“I am. Can’t have you fainting at events.”
“Do you have any events coming up?”
“I have a sponsorship party on Friday, but I don’t think it’s something you have to go to. I’m sure you’d rather go out.”
“But do you need me there?” I ask.
“I don’t need you there since Pacey and Holmes will be there. I can just hang with Holmes since he won’t be bringing anyone.”
I pause, slightly confused. “Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?” Insecurity laces up my spine as I think about our last interaction and how I taunted him with my vibrator. Did I . . . did I scare him off? We haven’t hung out since then. And he’s checked in a few times, but if I truly think about it, he’s pulled away a touch.
“What?” he asks and shakes his head. “No, you’re good.”
“Okay, well . . . I’d like to go to the event if you want to take me. I feel like you do a lot for me, and I need to be able to be there for you in return. If you’re worried I’ll embarrass you, I can—”
“I’m not worried about that.” He picks up a piece of garlic bread and takes a bite.
I pause for a moment to study him. “I feel like you’re acting weird. Like I did something, and you’re not telling me.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Oliana.” The way he says my real name in such a serious tone penetrates right to my heart.
“Okay.” I pierce a saucy noodle. “Well, I’m free.”
“It’s really okay,” he says. “You’ll be bored.”
And there it is again, him brushing me off. I don’t understand. Then again, he never likes to be vulnerable, and I fear if I keep pushing him, he won’t want to open up at all, so instead, I decide to change tactics. I’ll take care of the Friday event myself.
“Do you know what was boring? My class today on data journalism. I nearly passed out in my own lap.”
He scoops up a pile of lasagna. “What is data journalism?”
“Just what it sounds like, learning how to properly use data to write accurate articles.”
“You need a class for that?”
“You would be surprised,” I say. “What did you major in?”
“Kinesiology.”
“Did you plan on doing anything with that?”
“Not really,” he answers while picking up his glass of water. “The goal was to play hockey professionally. I didn’t have a backup plan, didn’t want one. I studied kinesiology to educate myself on my body and understand how to take care of it so I could reach my goals.”
“That’s actually really smart,” I say while taking a bite of my garlic bread. “Do you think it’s helped?”
He nods. “Very much. I understand what parts of the body I need to focus on to stay healthy. I understand the recovery process, and I honestly believe it’s one of the main reasons I haven’t suffered any major injuries.”
“That’s impressive, actually. How much longer do you think you’ll play?”
“Not sure,” he says. “I still feel really strong. I can keep up with the younger guys, and my legs don’t die out toward the end because I continue to train through the season. It’s something I take great pride in.”
“I can tell. Do you ever give your body a break?”
“During the summer. That’s why I was so sore the night of the family skate event. I go at it hard during the preseason, and my muscles have to get used to the demand again. And with every new year, it seems to get a touch harder.”
“How are you feeling now?” I ask.
“Better. I’ve been able to do some great recovery and focus on what I need to focus on. Lots of ice baths and walks on the treadmill to flush all that lactic acid buildup.”
