“They did? Unexpectedly? Like a surprise?”
“Yep,” I reply.
“So your girlfriend met your parents without you there,” Blake concludes.
“Yep,” I say again.
“Man, you are screwed,” Blake laughs.
“Thanks for the support,” I chuckle, shaking my head as I pull away from the venue.
We reach the apartment in just a few minutes. When I park in my usual spot, I notice Blake’s car already sitting nearby.
“I thought your car was in the garage?” I ask, glancing at him in surprise.
“It was. They fixed it and had it delivered here,” he shrugs.
“Now that’s customer service,” I say as we step out of the car.
By the time we reach my front door, I can already hear voices inside. Leo’s voice stands out the most, loud and animated as usual, but Gwen’s voice cuts through everything for me. Something about hearing her immediately pulls at me, and I don’t hesitate before stepping inside.
“Congrats!” Lisa calls out as we enter, popping open a bottle of champagne.
“Thanks,” I say, scratching the back of my neck.
“What a warm welcome,” Blake comments, already moving to grab himself a glass.
Gwen is standing on the right side of the apartment. I make my way over to her, wrap my arms around her, and kiss her.
“I missed you,” I tell her, noticing the faint blush rising in her cheeks.
“You were incredible,” she says softly, then gently pulls back. Her eyes flick toward my parents before returning to me. I catch the hesitation in her expression and don’t want to make her uncomfortable, so I release her as well.
“Hey, mom,” I say, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Dad.” I shake his hand the way we always do.
They both seem more reserved than usual, tense, even.
I greet the rest of the group before taking a glass of champagne for myself.
“Cheers to victory,” Lisa says loudly, raising her glass. We all follow suit except my parents, who decline. Knowing them, the win probably isn’t something they feel the need to celebrate.
“Snacks are on the way,” Tess adds, checking her phone. “I called a friend who caters; she’s bringing post-hockey food.”
Post-hockey food. I have no idea what that means, but I nodded when she mentioned it earlier, so I guess we’ll find out.
“Can I talk to you?” Lisa asks suddenly.
I glance around the room. Gwen is chatting with Leo and Tess, so I nod and follow Lisa into the hallway.
“What’s going on?” I ask, immediately noticing the look on her face.
“I think everything’s ok… but during the game, they put Gwen on the Jumbotron. Since she’s dating you, she’s kind of become recognizable in the hockey scene,” she explains.
“Ok…” I say slowly. “And?”
“The crowd didn’t react well. I think it’s because of that article. People were loud about it, they basically booed her off the screen.”
My stomach drops.
