Page 45 of The Tryout

Driving back into town from West Des Moines, I am stopped at a traffic light when I see a sign for a furniture store advertising same-day delivery. Checking over my shoulder, I pull across two lanes and into the parking lot.

I’ve been doing a better job of icing my knee, especially now that Finn knows about it. If I don’t grab ice from the trainer, he will – and he’ll make sure I sit on that tiny sofa and ice it for long enough to actually help. Honestly, between the regular workouts and icing, it’s been feeling better than it has in a long time.

But I can’t help but think of Finn sitting next to me on the ground as we watch hockey games on my laptop, no space for him on the sofa with my leg up. It’s kind of a ridiculously small sofa for the space, anyway.

As soon as I’m inside the large warehouse, I’m confident they’ll have something that works. All around, I see enormous sectionals, half of which have built-in recliners. I’m sure Dad will have something to say about the aesthetics, but it’s the exact kind of furniture that’s perfect for the house of a hockey player – two hockey players.

A salesman finds me within a couple of minutes, and I outline what I’m looking for – large, comfortable, and able to be delivered ASAP. Now that I’m here, I don’t want to have to come back from even one more game to ice on the Tiny Sofa.

That limits my choices, but not as much as I would have thought. I try to call Finn to get his opinion, but he doesn’t answer. Ultimately, I go for the one that I think is least likely to result in Dad replacing it the moment he sees it.

On my way out the door, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Looking at the screen, I smile when I see it’s Finn calling.

“Hey, Finn.”

“Sorry I missed your call. I, uh, accidentally took a nap.”

I laugh at that, not surprised that he would be exhausted after a weekend of games and a long morning run.

“No problem. Hey, are you gonna be home for a while still? I’ve got a delivery coming but a few more errands to run.”

“Oh, sure. Not a problem.”

“Awesome. You getting hungry yet? I figure I might bring home an early dinner, too.”

“Um, not really?”

I shrug off the gentle rejection.

“No problem, I’ll bring plenty and you can just heat it up later. Gotta go.”

With that taken care of, I head to the next strip mall over, where I see both a Korean BBQ restaurant and a Target. At Target, I grab a few essentials, then make my way to the electronics department.

I keep meaning to ask Finn about the absence of a TV in the living room, but the last week has shown we desperately need one. Maybe Poulin took it with him and Finn just hasn’t had time to replace it?

As though conjured by the very thought of him, a text from Finn comes through on my phone.

Finn Murphy 4:03 PM

Can we talk tonight?

Huh. That’s kind of strange. I mean, we talk most nights. Not deep, soul-diving conversations, but comfortable friendly chats, at least. Still, I think back to when I moved in and remembered how hard it was for Finn to ask for…well, anything. I react to the text with a thumbs up and return to my shopping.

Ultimately, I throw in a Switch with the TV. I’m not sure if Finn’s into games or not, but given how he’s playing, he’d better practice his Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros before he gets called up to Minnesota.

I load the items in the back of the car, which thankfully has more than enough cargo space. Next door, I pick up the order I placed earlier at the Korean BBQ place and head home. When I get there, I’m grateful for the dolly I find in the parking garage, which lets me load everything up in one trip.

As I enter the apartment, I’m happy to see the sectional has already been delivered and set up, sitting in the living room right where I’d planned to put it. And sitting right in the middle of it is Finn, angrier than I’ve ever seen him.

I worry about what’s wrong, expecting him to try to put a smile on his face when he sees me. Instead, he gets even angrier.

“Jesus Christ, Avery!”

I’m so surprised at both the volume and tone of his words that I’m not even sure of how to respond. That doesn’t seem to matter – Finn is angry and on a roll.

“I mean, when you told me there was going to be a delivery, I thought it would be, like, a pizza or a box from your dads, not a four thousand dollar couch that takes up the entire fucking living room!”

It never even occurred to me he was mad at me, at something I had done. But he is, and it’s clearly still boiling over.