Good luck.
And add a heart. He probably won’t get it until after but that’s okay. I just want him to know I’m thinking of him.
I’m always thinking of him.
We end up on the couch and somehow, I’m stuck between them. Not a huge deal, I have a large couch. It’s still a little weird. Maybe I can excuse myself to the restroom and come back to sit on the chair.
Declan hands me a plate. “These are sweet Thai chili wings. They’re not ridiculously hot because of the honey. It’s a slow burn. But in case you don’t like heat, Quin also made someparmesan ranch and they’re fantastic. Simon is obsessed with them, which is saying something since he loves heat.”
It took me a while to realize that Simon was a best friend. At first, I thought he was a kid, though the context sometimes made that an awkward assumption. Then there was Sage thrown out there sometimes and Declan’s twin Damon, who I’ve met once. That was a damn trip. With all the names Declan threw out there, I ended up breaking down and asking Hansley about it.
Big family is the impression I get. They live together. Other than that, Hansley shrugged. He didn’t have a lot more information than that since he’s never asked. That’s just what Declan offered.
Sitting between them, I have to wonder if he’d be willing to explain his living situation a little more fully. I mean, I kind of knew about it because of Quin always being around Zarek and Declan and people saying that they live together. The first time I heard ‘Daddy Quin,’ I had some fucking questions.
“Eat,” Declan tells me. “It’s best hot.”
“Or cold,” Alka adds, referring to the chilled dishes.
Leaning forward, I add a little bit of a bunch of shit onto my plate and then sit back. Pointing to the remote, Alka turns the television up loud enough so we can hear it, but not so loud that we can’t talk over it.
I glance out the window. My living room looks right at Hansley’s house, which is much more appealing these days. Next to mine, it’s the second-best yard in the neighborhood. It has a fresh paint job, new windows, and a new roof. Oh, and a new porch out front. The front may be beautiful, but it has nothing on the back. It’s a fucking oasis out there.
A smile touches my lips because one always does when I think about Hansley. There hasn’t been a night since he moved in that I’ve spent alone. Either he’s here or I’m there. We have keys to the other’s house and all the codes.
Part of me wants to just move in together. Then I never have to be away from him. But we’re already half living in each other’s homes. I have just as much of my wardrobe over there as I do here, and I know he has the same situation. I have duplicates of all my bathroom stuff there and he does here. We’re practically living together, but it’s between two houses.
I love every second of it.
“You have to eat the food you put on your plate,” Alka teases, and I blink out of my thoughts to look at him. He’s giving me a knowing look. Yes, I was caught staring at Hansley’s house and daydreaming. Whatever.
As the players come onto the ice, I make a concerted effort to watch the screen and eat the food. Honestly, it’s freaking good food. I’m pleasantly surprised, though not surprised at all that it’s good. Just that I like it. I’m a bit of a food snob without really meaning to be.
Right out of the gate, there’s a fight and when one of our players tries to skate off, the other team’s guy keeps trying to drag him back into the fight. A penalty is called. And I see the words power play a minute later.
Every time I think I have a handle on what some of these terms mean, something else happens that the commentators talk about in conjunction with what’s happening on the ice, and I end up confused.
“Explain what a power play is,” I request as I lick my fingers of parmesan ranch mixed with the sweet Thai chili sauce. I tried one of each.
“One team has more players than the other. Whichever team has the upper hand, it’s their advantage and it’s considered a power play. RDU has the power play right now because they’re at full strength and Denver is down by one,” Alka explains.
“Ah. Oh! Tell me what a hat trick is! Every time I think to ask, the conversation is already onto something else.”
“Really simple,” Alka says. “When a single player scores three goals in a single game.”
“Yeah, that is simple,” I admit. “Probably could have looked that one up.”
Alka laughs. I take another bite and look up at the screen just as Alka and Declan surge forward, and thenawwww. Their sudden movement made me jump, but then I’m laughing. Weirdos. Not that I don’t understand that. I’m the same way with football. And secretly with hockey when I’m not distracted with food and alone.
The first period remains 0-0. The second period stays the same right up to the end when Denver scores. I’m pretty sure there should have been a penalty called, but I’m not sure what the penalty is.
I’m feeling fat from all the food, so I’m leaning back on the couch with my legs crossed as I stare at the ads with a frown. They still have an entire third period. It’s fine. They’re down by one, not eight.
The boys take turns refilling drinks and using the bathroom while I sip on my water and glare at the television. They're back far before the twenty-minute break is up.
It hasn’t been bad watching the game with them. We’ve had food and hockey to take away any truly awkward moments, since we can concentrate on that. But with another ten minutes before the intermission ends, I can feel the minutes get a little weirder as they stretch on.
“The way Hansley spoke, I thought you’d need more information about hockey than you do,” Declan says.
