Page 22 of For the Win

“Want to try it?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind.”I push the glass over to him.

“Oh yeah, that is good.Okay, so how did you end up here?”

“My friend Taj lives here.I wanted to leave Fargo and he offered me a place to stay.So here I am.”

“You live with a guy?”

“Yes.”I tip my head.I’m not going to mention that Taj is gay.Yet.“We’re friends.”

“Okay.”He doesn’t seem put off by this.

I relax a little.“So, have you lived here your whole life?”

“No.”He shakes his head.“But most of it.I played college hockey in Michigan for two years.Then I got drafted by the Condors and came home to California.”

“That must have been a lot different, living in Michigan.”

“Fucking cold.”He smiles.“Like North Dakota, I guess.But I survived.”

“You’d think hockey players are used to cold.You play on ice.”

“Well, my dad grew up on the prairies, one of those guys who learned how to skate on an outside rink.They’d go out and play no matter what the weather.Ihaveskated on outdoor rinks...when I was a kid we used to visit family in Winnipeg and Montreal.But I’m pretty spoiled by growing up in indoor arenas.”

This is interesting, hearing about his family in different places.“I’ve been to Winnipeg lots of times.”

“Yeah?”He cocks his head and his eyes crease up as he smiles at me.“I bet we were there at the same time once.”

I choke on a laugh.“Right.”

“No.I feel it.”He lays a hand on his heart.

“I guess it’s possible.”

“Undoubtedly.”

He’s entertaining, I’ll say that.

“So, you haven’t bought a car yet,” he says.“Or you don’t want one?”

“I don’t need one.Right now.It might be nice someday.Taj’s place isn’t far from the yoga studio.On Saturdays I can go with him to Makara.He owns the paddleboard place and lets me teach my classes from there.”

“Ah.”

“And he lets me use his car the odd time I need to.Biking is good for me.And better for the environment.”

“That’s true.”

Our food arrives, and it looks delicious.The meatballs are beef with soft pitas and tzatziki, yum.

“Were you a yoga instructor in Fargo?”Harrison asks a moment later, after devouring a meatball.

“Well, I was, but it was a part-time thing.I started teaching in college to make a little extra money, and kept doing it on the side after I graduated.My full-time job was at Optimal Health in human resources.”

It sounds so basic and boring, but I liked my job.The apartment I shared with my friend Leah.My other friends.I sigh.

“What’s wrong?”He eyes me, concern etching a notch between his brows.

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