They think it’s too soon and will just muddy up an already complicated situation.
On top of that, Victoria has been distant the last few days. Not herself at all. I know her dad’s blood pressure has her worried, but I’m not sure why she’s behaving so weird.
“I think you’re thinking too much,” Felix Lessard, another teammate, tells me as we finish setting up for the shower. They’re doing a hockey puck shooting event where one of the pucks, which are made with a thick paper, will have either pink or blue powder inside. All the others will have white.
“Buy the ring if you wish,” Johan Hajek says, “but you take the chance of scaring her away.”
“Why would I scare her away?” I demand. “I don’t understand. I love her. She loves me. I can take care of her. We’ve loosely been planning our future… Why are we waiting?”
The guys look at each other and then Felix shrugs. “Parental guilt is serious. This is very dangerous cliff.” His French-Canadian accent is distinct.
“If I wait for her dad to say it’s okay, we’ll be forty,” I mutter dryly.
“If you make her choose between you and her family,” Johan says quietly, “she could end up resenting you for it. Especially if you have children.”
“Waiting six months or a year isn’t the worst thing,” Felix adds. “Will give you time to look for a house, things like that.”
I fold my arms across my chest in annoyance. “Sometimes it feels like I’m the one making all the sacrifices. Just like four years ago.”
There’s an awkward silence, and I know exactly what they’re thinking.
That maybe this has all been a mistake. That hormones and memories and the lack of closure threw us together again even though we’re not really meant to be together.
I don’t believe that, not really, but there’s a part of me that does.
“You think I should end it,” I say finally.
“Or give her a deadline,” Johan suggests. “A certain amount of time to make a decision—say, before training camp starts in the fall.”
That’s an idea, one I hadn’t considered.
I just don’t think Victoria will be comfortable with it.
And this isn’t the time or place to talk about. The room has filled up with our friends and teammates, music is playing, and something smells amazing.
“On that note, I’m going to get some food,” I say.
I’ve just picked up a plate when Chloe walks up behind me.
“Hey.” She smiles. “It’s a bummer Victoria can’t be here.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter.
She cocks her head. “Everything okay?”
“I don’t know. Her parents make her feel bad when it comes to spending time with me, and she won’t commit to us moving in together or anything. She wants to wait until she graduates to make any big decisions, but I don’t think anything will change between now and then.”
“Yeah, her dad’s blood pressure has been out of control,” Chloe says. “She called me the other night to ask me about it. I think he needs to see a cardiologist but he’s being stubborn.”
“And she has to pay the price because her mom is loosely saying she’s part of the problem, causing him stress.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Chloe says, “but obviously I can’t know for sure without examining him.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who listens to anyone—not even doctors.”
“Eventually, that’s going to bite him in the butt,” she says with a shrug.
“It’s biting me in the butt now.”
