Page 153 of Hockey Bois
“Brady. Picnic. He coming?”
He blew on the blade and got a whiff of soapy, wax smell. “Yeah,” he said absentmindedly.
Jenna looked up from her phone. “For real?”
Satisfied with his work, he put his stick down and grabbed the next one. “Yeah, why?”
“Is that not a big deal? You’ve brought like three people ever.”
Her tone was enough to snap him out of it. He looked at her, saw the genuine surprise on her face, and blushed. While he hadn’t exactlyliedto Brady, he had maybe downplayed the significance of the whole picnic… thing. His parents, his aunts and uncles, his cousins invited people pretty freely. Nick? Not so much. He didn’t bring friends unless they werereally goodfriends.
Or significant others.
Brady was in that weird gray area between the two.
“It’snota big deal,” he said, the same mantra he’d been telling himself since he’d asked Brady. It didn’t have to be a big deal, and Nick wouldn’t let it become one.
“I repeat, you’ve only brought three people. Ever. In twenty-or-however-many years we’ve done these things. Everyone’s going to talk.”
“They arenot,” Nick scoffed. “Just because Mykala brings a new guy or a new BFF every year doesn’t mean they expect shit from me.”
“No, Mykala brings a whole entourage every year, so no one gives a damn.Younever bring anyone, so it’s by definition a big deal.”
Nick gulped. “Terry’s bringing Gail?” he offered weakly. Terry with a girlfriend was definitely more gossip-worthy than Nick bringing someone.
“He’s not, actually. She’s one hundred percent invited, but she’s out of town or something. So fully expect people to wonder if he’s your boyfriend. I mean,Iwonder if he’s your boyfriend, and you still haven’t givenmea good answer…” She trailed off pointedly. It’d been a whole day since she last brought this up, after all. Maybe even a day and a half.
“We haven’t talked about it yet,” Nick mumbled, and hoped she wouldn’t hear him. As ifthatwould save him.
“You’ve been together or whatever for like two months now!” Jenna shouted loud enough that he winced. “Two months, and you don’t even know if you’re dating!?”
Jenna’s was all about open communication, and that was probably why she could invite her exes to potlucks whereas Nick tended to flee from his whenever he saw them in public.
“I mean, like… I’m pretty sure we’re dating…”
They certainly did all the things people who dated did. The only thing missing from their intimacy was the public acknowledgement of it. Brady might sneakily hold Nick’s hand or let his hand linger after a careless touch, but he was much more open with his affection behind closed doors. He seemed to crave Nick’s touch, but he shied away from anyone seeing him wanting it.
Most of the time, itfeltlike they were dating… and then there were moments that made him doubt. Like when he’s chickened out and asked Brady about the picnic.
Jenna gave him a look. “It only counts as dating if both people acknowledge it. I know labels are bogus, but talking through this is a step you need to take if you want this relationship to continue long term. And don’t give me that puppy-dog look, I know you’re halfway in love with the guy, so don’t pretend you’re not invested.”
“Iaminvested, that’s why I don’t want to rock the boat.”
“Great. It’ll make your proposal in five years really awkward when all you two do is call each other ‘bro’ and occasionally bang.”
Nick flushed and ignored the word “proposal.” “I’ll talk to him,” he said through gritted teeth. Eventually. “You gonna butt out now?”
“Probably not,” Jenna admitted, and gave her full attention back to her phone. “But I’ll lay off for now and work on my big I Told You So speech for later. You almost done with your sticks so we can get lunch? I’m starving.”
He looked at his abandoned stick and sighed. He wasn’t feeling it anymore and regretted even starting when he knew he had a lunch date with his cousin. If he didn’t have a game that night, he’d put it off. “Yeah. Gimme five minutes.”
Jenna, mercifully, waited in silence until he was finishing up, putting the newly waxed sticks with the rest of his gear. It was only as he’d finished putting things away that she dropped another conversation bombshell on him.
“You know it’s your boy’s birthday today?”
“Of course I— Wait, what?”
Jenna made a face as she handed over her phone. It was open to Facebook. There was a message there, short, succinct, and damning.
