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“It’s gonna be much more than Friday nights,” he continued. “They want me there three or four times a week, now. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to hide it from the guys.”
“Then don’t.”
My words seemed to stop him cold. They fell with the weight of a cement truck launching off a cliff.
“Seriously, Zane. They’ll understand.”
“Will they?” he challenged. “Ari, we’ve been on the same team all our fucking lives. Now I’m going to go off and play without them? Because I’ll have to, you know. If I were to actually make the River Kings, there won’t be room for recreational hockey. That’s the end of the line for us.”
“The end of the line?” I repeated. “Really?”
Zane stared back at me confused.
“You, Tyler and Axel have been friends forever!” I cried. “You boys have been around each other your entire lives. You’ve shared damned near everything together. Including me.”
I leaned forward and took the drink again. With the other hand, I pointed a finger at him.
“Do you really think your lifelong friendship — no, your brotherhood — is built solely on playing hockey?”
Zane blinked. “No. Of course not.”
“Then why the hell wouldn’t they be supportive of you? Shit, they’re gonna be thrilled for you. I guarantee it.”
I threw back more of the cold amber liquid. Whatever he was drinking was so smooth it hardly burned as it slid down my throat.
“Look, Tyler and Axel played on other teams, didn’t they?”
Zane swiped his drink back. “That was different. That was school.”
“So they went away to college,” I went on, “and eventually they came back empty-handed. Tyler because of stupid-ass Lexus, and Axel to help with work for his father.” I tapped my finger on the table between us. “But they tried, Zane. They might’ve missed because life got in the way, but they each took their shot.”
He was starting to get it. I could see the guilt slowly draining away, but there still wasn’t relief in his eyes.
“This is your shot, Zane. You have to take it. And the guys have to be supportive, even if it means you’re not going to be around for a while. Just like you were supportive for them, back when they weren’t around.”
“This is a little different though,” Zane eventually said.
“It’s not different at all,” I said emphatically. “It’s not different from—“
“It’s different because of you.”
I sat back a little. The surrounding noise of the bar grew dim.
“You know we’ve always had our own special thing,” said Zane. “But now it’s different. We’re not just friends or fuckbuddies or anything near that casual. We’re together now, Ariana. And that means the world to me.”
His candidness and vulnerability brought tears to my eyes. My heart felt like it was going to burst.
“You’re my girl, now,” he went on. “Our girl. And that’s—“
“That’s never going to change,” I cut him off. “No matter where you go, or what team you’re playing on, I’m still your girl. I’m still going to be right here for you.”
Zane looked back at me with eyes that were full of love. I’d never seen this side of him before. It made me want to hug him to pieces.
“The River Kings feed into the American Hockey League,” I pressed him. “You know that. You could end up on the Calgary Heat, or the Alberta Oilers, or God knows where else.” I reached out and actually pushed him. “Or fuck it Zane, you could go all the way to the NHL. You’re good enough, and you know you are.”
I saw his eyes flash briefly, entertaining every one of his childhood hopes and dreams. I knew all about the pride he kept locked away, deep down inside. I knew even better than Tyler or Axel did.
“I could be traveling for years,” he shrugged. “Playing in every city across the United States and Canada.”
