyone notices.
Axel notices anyway. He doesn’t say anything, just shifts slightly, so he’s standing between me and the long line of people at the register, blocking the sightline and giving me a moment.
“Your uncle likes space too,” Axel tells Luca. “He majored in astronomy in college.” Axel’s voice is teasing and warm. “What hockey player majors in astronomy?”
Luca blinks, the concept of majors and astronomy not mentioned in most children’s books. Axel happily explains both to Luca in the toy store.
A few people smile at us.
“You have a lovely family,” the cashier says.
I open my mouth, ready to explain.
“Thank you,” Axel says, smiling. He puts his finger out and Luca clutches it. “Did you hear that, Luca?”
Luca smiles.
I guess technically we are a family. Luca is related to both of us. I’m sure the cashier thought Axel and I are a couple, but I won’t tell Axel that.
He seems to be cool with all his teammates who have come out as gay or bisexual, which is nice. When he was captain of our hockey team back at Concord University, he also made a point of announcing in his first team meeting that he had no problem with gay or bisexual people, but that was probably because the previous captain had used a lot of slurs and he’d wanted to set up a new environment.
At the time, I’d wanted to kiss him for it. I’d also wanted to throw up.
Luca’s eyes drift to a crate of dinosaur stuffies. Axel hands one to the cashier.
“Dinosaurs are super cool,” Axel says.
Luca beams, and now I’m blinking again. I need more sleep. I do.
“You okay, Enz?” Axel’s shoulder bumps mine.
I look at Luca, at Axel carrying bags like this is normal, at our reflection in the store window—the three of us together.
A lovely family.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m okay.”
Axel
We win again.
Naturally.
We’re all grinning in the locker room.
“Congratulations, guys.” Coach’s gaze drifts to Enzo and me, at us sitting side by side, and he presses his lips together. I think I see him smirk before he leaves the locker room.
He’s probably too suspicious to say, “I told you so” or even worse, “when exactly am I supposed to start regretting hiring Enzo?” Still, he’s thinking it, I’m sure.
Enzo actually has been great.
We continue to play well together, continue to line up assists and goals.
If Enzo isn’t hanging out with Luca, he’s in a corner of the living room doing yoga or sit-ups or some other form of exercise.
What Enzo hasn’t been doing is sleeping.
