Page 14 of The Puck Contract

Beside me, Mateo stifles a laugh, which he poorly disguises as a cough. Three days of hanging out, and I've discovered he has an appreciation for my particular brand of smartassery. It's... nice.

"As I was saying," Sophia continues, "we need to establish your online presence as a couple. Groover already has an Instagram with team content, but we need more personal posts. Mateo, do you have social media?"

"Just Instagram," he says. "Mostly pictures of interesting things people throw away. I have a whole series on abandoned couches."

Sophia blinks. "That's... unique. We'll work on it."

She swipes through her tablet and turns it around to show us a social media calendar with suggested content.

"We've outlined optimal posting times and content types. Casual couple shots, game day support posts, maybe some domestic moments. Nothing too staged."

"Except this entire relationship," I mutter under my breath. Mateo kicks my ankle under the table.

"I heard that," Sophia says. "And yes, the origin may be arranged, but that doesn't mean it can't look authentic."

She sets down her tablet and leans forward, her expression softening slightly. "Look, I know this isn't ideal. But the Kingsport deal is huge, not just for you, Ansel, but for the entire organization. They're considering a broader partnership with the team, and your endorsement is the test case."

Great. So now it isn't just about my career but the whole damn team. No pressure.

"Let's look at what we're working with." Sophia pulls up a new screen showing social media responses to our appearance at the gala.

Most are positive:

"Groover and his boyfriend are so cute!"

"Hockey's hottest couple just dropped :fire_emoji:"

"That anthropology guy seems so sweet and smart! Good for Grooves!"

But sprinkled among them are the inevitable garbage takes:

"Another publicity stunt to shove the gay agenda down our throats"

"Lost another fan. Keep politics out of hockey!"

"Bet this 'relationship' conveniently ends after playoffs"

I shrug at the negative comments. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

But when I glance at Mateo, his brow is furrowed as he reads the hateful comments. "People really say these things?"

Something protective flares in my chest. "Welcome to being visibly queer in sports," I say, more gently than I intended. "You get used to it."

"You shouldn't have to," he replies, looking genuinely upset on my behalf.

The sincerity in his voice catches me off guard. It's easy to forget sometimes that this arrangement isn't just about me. Mateo's putting himself out there too, facing scrutiny and judgment for a relationship that isn't even real.

"Moving on," Sophia says, clearly sensing the shift in mood. "We need to discuss the contract terms in more detail."

She pulls out printed documents and slides them across the table. "The agreement is for three months minimum, with the option to 'break up' amicably after that period. The timeline is important—Kingsport will make their final sponsorship decision right after playoffs."

Mateo flips through the papers. "So we're looking at... what, April? May?"

"Regular season ends mid-April," I explain. "Playoffs can run into June, depending how far we go."

"But Kingsport wants to announce before the Conference Finals," Sophia adds. "So we're targeting late May for their decision, which means your relationship needs to remain solid at least until then."

Mateo nods, processing this information. "And after that?"

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