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“We put in a lot of work this past off-season, on and off the ice. It shows in our game play and in our teamwork. The bond we have together is unbreakable. We go into every game with a clear mindset, ready to work for every goal and not to expect a win. The time we’ve dedicated to our craft and to the team is paying off.”
She nods with a big smile. “Perfect. The chemistry of your team is undeniable. No matter who is in the game, you play at the exact same level.” She pauses awkwardly. “What do you do in your free time? Any secret hobbies or skills you’re working on?”
Shrugging, I generically answer her question. “In my free time, I’m often watching other teams’ games, trying to learn their strong suits and potential weaknesses.”
“What about your personal life? Anyone special?” she asks and winks at me.
I give her what she is pushing for. “Yes, actually. I recently started seeing someone.”
She oohs and aahs. “What’s her name? How did you guys meet?”
Nikki in that tight gold dress flashes in my mind.
“Her name is Nikki. We met at a club in town during their masquerade opening night a few months back.”
Natalie waves her hands toward herself, asking me to give her more.
“She’s amazing and so down-to-earth. She knows what really matters in life and what doesn’t. I’ve never met someone so strong and resilient. She makes me look at everything differently in the best possible way.”
Forcing my swallow over the new lump in my throat, I continue, “She is everything I never knew I needed or wanted in life. I’m incredibly grateful to Laura, Alec Kostelecky’s fiancée, for introducing us that night.”
She makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. She makes me look forward to every single day because she’s in it. Life before her was routine and boring.
I refused to let anyone in because I didn’t want to feel pain anymore from the people I loved. I’ve been that way since the man I was born to trust and love took the life of the one and only person who truly did love me—my mom.
After my dad hurt us, I assumed everyone had that darkness within them even if they didn’t know it yet. Maybe everyone does. But it’s a choice you make every day. You choose to do or not do evil things. You choose to protect or to hurt the ones you love. You choose right or wrong.
But I didn’t have that choice when I was younger. He chose for me. He chose to whip me whenever he pleased. He chose to hurt my mom whenever he wanted to, and one day, he chose to take her life. But when he killed her, he also chose to go to prison for the rest of his life. He was a cop who had gotten away with so much for so long.
When I was young, I tried many times to tell people who he really was—school counselors and nurses. But no one would listen, and if they did, it was shut down the second it reached the station. After all, he was a beloved cop in the community who could never do those things. I just had an active imagination and was mad at him and trying to get him into trouble—or at least, that was what I was always told.
He broke every trust I ever had—with him, with peers, with those I was supposed to be able to go to for help. He made me give up on anything good.
Until that night at Fireflies, I did a good job at keeping everyone at arm’s length. But Nikki snuck into my life, and I don’t know if it was the scars that graced her skin or the darkness I recognized in her eyes, but I was hooked. I knew it the moment we met, but I was too scared to really see it. To see that we were inevitable.
Whatever shitty paths life had taken us down, we found our way to one another—to the only person who would understand us without saying a word.
After everything she has been through, she still chose to take a chance on me. If I were her, I don’t know that I would have been able to do that. But every day, she shares more of herself with me, and I, with her. Who knew pink hair and bright blue eyes would make me believe in love again?
“Wow. That is so sweet,” Natalie adds. “Have Laura and Nikki known each other long?”
Nodding, I answer, “Nikki owns a coffee shop that Laura used to go to when she and Jack lived in Duluth.”
“Oh, so she’s not from here?” Natalie retorts.
“Nope. She still lives there and runs her coffee shop. I visit her when I can, and vice versa,” I answer.
“Long distance must be hard. Any tips or tricks for keeping a relationship healthy during those times apart?”
“Communicate. FaceTime has been our go-to almost every night. We connect about our day and talk about our plans for our next time together. It’s hard, but it’s not impossible. It’s an easy sacrifice to make when it’s for someone you love.”
I did not just say that.
But I’m not wrong or lying. I was just too afraid to admit it to myself.
I love her. I fucking love her.
I love the way she melts in my arms when I hold her. I love the way she smiles when she catches me staring. I love the way she has opened herself up to me and slowly trusted me with her heart and her body. I love everything about her.
