“That call was horseshit, and you know it, ref!” Rory yells during the third period when the officials make a bad call against the Serpents, sending Lawson to the penalty box.
He stands in the sin bin, then points our way while yelling something at the ref. I can only assume he’s agreeing with his girlfriend, and I have no doubt a clip of the whole exchange will end up on social media later.
“Do these guys not have vision insurance or something? What the hell was that? His stick wasn’t even close to that other guy’s skate. He toe-picked himself.”
Nobody disagrees with her, but we’re too focused on the teams gearing up for another faceoff with their best guy on the dot in the box. The Serpents are tied 4–4 with Calgary with just ten minutes to go. Needless to say, this is a huge penalty kill the guys need to pull off, and since it’s been a back-and-forth nail-biter all night, it’s a tall ask.
“Come on, guys,” Auden says, taking a sip of the white wine she’s been sipping on all night. “You got this. You got this. You got—fuck!” she yells when they lose the faceoff.
“It’s okay,” Lilah tells her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “They got this. They—what the hell! That was a blatant hook!”
She’s not the only one complaining, but the protests of the unpaid officials go nowhere, and they remain 5 on 4. The entire arena sits on the edge of their seats as they battle their hearts out and block shot after shot, Callum taking the brunt of most of them. I wince when one hits him right in the inner leg, dangerously close to his knee, and he drops down.
“Oh shit. He’s hurt,” Auden says, as if I can’t see it myself.
Get up, get up, get up, I silently chant as he struggles to regain his legs.Come on, Callum. Get up. Please. For me.
Almost like he can hear me, he stands and gets back into the play. He’s slow and wobbly at best, but he’s able to get the job done. Half of the arena—me included—jump to their feet as the sound bite indicates that the Seattle Serpents are back at full strength, and it happens just as Hayes swats the puck up the ice. It lands perfectly on Lawson’s stick, and he’s off to the races for a jailbreak.
“Go, go, go, go!” Rory screams at the top of her lungs, and he skates harder and faster, putting distance between himself and the Calgary player.
He fakes a shot and the goaltender bites, going down, and Lawson zips it right over his glove. The crowd explodes, cheers ringing out, the goal song blaring through the speakers. Everyone is high-fiving and hugging like they were the ones who just scored. The players on the ice gather around Lawson, tapping his helmet before he leads them down the line so they can bump fists with the guys on the bench.
He stops at Callum, then throws his arms around him. Several other guys flock around to give him kudos for his big blocked shot and playing through the discomfort. I wish I could be down there too, only I wouldn’t be hugging him or patting his helmet. I’d kiss him.
The arena settles down, but the buzz is still alive as the teams take the ice again. The puck is dropped at center, and this timethe Serpents win the draw. Calgary is pissed they gave up the goal, which means they come in faster and check harder than before.
Though a casual fan might not notice it, I catch the laboring in Callum’s strides as he takes another shift. He’s not as quick as usual, wincing through a few hits he takes. When there are just over two minutes left, Calgary gets possession, and their goaltender hustles toward their bench as another player comes on.
The Serpents don’t let it change their game, and they quickly get the puck, then zip it down the ice toward the empty net. The goal horn goes off again, and much to Vanessa’s delight, it’s Locke they’re all gathering around to congratulate.
“God, I’m going to miss this when they’re away,” Rory says.
I hadn’t even thought about Callum leaving. They’re hitting the road for a 5-game trip tomorrow, and the idea of not seeing him for that long makes my heart ache, which is funny, all things considered. What’s going to happen while he’s gone? Will we talk? Will we put our marriage on pause again? Is that what he wants? Is that whatIwant?
No.
The word rings loudly in my head, and I realize it’s more honest than I’ve been with myself in a long time.
“Do you want to come with us?” Auden asks, pulling me out of my head.
“Where to?”
“We’re going to the green room, then meeting the guys. It’s Friday, so we’ll probably end up at Top Shelf for a bit.”
Though I hoped for it, Callum and I didn’t discuss getting together after the game, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to say. I want to see him—of course I do—but does he want to see me? I wish we didn’t have so many questions hanging between us, but I have nobody to blame but myself for that.
Auden notices me hesitating and leans in close.
“He’ll want you there. I know he will.”
It’s all the reassurance I need.
“Okay, I’ll go.”
She throws her arms around me suddenly, squeezing me tightly. It all happens so fast that she’s letting go before I can register what’s going on.
“Ahhh! It’s going to be so much fun. All the Serpents Singles and their partners who make them not-so-single under one roof. It’s perfect.”
