Page 40 of Hockey Bois
Oh.
There were times when he felt like maybe Brady was walking that same line. Trying not to act too forward but not able to fully hold back, either. Nick stared at his phone, dripping water onto the carpet and holding onto that little hope that maybe he and Brady were on the same page after all.
It was like they were playing a game of chicken, secretly hoping the other would blink first.
OrNick was completely projecting his own situation onto Brady. That fear was the main reason he didhisbest not to blink.
Jensie from Hockey (8:47 p.m.)
[memegenerator8323a89.jpg]
[Image description: A picture of Forrest Gump with the text “Run Nicky Run” over it.]
Jensie from Hockey (8:48 p.m.)
hope your race went well
lemme know the verdict on hockey (assume you’ll take the day off but figured I’d ask anyway)
Nick smiled as he read (and reread) the messages. Ugh, the sweet bastard hadchecked upon him post-race, something even his family hadn’t gotten around to doing yet.
Nick (9:05 p.m.)
pretty well. met my personal goals so it’s a success
will probably take two days off to recover but should be in for the game tuesday
just don’t expect any goals haha
It was weird to text while naked, so he stopped there. Leaving the phone to charge on his nightstand, Nick took his time to dry off and put on clothes.
Jensie from Hockey (9:09 p.m.)
congrats
Disappointment bubbled in his chest at the one-word response. He should just let it be and—
Nick (9:15 p.m.)
did you go to that stick and puck this morning?
Well. He’d managed to avoid saying “our stick-and-puck,” so that was something.
Jensie from Hockey (9:16 p.m.)
yeah just did some skating. let some kids talk me into a pick-up
Nick’s fingers hovered over his phone. He didn’t want to put his phone away, not yet. He should update his family about the run—he’d gotten messages from both his dad and Terry while he’d been getting his clothes on—or log into his work email and get a head start on next week. That way he could have an excuse to keep his phone in-hand in case more messages came through.
A minute ticked by. Another. He was paralyzed, hoping that he could find the strength to move his thumb and praying he wouldn’t need to.
Jensie from Hockey (9:21 p.m.)
I’m always starving after a tourney
so you’re probably hungry wanna grab food?
He looked down at his clothes—torn sweatpants and a henley he wasn’t sure he’d actually washed in a couple weeks—and resigned himself to having to change out of his comfy outfit into something halfway presentable. Not that it was hard to convince himself; he wasn’t sure he could think of a better reason to go out than to meet up with Brady.
