Page 31 of Hockey Player Seeking Fan

“I’ll have a glass of… let’s see.” I look over the menu. “I normally get a nice glass of red, but I don’t want to get something too expensive. I’ll get an apple cider, please.”

“Okay,” he grins. “And I guess I’ll get a Guinness.”

“Hi,” he says to the bartender.

“What do you want?” the bartender asked, not nearly as friendly as John.

“My date here will have an apple cider, and I’d like a Guinness, please.”

“That it?”

“Yeah, for now.”

“Would you like to open a tab?”

“Sure.” John looks at me and beams. “If we want additional drinks, it’ll be easy to order.”

“Yeah,” I say, smiling. I look him over. He isn’t my usual type—tall and skinny—but he has a really friendly face.

“So, how long have you been at NYU?” I asked.

“Six months. I love New York. Growing up in London, obviously I’m used to big cities, but there’s just something different about being here in America.”

“Oh, that’s cute,” I say, enjoying the conversation, but not really feeling a buzz.

“What?” He looks puzzled.

“I love how you Brits call it America, and we just call it the States.”

“Oh yeah, I guess that’s true. Would you like to sit?” He looks around. “Looks like there’s a two-top over there. We’ll have to sit on stools, or we can try to get a booth in the back.”

“Yeah, let’s get a booth if we can find one,” I smile.

He grabs the drinks, and we head toward the back.

“I like your dress. It’s stunning.”

“Thank you. And you look quite handsome yourself,” I say, which isn’t technically a lie. He is cute. Just not handsome like a movie star or a sports personality.

Don’t think about Tyler Kane.

“What did you say?” he asks.

“Oh, nothing. Sorry. I was just… nothing.

“So, how has your dating life been going since you’ve been here?”

“Honestly, I’ve had a couple of first dates, a couple of second, and nothing much more than that. I’m studying something that’s quite unique, and it takes up a lot of time.”

“Oh? What are you studying?”

“Art history,” he says. “I know, I know. Don’t get too excited.”

“That sounds cool. I appreciate art for sure. I just don’t really know that much, to be honest.”

“Yeah, I feel like people have heard of the famous painters—Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet, Manet, Picasso—but I’m really interested in people like Piero and—” He pauses. “Sorry, I’m not boring you, am I?”

“No, not at all. Do you have a favorite type of art?” I ask.