Page 40 of Bar Down

There’s at least one friend I can make while I’m at training camp.

When I look up from my phone, I see Ash outside, fussing with the grill. He’s added charcoal to it and got it started, and has moved to the pop-up prep table to work on the vegetables. It looks like he has some marinated chicken already in a bowl, and I’m still shocked that he’s taken up cooking, of all things.

With his back to me, I take the opportunity to savor the sight of him.He looks good.

Better than good. He looks fit. His shoulders are broad and the white cotton T-shirt he has on stretches across them, accentuating his muscles. His tattoos peek out and I swallow hard. I move my eyes down and notice a new one on the back of his calf. Unlike his last tattoo that was in color, this one is all black and about the size of a puck.

When I realize what the tattoo is, I stop breathing and my eyes burn with the threat of tears.

Ash’s tattoo is of a sailboat.

NINETEEN

Three Months Ago

Eli

When Edvin walksin the door after his weekend away, I’m pretty much shocked into stillness. He’s so…grown up. When the hell did that happen?

The last time I saw him, he was just a skinny sixteen year old struggling with his reaction time in the net. Now he’s tall and big—almost as big as me. And what is that on his face? Is he growing a beard?

“Eli!” he drops his bag, abandoning the task of taking his shoes off, and runs up to me, tackling me into a hug.

I squeeze him tight and say, “Hey,lapsi. I missed you.”

He pulls back with a huff. “Not a kid anymore. I’m taller than you,” he says, trying to straighten up and going on his tiptoes.

I laugh and bring him into another hug. “Sure you are.”

“Both my boys are home, I’m so happy,” mom says, joining in on the group hug. Dad comes in too and pinches our cheeks, trying to be annoying. Joke’s on him, I’ve missed this like crazy.When I look up, I see Ash hovering by the stairs, watching us with a small smile.

“Ed, I wanna introduce you to my friend?—”

“Ashton Meyers, hell yeah!” Ed walks up to Ash and reaches out a hand. “You scored that amazing goal that won the Manticores the Cup.”

Ash smiles, albeit a little tightly but says, “It was a team effort. Nice to meet the famous Edvin, I’ve heard a lot about you this past weekend.”

“Ugh, did Mom pull out the baby pictures and embarrassing stories? If so, in my defense I was a little kid, it’s not my fault I was always naked.”

“Yes it is, you kept taking all your clothes off. And no baby pictures were shown,” I say, clapping Ed on the back.

“Are you telling me all this time I could have been looking at baby pictures?” Ash asks with a sparkle in his eyes. “Mrs. Kalias, you’ve been holding out on me.”

My mom laughs, charmed, and says, “I’ll bring them out.”

“Mom, no!” I groan while Ed starts laughing. At least he’s the naked one in the pictures.

“Ed, how are you?” I ask, taking in my brother. He’s really changed so much in just two years. It makes me wonder what else I missed.

“I’m good. Enjoying life as a high school graduate, excited for college,” Ed says with an easy smile. Mine comes with a wince as I say, “Sorry I couldn’t make it to your graduation.”

“Are you kidding? You were playing in the Calder Cup, who cares about a silly graduation?” he says, dropping onto the couch and resting his legs up on the coffee table.

I take the spot next to him and Ash walks over to us, but before he can sit down with us, my mom comes bounding down the steps with a stack of photo albums. His eyes light up when he sees them and all but bounces on his feet in excitement.

My mom places them on the coffee table and sits on the floor. Ash joins her and the two of them flip through page after page as she tells him every embarrassing story of my childhood, like the time I played in a mud puddle in the backyard and refused to come inside the whole day. The picture shows me covered in mud from head to toe, wearing my biggest smile. Or the time I broke my arm jumping off the stairs because I thought I could fly just by wearing a cape, like Mario.

Ash laughs at my mother’s animated recounting of the story and I can’t help but feel relieved and happy that he’s here. He belongs so easily by my side and I want so badly to tell him that.

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