Page 82 of Like A Daydream
“The first day you met me, you lost your balance on a ladder and knocked an entire stack of books over.”
“And yet,youfell forme,” he says, “see what I did there? That’s role-reversal in its purest form.”
“I don’t think that’s accurate,” she says, rolling her eyes fondly. He presses his lips to the back of her hand, pulling up to his front gate and rolling down the window.
“Where would we even live?” she asks as he punches in the code.
“Lake Placid? Raleigh? A cardboard box downtown? I don’t care, as long as it’s with you.” He replies, as if it’s that simple.
She squeezes his hand three times, he squeezes back three.
Andrew:
He breaks at least eight laws to get to the private hanger at Raleigh Airport after their game on December twenty-third. If he’s honest, he’d barely remembered his seatbelt, let alone to follow the speed limit.
He’s too focused on getting back to his girls.
Back to the mountains and the fresh air and the small town he’d been missing. He wants to see what it looks like for Christmas, and he’s excited to see Harper. She’d nearly yelled his ear off when he’d told her he was coming home, and he’s on a post-win, holiday break high.
Sure, he only gets the next two days off before he has to be back in Raleigh, but it’ll be worth it when Harper sees the Christmas presents he’s bought her.
He’d had an extra gear bag washed so he could pack gifts in it and, not for the first time, he’s thankful for how massive they are. It fit three days of clothes, gifts for Ainsley, JT, Danielle, and Harper, and enough of Roscoe’s toys to keep him occupied for the flight.
Catalina:Merry Christmas
Andrew:well that was holly and jolly
Catalina:going to see wifey?
Andrew:she’s not my wife
Catalina:not yet.
Catalina:Swing by the restaurant when you get back in town, I’ve got a dessert for you to try
Andrew:I’ll bring Petrov
She sends him the middle finger emoji and he laughs, sliding his phone in his pocket until take off. Once they’re in the air, he grabs his laptop and connects to the wifi so that he can call his mom on FaceTime to wish her a Merry Christmas.
Hisparents fill his screen on the second ring, and his dad is grinning from ear to ear.
“That’s quite a shot you had there in the second,” his dad says. “You boys are looking good this year.”
Andrew was hoping for a hello before they jumped right into hockey talk, but the team is playing really well so it’s to be expected.
“Thanks, dad,” he says, “it’ll be nice to have a couple of days off.”
“Where are you heading?” his mom asks, voice hopeful. “You look like you’re on a plane.”
“I’m going to New York for Christmas,” he says, “Ainsley and JT invited me. And… I’m kind of seeing someone from there, so I wanted to go to her place for the holidays.”
“You’ll have to bring her to Minnesota over the off-season,” his mom says, eyes going soft at the thought. “I want to hear all about her, when you have time.”
“You’ve got a chance to go to the finals again,” his dad says, “don’t get distracted.”
“Dad, I’m an adult,” he says, shaking his head with a sigh. “I’ll be fine.”
“Keep your head in the game, son,” his dad says again, as if he hadn’t heard him.
