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“Hopefully only a week.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve had worse injuries.” It’s supposed to be a joke, but it comes out flat. This whole thing shakes me up. I don’t want to panic, but it echoes last year.
Roman and Tristan show up, and we get invited out for a bite, but I’m tired and uncomfortable, so I decline. Roman follows my lead, and we head to the parking garage.
He catches the careful way I slide into the passenger seat. “You feeling the hit?”
“Yeah. You know how it is the day after. That’s when things stiffen up.”
“Wanna hit the hot tub when we get home? Might help with recovery,” he suggests.
“Good idea.” I slide my phone out of my pocket and frown at the new messages. My ex is the last person I want to deal with.
“You get some news you don’t like?” Roman’s concern is genuine.
“Scarlet messaged.”
“Oh yeah? She’s in town filming for a while, isn’t she?”
“Apparently. It was news to me.” I stopped paying attention to Scarlet and her career when I was traded to Toronto.
“When was the last time you spoke to her?”
“It’s been some years.” Three, according to the timestamp on the last message she sent.
“What’s she saying?” Roman has no idea what happened with her, just that we dated, and our relationship ended when I moved here.
I give in and check the message. Avoiding her indefinitely will be difficult if she keeps showing up at my games.
Scarlet
I guess you know now that I’m in town. I’d planned to message before the game, but I lost my nerve. That was a rough hit you took. I hope you’re okay. ♥? Maybe when you’re feeling up to it we could grab a drink and catch up.
“She wants to catch up, whatever that means.” Scarlet and I have a complicated and painful history that I’m not interested in revisiting. Her sudden reappearance in my life is unnerving. Especially considering how seeing her at the game took me out of it. Also, the way I woke up this morning—to Peggy sitting on the edge of my bed—adds another layer I don’t want to examine too closely.
“When was the last time you saw her?” Roman asks.
“Not since I left LA.” I made a point of never being available after an away game in LA, and she had a long-term boyfriend for several years, which made not seeing her easy. But they’ve since parted ways.
“Would it be so bad to grab a drink with her? It’s been a long time since you broke up. You’re both in different places in your lives. Might be cathartic to at least have a conversation instead of avoiding her while she’s in your city for the next few months. You’ll end up at the same place at the same time, eventually.”
I let my head fall against the seat rest, carefully. He has a point. Leaving her hanging will make it more awkward when we finally do run into each other. I look back down at my phone.
Hollis
Hey! Nice to hear from you. I’ll be watching the next few games from the bench, but otherwise I’m fine. How long are you in town filming?
I send it before I have time to reconsider and change the last sentence, which leaves it open for a response. But I slide the device back into my pocket, unwilling to continue the conversation right away. I don’t want to give her the wrong impression.
I feel like I already did that with Peggy this morning. I was out of it, convinced I must have been dreaming. It’s been happening a lot recently—Peggy infiltrating my dreams in non-PG scenarios. Especially since I found what I found in my bedroom. But it’s about more than my hormones. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about being with her in ways that are impossible. Innocuous as watching a movie together with her in my arms, or sometimes something more primal. I don’t know how to deal with the way things have changed between us. I don’t see her the way I used to before she started interning with Hemi for the team, and it’s messing with me. I wasn’t alert enough to stop myself from touching her the way I do in my subconscious. At least my brain came online before I did something really stupid.
“Hey, man. You okay over there?” Roman asks.
“Yeah. ’Sup?”
“We’re home.”
