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Probably not a good idea

He doesn’t like Canadians

Wow how rude of him

Also awkward given half the league is Canadian

It’s not HALF

It is really close to half

I just looked it up it’s only 40%

That’s more than any other nationality yes?

Still not half

Actually you know what yes you should come

//You would make him so jealous [DELETED]

//He would hate how nice you are [DELETED]

//I would really appreciate the backup when he gets bitchy or tries to ask me for a hookup again [DELETED]

If you wouldn’t mind

I don’t mind

Cool thx I owe you one

//If you have any exes you want me to help make jealous [DELETED]

See you in thirty?

CHAPTER 26

Henri put on three different shirts before he said fuck it and went with the first one—a gray Turkeys shirt. He pulled on jeans and a plain hoodie, since who was he trying to impress? Alexei Sokolov? Fuck no. And then he very deliberately took an Uber to the restaurant, because he very much wanted the option to drink tonight. He had the feeling Sokolov was insufferable to deal with while sober.

As he slipped into the back seat of an old Ford, Henri reevaluated the choices that had led him here and listed all the reasons this was a dumb idea. In all honesty, he had no idea why he was doing this. He should’ve been out with the rest of the team, getting dinner and drinks with a group that seemed happy to accept him as one of their own.

Maybe that was why he’d offered to go with Everett. He’d been the first to embrace Henri as a Turkey, and his enthusiasm had clearly rubbed off. Henri was doing this as a thank you because he was certain Everett and Sokolov needed someone there to prevent them from doing something stupid. What the stupid thing was, he wasn’t sure.

Or maybe he’d offered because he was a masochist. Henri wanted nothing to do with Alexei Sokolov except at the face-off dot. He didn’t necessarily dislike the Russian, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to like him. He told himself it was because he didn’t know Sokolov all that well and it would be a wasted effort when they were on rival teams, even though he knew that was all a lie.

Despite all the media attention about how the two were still ‘best friends’ and a ‘dynamic duo,’ that too must be a lie if Everett had accepted Henri’s offer. You didn’t bring a random teammate to hang out with your BFF, but you might bring a random teammate as a buffer between yourself and your ex-BFF.

When Henri arrived at the restaurant, Everett was outside waiting for him.

Like Henri, Everett was dressed down. Gone was the game-day suit and slicked-back hair, replaced with shower-damp locks that shone redder than usual under the sharp electric streetlights. He wore a black sweatshirt, unzipped to reveal not the exact same gray Turkeys shirt that Henri wore but a very similar one. But it was his red joggers and toque that made Henri relax muscles he hadn't realized he was clenching.

This was one bro going to hang out with two of his other bros. It wasn't...something more. Whatever Everett and Sokolov might’ve been before—and Henri didn’t care and certainly wouldn’t judge—it wasn’t more than friendship now. A lukewarm one, if Everett was inviting company along.

The real question, the one that scared Henri, was why he cared. It was easy to pretend it was about hockey. He was concerned his captain wouldn’t be in a good headspace going forward this season if there were heavier feelings involved in this outing.

His heart thundering in his chest suggested that wasn’t the real reason.

Everett was chatting with some fans, giving Henri plenty of time for this internal roller coaster of doubt and longing. He watched Everett take a selfie with a young couple. Henri waited until they’d disappeared before walking up—he didn’t want to interrupt, and he definitely didn’t want to deal with fans.