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I hug them, take off my coat, and head into the living room where Katy is.
“How come you didn’t greet me at the door like the rest?” I ask.
“And give you a bigger complex? As if,” she replies, standing to give me a big hug. “But I have missed you. I hate that you had to move for the job of your dreams and meet an amazing guy.”
“I’m sorry,” I reply, and she waves me off.
“No, you aren’t,” she counters.
I shrug. “I’m not. But it’s not like I live that far away. We’ll still be able to see each other.”
She sighs. “You’re right, but that won’t stop it from being hard occasionally. I’ve spent the last twenty-eight years seeing you all the time. It’s going to take some time to adjust to the change.”
I nod because she isn’t wrong. There’s a strong possibility it would have been harder on me had I not started hooking up with Ben so early in the semester.
“Maybe I should come down there for a hockey game and see how talented your man is,” she suggests, and I beam at her.
“I’d love that. I’ll text you his schedule, and then you just let me know what day works for you. I still have that spare bedroom you’re more than welcome to stay in.”
“That sounds awesome. I’ll make sure to bring earplugs. The last thing I need is to listen to you and your boyfriend boning,” she jokes.
“Probably not a bad idea. Ben isn’t a quiet guy.”
She scrunches her nose and shivers. “Too much information,” she grumbles.
The parents join us with a crap ton of food, which explains why they disappeared. We spend the evening laughing, catching up, and just spending time together. I wasn’t aware of how much I missed my family until now. Hopefully, the next time I visit, I’ll be able to bring Ben. I’m certain my entire family will love him, and I’m pretty sure he’ll love them just as much.
It’s been a little less than two weeks since I saw Katy, and I’m beyond excited that she’s coming to a hockey game. A bunch of Ben’s friends are also sitting with us. I met Rio and Bronny a while ago since they’re my boy’s roommates, but Monster and Sasha are new to me. I’ll admit, it’s a little weird to be spending time with a guy who was my student last semester, but I’m sure the feeling will pass eventually.
“Holy shit, they’re good,” Katy says with a giant smile as the Koalas score a goal, and I nod.
“The first game I attended, the Koalas shut out the other team, and it was amazing,” I tell her.
“It’s because Ben is the best goalie ever,” Rio states.
“He’s fantastic,” Katy agrees.
The puck flies across the ice in the grasp of the opposing team.
“Come on, Koalas!” Ben’s friends shout as the opposing team approaches the Koala’s net.
“You’ve got this, Ben,” I say, even though it’s impossible for him to hear my words of encouragement.
The other members of the Koalas are also in front of the net, trying to regain control of the puck but not succeeding for long. Both teams are fighting hard, but neither is gaining full control.
I’m not sure how long passes until it appears like one of our Koalas is about to make a break for it, but an opposing team member bulldozes into him, sending them both into the net with Ben, who falls, getting tangled up in the net.
Katy gasps and covers her mouth. “Holy shit.”
“It’s okay,” Rio assures her. “Hard hits happen in hockey all the time. I bet everyone’s going to be fine.”
I’ve seen lots of hard hits since attending all the local hockey games, but none involving Ben, and it makes my stomach turn.
Other players of the Koalas start fighting with the members of the other team, probably pissed that their goalie was taken down like that. Even the two players who crashed into Ben are taking blows at each other now that they’re up. People are screaming, and I’m not sure if I am the only one who notices Ben isn’t getting up.
My heart is pounding the hardest it ever has. I can practically hear it.
Come on, Ben. Get up.
