Page 87 of Tough Guy
“What do we do at the end of the game, kids?” Wyatt said loudly.
“Hug the goalie!” the kids all yelled back. And then Ryan was nearly knocked over by a tidal wave of young people hugging anywhere they could reach. Wyatt piled on at the very end. It was ridiculous, and Ryan loved every second of it.
“All right, we’ve gotta get going,” Wyatt announced when Ryan had finally been released. “Ryan has to ice his fractured ego.”
Ryan snorted and shook his head.
“What are you actually doing tonight?” Wyatt asked as they were walking to his car.
“I, uh.” Ryan couldn’t fight his dopey grin. “I have a date.”
Wyatt looked delighted. “Yeah? With that same guy?”
“Yeah.” They got to the car and Ryan said, “His name is Fabian.”
“Fabian, eh? What’s he do?”
“He’s a musician.”
“What, like, in a band?”
Ryan shook his head and opened the car door. When they were both seated he said, “He’s a solo musician. His music is really good. You can buy it online.”
Wyatt backed out of the parking space, then said, “How did you meet him?”
Ryan chewed his lip, unsure of how Wyatt would react to this. “He was actually the son of the family I billeted with. Back in Halifax.”
“No shit? And you just started dating now?”
“We reunited in October. Here in Toronto.”
“That’s cool.” Wyatt pulled out of the parking lot onto the street. “I still talk to my billet family from junior. I lived there for four years, so we got pretty close.”
“I only lived with the Salahs for one season. Then I was traded.”
“Jesus, Pricey. Have you ever played anywhere for more than one season?”
Ryan huffed a laugh. “A couple of places.”
“So where’s your date?”
“Just dinner somewhere. Maybe go for a walk.”
“Well, I hope love can keep you warm. It’s supposed to be freezing tonight.”
Ryan’s stomach flopped.Love.“I’ll wear a hat.”
“You gonna bring him flowers?” Wyatt asked. “Do guys do that?”
Ryan hadn’t thought about it.Shouldhe bring flowers? “We can do that,” he said. “Men can like flowers.”
Wyatt seemed to consider this. “Y’know? I would love to get flowers. Why don’t men ever get flowers?”
“Because the world is stupid.”
“No kidding. Hey, let’s stop at a flower shop and we’ll both impress our sweethearts, huh?”
Ryan smiled. “Okay.”
