“You’re an excellent player,” Coach Holberg tells me, and maybe he can read me better than I think. “I didn’t know that you were in a relationship with Mateo.” Coach Holberg smiles. “I’m glad I asked you to go to the hospital. You must have been beside yourself!”
“I-I was,” Mateo says. For some reason, he looks startled.
“You should have insisted you visit the hospital straight away,” Coach says. “I would have understood.”
“We were trying to keep it quiet,” Mateo says.
“Well, you did an excellent job.”
Mateo nods, but his face looks green. Perhaps it is the light. I look around the apartment to see if one of the bulbs might be casting a clear light instead of my favored golden hued ones.
“We miss you on the team, Florian,” Coach says.
“That is nice.” I hesitate. “I would probably miss it too if I remembered.”
Coach chuckles. “Indeed.” He squares his shoulders. “Well, once you recover your memory?—”
“I promise it will be soon. I-I want to remember everything. I do.” I glance at Mateo.
His face looks paler than before, and I sigh. Maybe he’s doubting that I’ll be able to remember. I need to ask him more about our history. Maybe something will trigger me.
“Why don’t you take a few more days off?” Coach tells me. “Then you can start coming into the arena to use the fitness facilities. You can watch the practices and games too.”
“That sounds good.” I nod multiple times.
“I’ll be at work tomorrow,” Mateo promises.
“Fantastic.” Coach shakes his head. “I can’t believe that you’re together.”
I take Mateo’s hand. “Mateo has been wonderful.”
“Good.”
And with that, Coach leaves, and Mateo and I are alone.
“He seems nice,” I say.
“The whole team is nice.”
“I want to know everything about how we met.”
Mateo flinches. “Everything?”
“Yes.”
“Well…” Mateo scratches the back of his neck. “Sure…”
The doorbell rings again, and Mateo brightens.
My family soon fill the apartment. They look far more rested than before.
“Everything was all a blur yesterday,” Annika informs Mateo. “Now I can concentrate.”
“Annika is very smart,” Papa says.
“Are you at university?” Mateo asks.
Annika glances at Mateo. Her eyebrows raise somewhat, and Mateo shrinks.
