Page 73 of Nodus Tollens
Blue: There will be no kids if you get eaten by a shark.
Me: Alright, fine, kids before Australia, then ;)
Blue: Take me to Hawaii, and I “might” go to Australia with you.
Me: Done.
Blue: Seriously? Just like that?
Me: Just like that, Blue. If you want to go to Hawaii, I’ll take you to Hawaii.
Blue: Why?
Me: Why would I take you?
Blue: Yes, why would you do something like that for me?
Me: Because you deserve to see the world. And I want to be the one to show you just how beautiful it is.
Blue: What if I said I wanted to go to Antarctica? Would you take me there?
Me: Hell yeah, I’d take you anywhere.
Blue: Even if it’s the coldest place in the world, and your balls might shrivel up and fall off?
Me: Even if my balls freeze and fall off. Anywhere you want to go, I’ll make it happen.
Then nights after, I insisted that she FaceTimed me instead. I found myself missing the soft timbre of her voice, and though she argued, saying her roommate Kate would be eavesdropping, I didn’t care. As long as I was able to talk to her, I didn’t care about anyone listening in.
Now, as I waited for Coach to signal practice was over, I skated over to Mal and nodded my head at him.
“Hey, you good man?” I eyed his bulky form as he stared off into space with his hockey stick held tightly in his grip.
“Yeah.” He forced out. “Just ready to get the fuck out of here.”
Ever since he missed the game and had to visit his dad, he hasn’t been himself. Granted, he was always was broody, quiet, and dismissive, but this was different. He was tenser than usual, and always on the verge of breaking. Though he managed to keep it contained so far, I was afraid that, at any given moment, he was going to snap. Whether it be on me or the guys, I knew it wasn’t going to be long before he exploded.
“You got any plans for tonight?” I asked, hoping that maybe a night out would take his mind off things. With his eyes still focused elsewhere, he dropped his shoulders.
“No.”
Why does he sound even more irritated?
“How about we go out tonight? Hang out. Have a couple beers. Have you meet my girl.” I tossed the last part in without even asking Blue if she’d even want to go out. She didn’t seem like a bar kind of girl, but maybe she’d make an exception for me just this one night. At least for an hour or two so I could try to get my boy here out of his funk.
“Meet your girl?” He finally shifted his stare so he was now looking at me through his helmet with bunched eyebrows.
“Yah.” I choked out. “My girlfriend.”
Since I’ve been busy trying to get Blue to be mine and being preoccupied with hockey, I hadn’t mentioned her to Mal again. Other than the night I told him about running into her. So, I understood why he was suddenly looking at me all strange.
“Girlfriend?” The side of his mouth perked up on a laugh, and he loosened the grip he had on his stick. “I thought she didn’t like you.”
“She did. She was just… scared to admit it. So, anyway, yeah… she’s my girlfriend now, and I really want her to meet you.” I didn’t want to throw in the real reason she was scared, so I just kept it simple.
Sighing, he dropped his shoulders.
“Why do you want me to meet her? It’s not like she’d give a fuck about meeting me?”
