Page 110
“I don’t know, I have a lot of practice. Hockey is full of assholes.”
“Yes, it definitely seems that way.” She sipped her coffee, then swirled the straw in the ice. “That's why I had to meet you. I don’t know much about pro hockey, but what I do know is pretty shitty. I was worried you were like all the rest of them.”
“There are some shitty parts for sure,” he agreed. “I love the game, but the culture isn’t great.”
“Then how do you stand it? You know, as . . . ” She gestured toward him, and he didn’t pretend to misunderstand.
“I don’t tell anyone. Obviously.”
“But that’s so . . . depressing.”
He lifted a shoulder to try to convey a carelessness he didn’t quite feel. “Sometimes. Do I wish I could be honest? Yes. Would I trade my career to be able to do as I want, freely and proudly? No. All I’ve ever wanted to do is to play hockey.”
“Why is it an either/or, though? Women’s sports are progressive. There have been plenty of gay and queer couples. What are men so afraid of?”
He’d thought about this a lot over the years. “Ridicule. Being seen as different. And those slurs are the ones that boys use early and often in life, especially in hockey.”
“Well, I don’t think you should try to protect this guy, whoever he is. He deserves whatever Uncle Nico gives him—and worse.”
“I’m not trying to protect him.”
She didn’t appear convinced, her gaze narrowed on him suspiciously. “You’re not?”
“God, no. Sofia, I want him arrested and sent to prison.” She started to speak, so he held up a hand. “I know the authorities and the courts don’t have a great track record when it comes to this, but I promise to use all of my money and influence to see that he goes away for a long time.”
“You know my uncle has money and influence, too. Right?”
“Yes, but I’d rather my teammate be sent to prison rather than your uncle, so maybe let me handle this one?”
She chuckled like he’d said something really funny. Which he hadn’t. “I like you,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but you’re cool.”
“Thank you, and I’m glad I was able to meet you.”
“Same. And for what it’s worth, Uncle Filippo likes you, too.”
It still blew Bennett’s mind that Nico’s cousin knew about them and didn’t object. But he got the feeling Sofia was romanticizing this into something it wasn’t. He wasn’t out and neither was Nico, so this wasn’t anything big. “That’s nice, but it’s . . . ”
“It’s, what?” she prompted when he fell silent.
“Casual. And temporary.” He gestured to himself. “I’m who I am, and your uncle is who he is. There isn’t a way for the two of us to be more.”
“Oh, I get it. You’re like one of those pessimistic guys.”
“Uh, no. I’m a realist guy.”
She checked her phone and rose, taking her plastic cup with her. “One thing to know about my uncle? He doesn’t give up easily. And the way he looked at you when he got out of the car for your date? I’ve literally never seen him look at another human being like that. It wasn’t casual or temporary.”
Bennett didn’t know what to make of that, only to hope that Sofia was wrong. Or right? Fuck, he didn’t know. He was working on too little caffeine and not enough protein at the moment. “Sofia—”
“Nope, no arguing. Nice to meet you, Bennett. Don’t tell my cousins we met!”
He watched as she walked out of the café and disappeared around the corner. He stared at the wall and thought about what she’d said for a long time.
The locker room was loud. A big win at home against the team currently sitting first in their division meant a celebration. Music was playing and the boys were grinning and laughing, shoving each other while they relived their favorite parts of the game. Bennett had scored twice, received first star of the game, and just returned from doing the post-game interview on the national broadcast.
All in all, a great night.
He stripped off his jersey and tossed it into the laundry bin in the middle of the locker room. Then he sat in front of his stall and began unlacing his skates. Coach came in and gave a short post-game speech, praising the way the boys stuck to the plan, didn’t give their opponent any space to work with, and held the line for the last two minutes when the other team pulled their goalie. It was not particularly inspiring, but the boys cheered all the same.
