Page 68 of Bar Down

“Are you up for the task?” he asks, and I stare blankly at him. Am I up for the task? It’s only everything I’ve been working towards. Everything I’ve wanted since I was five years old and my dad was coaching me in little league.

I take a deep breath and run my hands down my face. When I drop them back down, I’m smiling so hard, Bonavich’s eyebrows shoot up. He gives me a wry smile back and I don’t even get to say anything. He pats my shoulder and says, “You’re gonnabe great, kid. Keep up the hard work and this won’t just be temporary.”

Holy shit.Holy shit. This is huge for my career. A chance to actually play in the NHL. Even if it is only temporary, this is a huge opportunity, although I feel bad for Nadison.

I go through a wave of emotions and by the time I go back to the large conference room. I spot Ash at a table and my heart sinks when he looks at me. His eyes are wide and he’s smiling hard, but I can tell he knows. I grab a plate of food and sit next to him.

“Well?” he asks, excitement in his voice.

I nod and take a bite of pizza. I keep nodding while Ash just looks at me, waiting for more information.

“I don’t know much, just that I’ll be the secondary for the next two months.”

Ash whoops and tackles me into a side hug. I shush him and look around nervously. “I don’t know how much I’m supposed to say right now.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he says, straightening up. “This is amazing, Eli.You’reamazing.”

“It’s not that serious, I only got called up because Nadison is hurt,” I say, downplaying it.

“Are you kidding?” Ash says, punching my arm hard enough to lose my balance. “Youwere amazing out there.Youblocked all the shots that came at you.Youscored the winning goal. That is not nothing, Eli. Even if this game is all for show and not for points, your performance still matters.”

I blow out a shaky breath. When’s the last time someone believed in me this much? “When did you get so wise?”

Ash tilts his head and leans in conspiratorially, the corners of his lips twitching. “Someone told me I’m smarter than I give myself credit for.”

Then his face gets more serious as he says, “Actually, I think I just have a really great therapist. When in doubt, I ask myself—what would Marge do?”

“I’m proud of you,” I say, and he gives me a soft smile and a nod, but a spike of fear still rolls through me. I don’t want to lose him, not when I didn’t even get to tell him how much I love him.

“We’ll be okay, right?” I ask and Ash seems taken aback for a moment.

“Of course, we’ll figure it all out when we get home.”

“Okay,” I say and give him a shaky smile. I really hope we can, but I’m nervous about our future.

THIRTY

ASH

After packingup and leaving the cabin up north, we’ve spent the last week back in Grand Marquee, getting ready for the pre-season. Eli and I have avoided any big conversations about the future, and instead we’ve spent every waking moment together, torn between staying inside my apartment and going out on a few dates—dinner, movies, bowling.

We spend our days in my apartment, except when he needs to call his family or start packing up his belongings. Since he’ll only be gone for a couple of months, he plans to keep the apartment and sublet it to Alice, who recently has had issues with her roommates.

“Ash, can we talk for a moment?” he asks me right as we get back from grocery shopping. I fidget with the last paper bag and fold it down until it’s small enough to fit in one of the drawers and I take a steadying breath before giving Eli my full attention.

“Yeah.”

“I’m mostly done packing. I’m not taking that much with me since it’ll only be a couple months,” he says, leaning his arms on the kitchen counter, looking down at my fruit bowl.

“Makes sense,” I say quietly. I don’t know what to say or what he wants to hear. Should I tell him that everything will be fine? I don’t know that.

Eli lifts his head up and looks at me with a sad smile. I blow out a breath and walk around the island to meet him. I wrap him up in a hug and say, “I can’t wait to see you kick ass out there.”

He laughs, his breath tickling my neck. “I’m going to miss you,kultsi.”

“I’ll miss you too. But you know, phones still exist, and you can text me anytime.” I give him a smirk, knowing he usually hates being on his phone. “I know our schedules won’t line up, but I’m still here for you.”

“I’ll be there for you too, always,” he says and kisses me. “Any chance you’d want to drive me to Detroit tomorrow?”

---