And his pictures are so hot, like, what the actual fuck? Does this man not have one bad angle, maybe an off-putting picture of him holding up a big fish or something?
No.
Of course not. His pictures are him in gameday suits, posing with people at charity events, and hanging out with otherprofessional hockey players. And somehow none of them come across as him showing off or like he’s pretending for the cameras.
At this point I’m convinced Hudson has no flaws, and honestly, it’s rude.
“Okay, what age range would you like me to include?” I ask, trying my best to stay focused and get this thing done as quickly as I can. He talked about wanting to try multiple websites, but I’m really hoping the one will be enough for tonight.
“Ummm. I don’t really know. I guess like twenty-five to forty? Is that bad if I cap it at forty? Maybe forty-five? I don’t want to judge anyone based on their age, but I’d like someone who’s in the same phase of life as I am of wanting to start a family.”
I glance at him as I try to picture him with someone over ten years older than him. “Can women have kids at forty-five?”
“Well, a woman could have fertility issues at any age. I’m not necessarily looking for the biological mother of my children. I just want a partner that wants to raise kids with me,” he explains with a shrug.
Interesting.He’s been talking about wanting to be a dad so much, I guess I had assumed he meant his own biological children, but if he’s open to other options…
What else is he open to?
Focus. He wants to date a woman. Not me. Although the next question is certainly interesting. “Okay, do you have any other preferences? I put that you’re straight, but would you prefer to only match with cisgender women?”
“Oh, they ask you that right away? Wow, things have really updated since I was last dating. That’s pretty cool, though, that people can be so open about everything upfront.” He sits back in his chair and crosses his arms over his bare chest, dark brows furrowed, deep in thought, and somehow as gorgeous as ever. “I honestly haven’t considered it before now. I’ve beenwith Shelby for so long, but no, I don’t think I would have any reservations about dating a woman who happens to be transgender.”
My fucking heart, this man.
I know Hudson is an ally, so I’m not completely shocked by his answer. He has always made his support of the LGBTQIA+ community obvious, not in a showy way, but he’s always the first to volunteer when Beckett or I have asked for team support for Pride events, and he’s never hesitated to use Pride Tape or wear the Pride jerseys like some players. But dating preferences are so personal, and yet he didn’t hesitate to share his with me. Not only did I like his answer but the fact that he is so comfortable with me already makes me way happier than it should.
I want to ask if I was right in labeling him as straight, but he didn’t correct me, so I don’t need to make him repeat it unnecessarily. Even if I could probably use the reminder when he’s looking as attractive as he does right now, continuing with his green-flag behavior.
“Okay, let’s move on, I think we’re almost done. Do you want me to include any hobbies or interests?”
“Hockey, obviously,” he says with a laugh. “But other than that, I’m pretty boring. Everything in my life has revolved around hockey for so long, I’m not sure what else I like.”
“A workaholic? I wouldn’t know anything about that,” I tease. “But I’m sure there’s something. Do you enjoy working out? Like, is that something you only do because you need to for work, or do you think you’ll still do that when you retire?”
“Yeah, I enjoy it. I can’t imagine stopping.”
“Then we’ll put fitness as an interest. And hockey. Maybe design TV shows? Or has that just been while I’m around?”
“Oh, you can definitely add interior design shows. I’m officially hooked. Half of my algorithm is interior design now.”
I can’t help but smile at the thought of Hudson scrolling through endless videos of wallpaper and mirror shapes. I’ll be socurious to see how he decorates his place when he does move out.
I hope that he shows me, and that we’ll remain friends. I know it hasn’t been all that long since he moved in here, only a couple of weeks really, and he’s been gone for a lot of it with his travel schedule, but we fell into our routine so quickly that it’s hard to think about how quiet it will be when he’s gone. How empty my condo will feel.
I’ll be fine. I’ve always been fine living on my own. I’m just being dramatic.Dramatic? Me? Never.
I put the finishing touches on his profile and realize I have one more question. “Have you thought about how you’ll handle it if you match with a fan? Would you prefer to date someone who doesn’t really care about hockey or…?”
“I’ve never had a strong opinion either way. Shelby didn’t really care about hockey, but she got really into the idea of it after we started dating. Looking back, I think it was more the WAG lifestyle she was into than anything else. I could see the benefits of dating someone who doesn’t care at all, who’s interested in me for me and not because of my job.” He tilts his head back and forth as he considers. “But, like I said, hockey is such a big part of my life, I also think it would be nice to be with someone who genuinely enjoyed the sport, so they don’t get bored of me talking about it all the time.”
I nod. “Yeah, I get that. My last boyfriend was so confused when I’d want to watch every Werewolves game live, like if I wasn’t at work, why should I care about watching it as it happened? I could just look up the score later, right?Wrong, Kevin.And that is one of the many reasons he’s an ex.”
Hudson laughs, and it lights up his whole face. As great as all the pictures on his profile are, nothing compares to seeing him like this in person, relaxed and enjoying his life, laughing at something I said because he thinks I’m funny. It’sintoxicating. I already feel addicted to being in his presence, soaking up his positive energy.
Seriously. What the hell am I going to do when he leaves?
“It sounds like you made the right decision with Kevin,” he says with another laugh. “So when do I start looking at other people’s profiles? How do I match?”
