“I know. I just worry about him sometimes,” she says. “When he goes MIA like this, and lately he’s been … very distant.”
“He’s fine.” I clear my throat. “The Owls are a brand new team, and he’s new to the league and has to fight for his position on the ice,” I say. “That’s word-for-word what he told me.”
“So you’ve spoken to him?”
“Yeah, he sends me memes like five times a day.”
“So that’s it? You communicate through the memes?”
“No. We actually text in between the memes. He’s fine.”
“That’s good,” she says quietly. “Is Finn coming with you tonight?”
My heart skips. “I’m not sure. Tate will be there, so…”
“Who cares? If he’s going to be in your life, they’ll have to get used to seeing each other once in a while,” she says. “Just bring him.”
My stomach flips. “We’ll see.”
“Are you smiling?” she asks, obviously smiling. “You know, I haven’t seen any pictures of you two online. I thought I’d have an ESPN alert by now.”
I laugh. “We haven’t been out together.”
A pause. “Does he not want to be seen out with you? Honey, if that’s the case?—”
“That’s not the case at all. I promise,” I say, finally reaching the parking lot. I spot Tiago and some of his teammates walking in my direction. “I gotta go, Mom. See you later. Love you.”
“Okay. Love you too.”
“Are you trying to be incognito?” Tiago asks with a laugh.
“You’re taking on-campus classes this semester?” Reggie asks, eyes wide.
“Yup.” I smile at Reggie and greet the rest of the guys before I look at T again. “And yes, I am incognito.”
“With a hat?” He laughs.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing. It’s as foolproof as Clark Kent’s glasses.”
They laugh and we talk about the upcoming season for a little bit, comparing our schedules to figure out if we’re traveling together. After a few more minutes, we say goodbye and they start walking toward campus. Tiago and I stay in the same spot.
“So, you and Finn, huh?”
I smile, biting my lip, and nod.
“I’m pretty sure he hates me, but as long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” he says, pulling me into a hug.
I laugh against his chest. “He doesn’t hate you. He just doesn’t like that you’re always touching me.”
“Oh my God.” He laughs, dropping his hands as he pulls away. “Does he know I’m Brazilian?”
“I explained that.”
He shakes his head, looking amused as he looks away. “I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t have our one-on-ones anymore.”
“Practice starts soon, so I’m sure we won’t have time,” I say. “But Finn doesn’t care about our one-on-one games.”
He raises an eyebrow. “When you were with Tate?—”
