Page 52 of Riding Pine
I passed him the spare key to my apartment on the keychain that said,‘Number One Fan.’He smiled in that way that alwaysmakes me feel special before asking me if I was truly confident that he was a fan.
I kissed him breathless against the door instead of using words. Actions speak louder than words after all.
Until then, I truly didn’t think I was falling for him. I thought we were just dating and in the getting-to-know-you phase when sex happened alongside the learning. We fell into this all backwards, and that shouldn’t surprise me, but I don’t think this is one of those honeymoon-phase things.
This is something different with Ben, and I meant it when I told him I wanted him to stay. When he stood in the bathroom as I drew his bath, I caught the change in him. Ben might be full of snark and fun, but right then? He kissed my cheek and lingered there before he stepped into the warm salted water I drew for him.
And boy, did my heart skip so many beats that it left me lightheaded.
A shoulder bumps mine as we wait in line for our hotel room keys. Burnsy, my road roommate, grins. “Hey, Captain. You’ve been quiet. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, man. I just hate long road trips. This is the time I wish we could have a plane, you know?”
That’s most of it. But I’m also still thinking about how much I loved breakfast with Ben and the way he just helped himself to one of my T-shirts again and sat across from me, sipping coffee and asking how long the bus ride was and if I always had to wear suits.
Fuck, I’m already a lovesick fool.
Burnsy steps forward to the desk clerk and does the talking. He turns and hands me a room key, and we make our way to the elevators.
“Can I say something?” he asks as we step off and find our room.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Is this about Ben?”
“Is what about Ben?”
He motions to my face. “This. You’ve got this whole mopey thing going on. It’s not like you.”
I force a smile. “Better?”
“No.” He flinches. “That’s…worse. You look like you have gas.”
Once inside the room, we pick our beds and hang our suits. One game here, then another ride to Calgary before dipping down and playing Montana before returning to the east and finishing the road swing in Michigan before being home for ten days. I’m glad it will be over with early, but I hate long trips no matter where they land in the season.
“I didn’t mean to mope.”
Burnsy smiles as he reclines on his bed. “It’s fine. You know you can talk to me, though, right?”
“Of course.”
He flicks on the TV, and I settle on my bed, pulling out my phone to tap a message to Ben. He’s teaching a class tonight, so he won’t get it right away, but I promised I’d let him know as soon as I was settled.
“Coach says breakfast is in the conference room at 7 A.M., then we get the ice at 9 A.M. for practice.” He flips through the channels and stops at a show about Canadian history in Manitoba. No matter what you think of him, Louis Riel was a badass.
“Right. I shouldn’t be so damn tired after sleeping on a bus for so many hours, but damn it, I’m beat.”
Burnsy yawns with a laugh. “I know. If you don’t mind, I’m going to have a quick shower and just go to bed.”
“No, go for it. I’ll do the same after you’re done.”
Only I don’t get to the shower. I fall asleep before he’s out. When I wake up, I discover Burnsy’s plugged my phone in to charge and covered me with the blanket from the end of the bed. In the darkness, I stand and shed my clothes before sliding under the covers and pulling my phone underneath so as not to wake Burnsy.
Ben replied. It’s short and sweet.
Ben:Thank you. I hope it was a smooth ride. I’m going home to see James tonight, and I’ll stay at your place tomorrow if that’s okay?
It’s 2 A.M., and since I’ve read it, I reply.
