Page 203 of Rookie Attraction

“Absolutely. And now that I’ve said it out loud, I don’t think I’ll be able to shut up.”

Sel kisses my knuckles before letting me go.

Hugo clutches his phone to his chest and lets out a long sigh.

“Okay then, so here’s where I think we should start⁠—”

A short while later, there’s another elevator ride to a familiar hallway, and the closer we get to the locker room, the more I sweat. It’s worse than my first day back in September. We turn the corner and the sounds of our teammates laughing and talking is loud. We’ve been riding positive vibes lately, and I hope it stays that way.

“Kirkland! Baran!” Berg calls out. “About time you got here!”

“You okay if we share some news with the team, Cap?” Sel asks.

He stares at us for a second. “Now?”

“We got the okay. I think now would be best.”

Berg nods and calls for everyone’s attention. Loud chatter turns to a hushed hum.

“Our teammates have something to say,” Berg announces and glances at us.

I step up beside Sel, who motions for me to go first. Good thing too, because I don’t know how much longer I can keep quiet.

“Hey guys, so, I’m gonna keep this short—” I start.

“You?” Makela quips and everyone laughs, including me.

“Okay, as short as I can.” I pause for a second, because I can hardly hear my own voice over the sound of my heartbeat. Here goes. “I’m bisexual. I’m demi too. So, yeah, I’m queer. I’m still the same player, same drive, same goals. Nothing changes on the ice.”

Shocked silence. Not surprising, but still nerve-racking.

Berg walks over first, gives me a hug, and stands on my other side. Makela and Sorensen, Kuznetsov, Tullmore, Druin, they all do the same, crowding around me. The rest of the guys stay where they are, but they smile and nod. St. Clare’s eyebrows look like they’re permanently glued to his hairline. But no one walks out or gives me the evil eye.

Kuznetsov smacks my shoulder, and given that he towers over me, I struggle to stay upright.

“Proud of you, man.”

“Thanks, Kuz,” I nod. “But there’s one more thing I want to say.”

Makela holds up a hand. “You still come to my party later, yes?”

Trying not to laugh, I nod.

“Yes, but this isn’t about you, Mats.”

“Too bad.”

I shake my head.

“You guys know that Sel and I became best friends⁠—”

Go on, do it. Take the shot.

“—but now we’re also a couple. We’re in love and we’re going to live together, and yes, I know, it’s a lot to take in, but I promise we’re both stupidly happy, and it won’t affect the game negatively, and we’ll continue to kick ass on the ice.”

I knew my rambling had to make a comeback…

Sel squeezes my arm. “Other professional leagues have players on the same team who are also partners outside of work. We can’t make guarantees, but Finn and I are in it for the long haul. We don’t want to hide, and we hope that you’ll have our backs out there like we have yours. The organization supports our decision, we love playing here, and we want to stay.”