Page 2 of Bar Down

I scoff as I say, “As if I’ve ever needed a wingman.”

Eli

My head is still poundingfrom last night’s migraine and I take a couple of painkillers, downing a whole bottle of water on my way to Robbie’s front door. He’s left it unlocked as he sets up for the party and I make my way down the familiar corridor. The place looks impeccable, as always.

I greet everyone with a wave and a mumbled hello and make myself busy hanging up “Happy New Year” garlands in the dining room and large kitchen. I’m sluggishly moving through the motions, willing my headache away.

Robbie is always the host of the group, taking care of us, but he rarely asks for help. I feel bad not being able to give this task my all when my friend needs me.

Olivia and Alice, Robbie’s sister, took over the decorations earlier and there are black and gold ornaments and balloons all over the living room, dining room, and kitchen. The island is full of drinks, from champagne and tubs of beer on ice to bottles of liquor and mixers for cocktails. The dining table is elegantly decorated with candles and green vines surrounded by dozens of plates of party food.

Robbie assigned me to furniture duty with Jordan, one of my best friends and teammates. We moved the furniture around in the living room so there’s space to mingle and also made sure to lock the doors to the bedrooms, leaving only the mudroom and the two bathrooms accessible to guests.

Once everything is ready, we take a moment to admire the newly transformed living and dining room as we gather in the kitchen. We all grab a drink, smile, and cheers to a job well done and the start of a new beginning. Robbie looks around and asks, “Where’s Ash?”

My friends shrug and I zone out of the conversation as I think about the last member of our group.

Ash.

Out of all my friends, he’s the one I have a soft spot for. Ever since he got traded to our team, only a few months after I joined, we’ve been inseparable. We have this running joke that Robbie all but adopted us into the family, but truthfully, I don’t know if I would have opened up to anyone if it wasn’t for Ash and his incessant line of questioning.

It probably helped a lot that we ended up living across the hall from one another in the same apartment complex. At first, I found it annoying that he constantly wanted to hang out, but now I can’t imagine spending our days any other way.

Whether it’s going to the gym, coming over to play video games, or simply driving to the arena together, at this point, it’s our ritual. I don’t think I could imagine playing hockey without him by my side.

I catch snippets of the conversation and try not to daydream as I often do. I hear them talking about the lodge and figure they must have been talking about the all-star break that’s coming up.

“Olive, we’ll rent a snowboard for you to try and if you hate it, we have plenty of other things we can do. The resort is huge,” Robbie says.

“Sounds good. Besides having to teach me, I won’t keep you away from the slope, don’t worry,” she says in a chuckle.

“We’re not worried, we all plan to take turns and teach you,” I say, joining the conversation.

Robbie called me the other day and wanted to get my opinion on inviting Olivia to the lodge. I appreciate him asking, but it’s not like any of us would say no. She’s a really great referee, making all the fair calls on the ice—whether we like them or not—despite having only joined the AHL a few months ago. And even though their relationship is new, she’s a great girl who makes him happy. As his best friend, that’s all I need to know. Olivia is always welcome in our circle.

I was surprised how quickly Robbie fell in love. He always wears his heart on his sleeve and cares deeply about the people in his life, but I’ve never seen him quite as happy as he is around her. It’s like this little switch was flipped and he becamemore—more attentive, more honest about what he wants. Robbie is determined to make this relationship work and he’s determined to play his best, even while considering retirement.

One of the reasons I like Olivia so much is that I can relate to her. I was just as closed off and weary about joining this group of friends and this family, really, until Robbie made me realize how important it is to have a stable foundation and people to rely on. Especially when the world feels so lonely sometimes. I could see that weariness in Olivia too, but I think she’s starting to come around more.

As people start to arrive,the whole place changes from a cozy home to a post-game after-party, which is generally not where I find myself after a game. I like peace and quiet and that’s not what I’m in for tonight. There’s a faint headache that still lingers, even though I slept most of the day away to recover from my migraine.

I’m not usually one for drinking, but I grab a beer anyway and take a seat on the edge of the couch while I listen in on conversations and people watch. I spot Alice shyly making her way over to Jordan where he’s messing around with the computer he hooked up to a surround sound stereo, deciding he’s in charge of the music for the night. She tucks a few strands of hair behind her ears with both hands as she tells him something. I’m too far away to hear it, but Jordan laughs and gives her a once over when she’s not looking, and the way he’s checking out Robbie’s little sister is a little more than friendly.

I take a sip of cold beer and let my eyes wander around the room where I see Trip, one of our forwards, with his wife Mackenzie. The two of them are always touching when they’re near each other, like they can’t possibly keep their hands to themselves. I see Robbie reaching out to put his arm around Olivia as the four of them chat, but he pulls back at the last second and pretends to stretch. Since Olivia is a referee in the same league and region as our team, they’re trying to keep theirrelationship on the down low so neither of them gets in trouble. But anyone with a brain could tell they’re smitten with each other just from one glance.

I look around hoping to see a certain redhead, but he’s nowhere to be found. I pull out my phone to message him and notice I have a few missed texts. I sigh and scold myself for my annoying habit of keeping my phone on silent.

I’ve never really been into texting. I prefer to hang out with my friends in person instead. Most days Ash just walks across the hall and lets himself into my apartment when he needs to tell me something, so there’s no need to text or call one another. I notice my phone is on do-not-disturb from last night which is probably why I didn’t get a notification for Ash’s texts.

this might sound kind of weird, but would you want to go with me to coach grandpa’s party?

i know you’re already going, obviously, but i mean go together

not just drive together, but like as a date

i’m fucking rambling. srry. had a couple of drinks

i guess i’m just tired of always being dateless at Robbie’s parties. thought we could

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