"Good for you," the captain said. This time, it sounded genuine. "Hold onto that."
He pushed off the wall and headed for the door, but I reached out and caught Luca’s arm.
The contact was electric. It sent a jolt up my wrist.
Luca froze. He didn't pull away, but his entire body went rigid.
"For what it's worth," I said, "I think you're brave. The way you rebuilt this team? The way you lead? That takes guts."
Luca’s throat worked as he swallowed. He looked down at my hand on his arm, then up at my eyes.
"That's different."
"Is it?"
For a moment, we just stood there. There was barely a foot of space between us. I could feel the heat radiating off Luca. I could see the panic warring with the desire in his dark eyes.
Then Luca pulled his arm free. He stepped back, putting space between us.
"Get back inside, Callahan," he said. "That's an order."
Luca opened the door. But before he disappeared inside, he looked back. Just for a second, the mask slipped again. The want in his eyes was unmistakable.
Then he was gone.
I was left standing in the alley with my heart racing and my mind spinning.
I had been right. Something was happening between us.
The question was whether Luca Moretti was brave enough to survive it.
The rest of dinner was a blur.
I laughed at the right moments. I contributed to the conversations. I played my part as the grateful rookie. But my attention kept drifting to the end of the table where Luca sat—quiet, controlled, and so carefully separate from everyone else.
I had never really thought about what it would be like to be closeted in the NHL. I'd come out young. I had a supportive family. By the time I hit the draft, being out was just a fact on my Wikipedia page.
But Luca was different. He had been in the league for a decade. He was a captain who'd built a reputation on being a stoic, unshakeable warrior.
And apparently, he was so deep in the closet he couldn't even sit through a dinner conversation about dating without panicking.
When the check came, I split it with the other rookies without complaint. We filed out of the restaurant into the cooling September night.
Luca was already gone.
"You coming to River North with us?" Hayes asked, jingling his car keys.
I shook my head. "Think I am going to call it a night. Early practice tomorrow."
"Cap has you again at five?"
"Yep."
Hayes clapped me on the shoulder. "You're surviving it better than most. Whatever he sees in you, it's legit."
I nodded, but I didn't say anything.
I took the L back to my apartment. I walked into the quiet, barely furnished living room and collapsed onto the secondhand couch.
