But you know who I did not find yet? Grey. But of course it would be that way. My only reason for being here, is not here. Maybe he is present, I just can’t get to him, that makes more sense.
“Daddy, is uncle Co-in be playing today? And uncle Ron?” the little girl asks, trying to look over the railing to see the ice.
“We don’t know that, Brookie. We’ll see,” her father answers.
“And uncle Grey? Does he play?” She turns around, staring up at her father. “And why you not play, Daddy?”
Okay, let’s weigh out the odds here. There’s a guy inside of this VIP box area thingy, whatever the ice hockey people call it. He has a wife (I’m guessing) and two kids. That kid calls someone on the team her ‘Uncle Grey’. I know a Grey who happens to have invited his best friend to this game, who has a daughter as far as I know.
Would it be embarrassing to ask if this guy happens to be the one I’m thinking of?
Nah. I’ve done way worse in my life.
What was his name… I’m sure Grey mentioned him the other day during one of our FaceTime calls. We’ve been on one every evening ever since he texted back a few weeks ago. I still can’t believe he did, to be honest. Or that he keeps on picking up the phone when he should be asleep to be well rested for his games or practice.
I approach the guy before me, offering him a soft smile. “Hi, are you Miles?”
He has a little longer hair, wavy and blond. It fits the somewhat description I could squeeze out of Grey last night. I wanted to know who to look for, and although Grey didn’t want to give me a description because he doesn’t want me talking to this Miles guy, I still got it out of him. I don’t know why I’m not supposed to talk to Miles, but I am guessing it’s because best friends love talking about embarrassing stories for a good laugh. And I’dloveto hear some about Grey.
Hey, don’t blame me. The guy barely gives me anything, so asking his friends is all I can do. And I’ll gladly do it.
“No, he’s my daddy,” the little girl answers before the blond guy could.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say. “I should’ve known that.” She nods.
“You’re Luan, aren’t you?” the guy asks in return, somewhat confirming he is, in fact, Miles. “I wanted to meet you back in Malibu last summer, but Grey refused to let us meet. Said I’d just embarrass him.”
My smile widens.He talked about me. I don’t know why hearing this makes my heart skip a beat, or why I get all giddy thinking about Grey mentioning me to his friends. I talk about him to my best friend all the time, so it shouldn’t excite me so much. However, Grey doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who talks to anyone really.
“Wow, you do smile a lot,” Miles notes, chuckling a little.
“Is that a bad thing?” I ask, a little worried now. What if that’s why Grey still hasn’t warmed up to me yet? He lets me do most of the talking, so I usually ask a ton of hockey questions even though it doesn’t interest me at all, but that’s the only times he talks and talks. I’m sure he could go on and on about ice hockey for hours, and I’d gladly listen to every second of it, but he stops himself a lot, too.
“Not at all,” Miles answers. “Please, take a seat. I’m beyond excited to finally meet you.”
“He’s just jealous,” his wife tells me, slightly chuckling. “Miles never had to compete with anyone for Grey’s friendship.”
“Yes, but me, Memory,” the little blonde girl shrieks, jumping up onto her lap. She then looks up at me. “Sometimes, I go over to Uncle Grey’s house because Daddy says he’s all lonely and needs my cuddles and so I cuddle with Uncle Grey until I get the ice cream and then I go back home.”
Why does this warm something inside of my chest? The thought of Grey all alone at home, and then suddenly this little girl shows up just for some cuddles… But this is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to get. Something abouthim. Something real. What he’s like when he’s not being the grump or the loner. What he’s like around his friends, the people who love him.
“Ignore them both,” Miles says and shoots a look into his wife’s direction. He then proceeds to introduce all three of them to me, shaking my hand. “So, Grey told me you’re very persistent.”
Persistent. That’s one way to describe me. I guess I am.
I nod very faintly. “Yeah, I like annoying people. I mean, not like in a sense where Iannoy-annoy them, you know? I like talking, and if I realize someone doesn’t like that then I’ll back off… eventually. Takes me a hot minute though.”
“Well, good thing Grey listens more than he talks, huh?”
Indeed. Though I wish he talked more. I like his voice. That sounds ridiculous, I admit, but I really do. He has this deep voice that calms nerves in my body I didn’t even know were begging to be tamed. And in the morning, just after waking up, he has a really adorable rasp in it. I only caught it once, ever since then he didn’t pick up his phone in the morning. But I will keep on trying.
“You know hockey, right? So, speaking of Grey, is thereanyway I will be able to see him after the game? Or do the teams just give interviews and then run for the hills and never return?” I ask. It would be a shame if I didn’t get to speak to him face to face tonight. Sure, I’m here to watch him play,ifhe gets some ice time, but I am hoping I can speak to him. I haven’t seen him in so long, I forgot what he looks like.
That’s not exactly true, but you get the point.
“It’ll be almost impossible to get to the team while they’re at the arena. They’ve got tons of security to get through first, unless security knows you’re with one of them, or the player in question takes you back there themselves, of course. However, since the game tomorrow is around here, I can tell you the hotel they’re staying at. You can try getting in.”
???
