Page 120 of Lucky Shot
Fuck, I wish Pretty was here.
THIRTY-SIX
NOAH
Two months later
“He was okay?”I ask for maybe the sixth time.
Demi chuckles. “Yes. Max is fine.”
I’m currently sitting in the airport waiting for my layover. I swear, this is my life now. But I don’t care. Each second that passes is just that much closer to being with Demi again.
Just as I landed in Miami two months ago, I received a message back from Max. It simply stated that he was fine and home now. When I tried to press for more, he wasn’t in the mood to talk.
I was worried. Big time.
Everything about Max seemed to have changed in those months that he vanished. I learned that he was sentenced to solitude back on the Isle of Kala and away from anyone who could push him into the spotlight while his agent tried to smooth things over with Philly.
It worked. But to say Max is on probation is like saying that the sun is bright on a clear day. One wrong move, even something small, and Max is done.
It’s more than that, though. While I haven’t seen Max myself and he’s definitely not been in the mood to chat, his entire demeanor is just… different. He doesn’t smile. He’s not loud or rowdy or laughing.
But he’s still playing hockey. I guess that’s a win for him. I’m just not sure at what cost.
While Demi and I had had plans for me to fly out after my game on the 24th, he was coerced into an event by his agent on the twenty-fifth in Chicago. Conveniently, that’s where Max was playing so he agreed to go, and they had dinner.
I didn’t complain too loudly because I’ve been so damn worried about Max. Since I wasn’t in a position to see him, I was glad that Demi was. We’d be arriving back in Edmonton at about the same time. He is currently at O’Hare, waiting for his flight home.
“You’re really sure?”
“You’ll have to see him yourself,” Demi says. “There’s definitely something different about him, but Pretty, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. He’s… more serene than I’ve seen him. There’s a peaceful quality about him.”
“That’s it. I’m never going back to Kala. They broke him.”
Demi laughs. “No. And I don’t think it has anything to do with Kala. There’s something else going on with him, but I promised I wouldn’t say anything. Just trust me that he’s good. Really, really good. Okay?”
“You’re trying to convince me that vanishing for two months turned his entire life around and changed him completely? And I shouldn’t be worried?”
“You’re a great friend,” Demi says, and I smile. “He’s excited to see you next month when Florida plays Philly.”
I sigh dramatically. “Fine,” I say. “I’m just relieved that he’s good.”
“Very, very good.”
There’s a part of me that’s reluctant to believe it. I’ve known Max for a long time and he’s never been like this. Quiet. Reserved. Relaxed. None of those things are bad qualities to have, so I’m definitely not worried about that specifically. No. It’s his stoic expressions. The absence of laughter. All the things that have always made Max who he is have just… vanished.
“Delta flight 226 to Edmonton International Airport is now boarding at terminal C18. Delta flight 226 to Edmonton International Airport is now boarding at terminal C18.”
My stomach flips and once again, I feel slightly sick. Fuck, I get to see my boyfriend soon. The thought makes me want to drop my head back in hysterical laughter.
“I have to go,” I say.
“I heard,” Demi answers. “I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“Love you.”
The call ends and with it, a little piece of me goes dark as it always does when we’re not connected in some way. I flip through my phone to the Delta app and pull up my boarding pass; as I wait in line for priority boarding, I touch the collar around my neck.
