Page 49 of Hockey Bois
“No problem.” Brady didn’t leave. He stood there, toeing the cracked asphalt as he readjusted his own bag, and stubbornly didn’t say goodbye.
“You in town a whole lot longer? I figured you’d head back to Pittsburgh for the holidays…?” Nick offered.
Brady nodded. Insane as it was, he was still wearing shorts and sandals, though it was cold enough to warrant the addition of a hoodie and socks to his regular ensemble. Sandals andsocks, for fuck’s sake. It was kind of cute and added to his presence as an indomitable hockey player who didn’t understand such mortal concerns as cold or fashion. His breath was wonderfully warm as it carried on the air to Nick, who valiantly resisted the urge to lean closer and breathe him in.
“Probably not the whole time,” Brady said. “Lots of projects to finish up at work. I could do ’em at home, but…”
“But being at home over the holidays doesn’t inspire a strong work ethic.”
“Nope.” The “p” popped, and Nick really wanted to feel Brady’s lips against his when he did that.
Slow and steady, some still-functioning part of his brain warned.
Fuck, he needed to get out of here.
“So uh… I should—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Brady hurriedly interrupted and took a few steps back. “Sorry, didn’t mean to hold you up.”
“You didn’t.”
“Still.”
They didn’t move. Nick bit back a smile that he knew would consume his whole face if he let it. “Well, I’ll see you Monday night. Rockville, right?”
“Yeah, Rockville Ice Arena.”
“Cool.”
“Cool.”
“…bye.”
“See ya.”
Another five seconds passed (a painful five seconds that Nick mentally counted out so that he would know that he absolutely, positively needed to leave if the number got too high) before Brady turned on his heel and lumbered toward his Jeep. He threw a wave over his shoulder, adorable and effortless.
Nick took a half step backward and bumped into his car. Shit, he was a mess. A really happy, bubbly mess who would overanalyze this whole interaction for the next week at least.
And hopefully his grandma would understand if he were a few minutes late. He was pretty sure she’d forgive him for swooning over the handsome boy who’d walked him to his car.
*
Grandma Pauline did in fact forgive him. Worse, she had a shit-eating grin when he arrived at dinner.
“Terry tells me you’re late because you were at a hockey game,” she said with a raised eyebrow, an open invitation for him to elaborate.
Five pairs of eyes, all sparkling with amusement, looked at him over their drinks. He hadn’t even sat down, and he fell the last few inches ungracefully enough that the chair wobbled.
“Uhh…”
His grandma gave a dismissive wave and took a sip of her wine. “Sweetie, it’sfine. If this boy’s caught your eye, then I don’t mind sparing you for a few minutes. Though I require preferential seating at your wedding.”
Nick’s cheeks flushed. “Grandma, I don’t—”
“I’m teasing, Nick. Calm down, and let’s get you a drink. We’ll save talking about handsome young men until later. And handsome young ladies, of course,” she added with a nod toward Terry and Sean, though as a rule, Sean didn’t date and Terry’s lady woes were well known. “Until then, no talking about someone who’s not present at this table. Now walk me through everything I’ve missed since I visited in the spring.”
A lot of their conversation rehashed topics that had come up at Thanksgiving because Grandma Pauline hadn’t made the trip up from Florida this year, though Nick noticed some of his cousins edited their comments for her benefit. Terry’s job hunt wasn’t as stressful, Sean’s clients weren’t as annoying, and Jess and Mykala weren’t having issues with their stepdad. For his part, Nick tried to be honest, but he too found himself sparing his grandma the more troublesome details of his life.
