Page 48 of Scoring Zone
Each design has only one size, so you shop for the color and cut. Once that’s decided, Trevor finds your size in the back or cuts a rough design for you. He’s a genius with fabric.
When he custom-made my suit, he told me which fabrics, colors, and suit cuts would fit me best, narrowing down the sheer volume of options. It would’ve taken me weeks, and I probably wouldn’t have picked anything interesting.
“It fits fine the way it is.” Gray’s voice drifts from behind the curtain of the dressing room.
“I don’t tell you how to fix up the players, and you won’t tell me when your suit fits.” Trevor’s stern voice leaves no room for argument.
“He told you, eh?” I call.
Trevor pokes his head out, brown hair a mess from running his hands through it. “Don’t worry, you’re next. Since you’re here, you can try your suit on.”
That sobers me. I’m not big on being the center of attention, which is ironic given my career and status on the team. Trevor ducks back into the dressing room.
“No, you’re not showing him. He can see you when you walk the red carpet.”
“We live together. Is this some sort of surprise?” Gray sounds confused. “And I don’t walk the carpet.”
“You guys have loose lips and can’t be trusted to keep your designs under wraps until the night of. This event is the best free publicity for a soon-to-be-famous designer—me. You’re not going to rob me of that by slinking in unnoticed. Not when you look this good. That would be a crime.”
Now I really want to see Gray in his suit. He’s got an impressive body but rarely dresses up. I adjust myself, thinking of how his ass will look in body-hugging pants. Trevor is a master at fitting suits to make us look fantastic.
I hope to get a glimpse of Gray’s suit, but Trevor whisks it away in a black bag. Then it’s my turn.
The dressing room is claustrophobic. It’s not built for someone my size and another person. The two walls are brick, and one’s a mirror opposite a small bench. One of us could easily bring the curtain down in a misstep.
“How do you not murder people with those pins?” I hold my arms up as instructed.
“There’s a first time for everything.” Trevor raises an eyebrow at me in the mirror as a clear warning not to mess with his process. “You look good enough to eat.”
Gray has a coughing fit behind the curtain, and my blush heats my entire body. That’s something we haven’t done yet, but I’m eager for it. Gray wants to take his time, and we’re short on that in the midst of hockey season, even though we’ve been sleeping in my bed every night possible.
He’s inspired me to write a novel of romantic movie quotes on sticky notes for him. So far, he’s gotten all the movie references, but I have some old-school ones fromPride and Prejudice. The internet is my helpful friend in romancing him.
“This will complete the look.” Trevor meticulously arranges a magenta pocket square in my suit coat pocket and has a matching tie. The color is so bold, and that’s not how I roll. “The color coordinates with your suit and enhances the blue in your eyes,” he assures me.
“If you say so.” I won’t argue since the suit fits better than anything I’ve ever worn, and he deserves the acclaim that will come from the team wearing his clothes.
“You’re all set. I’m setting the twins loose on the world.” Trevor slides the jacket off my shoulders.
“It’s not a twinsie day,” Gray says from a few feet away. We are wearing the same socks and shoes and sweats but have on different shirts and coats.
“Did you guys do a wardrobe plan to avoid the shit talk? Newsflash: they’ll find something else to bust your balls over.” Trevor has his back to me as I take my pants off.
We never planned to dress the same, and now we don’t. A flutter of unease runs through me, but I dismiss it. We’re getting back in sync and back to wearing the same clothes. I’d prefer to see him only wear my clothes, but I don’t know how to tell him that without spooking him.
Gray drives us to the practice facility forty minutes away.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
At the risk of sounding like an insecure asshole, I forge ahead. “Do you think it’s strange that we stopped dressing alike? We couldn’t stop showing up in the same clothes, and it doesn’t happen anymore.”
I expect him to laugh or tease me because that’s who we are. Instead, he holds my hand and laces our fingers. “We’re fine. It is kinda crazy, but things change. We didn’t dress the same in the CHL; it sort of evolved. We could consult Benz and his opinion on universal energy, but that would give us away.” He brings our joined hands to his mouth to kiss my knuckles.
He always knows what to say to validate my frame of mind and put everything in perspective. “The changes have been stupendous.” I clench his hand. “We have to ensure we stay us. You’re too important to me.”
Gray swallows hard, and my eyes track the rise and fall of his Adam’s apple. “I can’t imagine my life without you.” His voice sounds gravelly, choking with emotion.
“You’re my sunshine,” I say simply. “My world would be bleak without my Grayson.”
