Page 41 of Barn Burner
After the call with Jesse, I managed to fall back to sleep for a few more hours, then headed down for breakfast with the team. We did a light workout in the gym, and then I had my pregame nap before heading over to the arena. There’s a nice rivalry between the Calgary Bobcats and Vancouver Vikings that’s been around for decades, so I always find these games more fun.
I always get a kick out of scoring goals on the road in front of other teams’ fans, but there’s something immensely satisfying about scoring goals in front ofrivalfans. They hate it, and I fucking love it. Their hatred fuels me and only makes me want to wind them up more.
But between players, it isn’t always the rivalry people expect it to be.
During warm-ups, I skate over to the bench and grab my bottle to quickly squirt some water in my mouth before I head to the centre line, where Vancouver Vikings defenseman Jay Brookbank is waiting. After I took part in the photoshoot forQueervolutionmagazine,there was a group chat set up for usout—and some not out—athletes to keep in touch and have this safe zone where we all had something in common.
While Jay wasn’t a part of the photoshoot, or out, he is a member of the group chat.He’s a good guy, and we always make sure to check in with each other whenever we’re in the same city.
And I like to make sure I always score on him because I’m nice like that.
“Hey, mate, you alright?” I ask, holding my fist out for a bump.
He knocks his hand against mine, and the corner of his mouth hitches in a small smile. “Yeah, all good, thanks. How are you doing? Ready for us to kick your ass?”
I scoff. “Dream on, Brookbank. More like you’re the one who’s in for an ass kicking.”
He rolls his eyes, but he takes my ribbing in stride. “Did you have a good summer? After the whole… you know? You went radio silent in the group chat to the point you had Cosmo concerned.”
I did have to let them know I was alive, but I didn’t tell them where I was, what I was up to, or anything about Jesse. Only Jude and Cody know, and until I tell Jesse, I want to keep it that way.
“Yeah, it ended up being a lot better than I was expecting. How about you?” I ask, and then the sight of the newest goaltender for the Vikings snags my attention. “Oh! How’s the new tendy?”
Jay spares a quick glance over to where Marek Myers is going through his stretches and lets out a disgruntled noise. “Fucking peachy,” he replies, his tone dripping in sarcasm that makes me grin. “He might as well have a halo above his head. At least he’s good for interviews because I hate that shit.”
I press my lips together, trying to bite back my laugh. “Preach. Send the poster boy to the wolves. I like it.”
We fist bump, and then Jay skates off, collecting a puck on his stick and sending it sailing toward the net.
I skate over to my usual warm-up spot and drop down onto the ice to run through my series of hip flexor stretches and allow myself to wonder what Jesse’s doing right now.
17
Jesse
“This is wild!” Cooper beams as he sits down and gazes around at the arena. He’s double fisting two beers and grinning from ear to ear. Rhett and I have been sensible and stuck to one beer each, but Cooper couldn’t decide what he wanted, so got both.
“Yeah, fifty bucks for four beers iswild,” Rhett retorts, then turns to me with a serious expression. “You need to ask your boyfriend for some kind of discount because this is daylight robbery.”
“He doesn’t know we’re here,” I point out. “And I doubt he can provide a discount.”
While I did tell Brayden that I would try and come to the city this weekend when we spoke the other day, I didn’t give a definite answer. There’s a part of me that wants to surprise him. He’s been very open about where he frequents, and since seeing him on TV the other night, I’ve been able to put together the pieces of his whereabouts. It sounds very stalkerish when I think about it, but I plan on making it a pleasant surprise. Then Rhett and Cooper found me looking up the price of tickets for tonight’sgame after I watched Brayden play in Vancouver and jumped at the chance to come along with me.
It means we’re going to have a lot of work to go back to, but I’m grateful for the company and the respite from the ranch.
Settling into my seat, I take a sip of my overpriced beer and glance around at what is Brayden’s workplace. The lights are dimmed but bright enough that people can still get around safely. The two Zambonis work in tandem to resurface the ice as the jumbotron plays video clips from previous games, along with some fun behind-the-scenes pop quizzes and interviews. At one point, it shows a live view from the locker room, and my throat tightens at the sight of Brayden in front of his stall. He’s fully dressed on the bottom half, but he’s only wearing his chest protector over bare skin. He turns his back to the camera, completely unaware he’s in the shot, and the sight of his muscles rippling as he pulls on his jersey has my mouth watering.
Fuck, how is this man real?
No. How is this manmine?
“Hey now.” Rhett chuckles, interrupting my hypnotic state by forcing my mouth closed with his hand. “No drooling in public.”
“Fuck off,” I mutter, shoving his hand away. My brothers burst into laughter, so I flip them off.
When the arena lights come on and illuminate the ice, my pulse kicks up. Our seats are at centre ice, but a few rows back. The price of tickets was eye-watering, but Rhett made the decision for us that we don’t get to do this as often as we should, if ever, and considering this is to watch Brayden, we should go for the decent seats.
The players of both teams filter through the tunnels, knocking off the stack of pucks from the bench wall as they step onto the ice. My eyes track the numbers on the sleeves, tryingto spot Brayden. When number 71 comes into view, my heart practically thumps in my chest.
