Page 44 of Icing the Cougar
At some point, Riley makes a toast. He waves a bottle of Miller High Life like a trophy. “To the end of a great season and to the new one that will be here before we know it.” The crowd cheers.
Someone hands me a shot, and I toss it back without looking.
Trinity slips away for a minute, and I take the chance to grab another beer. Zach is behind the bar, fiddling with a bottle opener.
He glances up as I approach. “You having fun?” he asks.
“Yeah, actually.”
He nods. “Good. You deserve it.”
There’s something in his voice, a gravity I haven’t heard before. I’m about to ask if he’s okay, but then he grins, all teeth, and slides a cold can across the bar. “Go take care of your girl,” he says. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I joke.
He shrugs, wiping down the counter. “Somebody’s got to keep you in line.”
I open the beer and head back into the fray. Trinity is already back, leaning against the railing, looking out at the city again. I join her, standing there, side by side, watching the lights in the distance blink on and off.
“You ever think about what’s next?” I ask.
She considers my question a beat. “All the time. However, I’m good with right now.”
She rests her hand over mine. I look at her and know I’d do anything to keep her safe, to keep her happy. Even if it means doing the dishes for the rest of my life.
I lean in and kiss her, just once, right above the edge of her smile.
She grins. “What was that for?”
“Just making sure you’re real,” I say.
She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re such a sap.”
“Only for you.”
“I’m going to miss this rooftop view, but I’m excited for what’s to come,” she confesses.
“Yeah, I completely agree. Life in the suburbs will look a lot different, and I can’t wait. Plus, I’ll never have to hear Zach talking shit about my choices of houses again.” We both laugh.
We stay until the party winds down, until the music fades and people start to trickle out, saying their goodbyes and making promises to meet up before training camp. Riley gives me a bear hug and tells me not to fuck up fatherhood. Marek wantsto know if we’ll name the baby after him. Trinity’s friend Nova stops by, trading a quick hug with Trinity and making a joke about being the “cool aunt.”
I look at Trinity, her hair messy from the wind, eyes soft in the fading light. I think about all the things I never said, all the times I almost fucked it up, all the ways she could have left but didn’t.
“You want to stay up a while?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah. I do at home. I’ll meet you in our apartment when you finish up here.”
“Sounds good.” I pull her in for a hug and kiss her temple before she leaves, and I look around at the place to make sure that it’s not too much of a mess for the apartment complexes staff to clean in the morning.
There’s always one guy left standing at the end of the night. Most times, it’s Zach, drunk and trying to outlast the world.
Tonight, it’s Alfie.
The rooftop is almost empty, just a couple stragglers huddled by the dead grill, talking about summer plans and pretending not to be wasted. The pool three floors below is empty except for the couple that never left the hot tub.
Alfie stands by the glass rail, arms folded, bottle dangling from his right hand, left hand jammed deep in his pocket.His silhouette is all hard angles, shoulders hunched, jawline clenched tight.
He doesn’t hear me come up behind him. I set my beer on the ledge and lean in, side by side, waiting for him to break the silence.
