Page 41 of Six Years
I really miss Miles here. Playing without him sucks, but he’s happier with his family around. Being away from home as much as we currently are definitely wouldn’t have been any good for that guy. But still, I miss him around, on the ice with us.
Eira died in October 2021 due to cancer. Although Colin never speaks about Eira’s death or that it’s still very hard on him or his entire family, I know he struggles with his sister’s death a lot. Always did. He may brush it off like it’s nothing any day of the year, except the day Eira did die and her birthday, that’s when even Colin Carter can’t hold back tears anymore.
“She would’ve turned nineteen today.” His voice breaks and he immediately looks up, blinking away the tears. He looks up at me like my presence brings him comfort. I don’t know how, but at least he’s no longer on the verge of tears.
“You can take five minutes,” Coach yells, dismissing us for a short break. It’s to go drink some water, but some of us are too exhausted to even skate over the ice to go get our bottles, including me.
“It’s valentine’s day tomorrow,” Aaron says like he just realized it. “Shit. Sofia’s going tokillme!”
I nod at him. “What? Did you forget to buy a present?”
Aaron shakes his head, then keeps on hitting the back of his head against the board. “Worse. I forgot to book a table for two at the Rêverie. Sofia wanted to go therewithoutme using the ‘my best friend owns that restaurant’ card.”
Ah, yes. We love that card. Not even Miles can free a table for us most of the time, but we try every single time anyway. Sometimes it works. On days like tomorrow, it sure as fuck won’t. The Rêverie will be booked to its last table. I bet the tables for the holidays are bookedyearsin advance.
“Just fly her out for the day,” Colin suggests. “It’s what I do with Lily. We’ve got a whole three days just for us. No hockey. Not even practice. So, it’s the closest we get to a vacation.”
He’s not wrong. Though, I will spend my three days off in my apartment, catching up on some TV shows. I would spend them with Miles and Emory, and I might still do that, but I’d rather not be a third wheel onanyof my best friend’s valentine’s plans. Miles and Emory wouldn’t care about keeping me around, simply because that gives them someone to watch the kids while they go off to do other business. There’s a high chance they’ll dump Brooke and Eden on me even if I don’t third wheel them, but I gladly watch them. I mean, Miles keeps me alive. If it weren’t for him, I’d have starved to death years ago, so watching two adorable little kids for a couple of hours is nothing.
“Or I just convince her that three days in our bedroom is worth more than an evening at the Rêverie, where she’d been a million times before already anyway.”
???
“GREY!” Miles comes barging into my apartment without knocking. What if I had company? “I need a favor.”
“I am not watching your kids tomorrow,” I say, not meaning it. He doesn’t have to ask me to take them. Miles could sit them on my couch and leave and I wouldn’t question it one bit.
He halts, eyebrows draw together as he stares at me with surprise and confusion all at the same time. “I wasn’t going to ask that. Em and I are taking them to Disneyland because Brooke wants to see the princesses. We’re leaving in like two—”
“You can’t,” I interject. “What am I supposed to eat while you’re gone without me? Takeout for three whole days?” Maybe I should learn how to cook. I can do the basic things like… bread.Maybeboil an egg and such. I think.
I never had to learn it. Back at home, we had a chef to do the cooking for us, and when I moved across the country, I had Miles to cook for me. Now that I live mostly on my own, I am screwed.
While we’re on the road, the team goes out to eat at restaurants or we eat at the hotels, so again, no need for me to cook. And usually when I am home, I have Miles since he’s my next-door neighbor. It’s only a walk across the hall, very beneficial to me.
“Will you listen to the favor I have to ask after I told you that I prepared food for you? You’ll just have to heat it up.” Now that’s the best friend I know. Of course he wouldn’t let me starve… unless I pissed him off.
No, seriously. A couple of weeks ago, he kicked me out of his apartment because I didn’t get him an autograph from some singer I met at a game, and then he refused to serve me dinner. I wasforcedto order in.
I get up from my couch and walk over to Miles. Reaching him, I plant a kiss right to his cheek, knowing he hates it when I do this. “You’re the best, love.”
“I know.” He pulls up the sleeve of his shirt over his hand, wiping my kiss off his cheek.Rude. “Now, about my favor…”
“Just spit it out.”
“I need you to get Sun far away from here, so she won’t follow us to Florida.”
Sun? Doesn’t she have classes? “What happened?”
He groans. “She said she can’t believe she’s going to be single foranothervalentine’s day, so she said she’ll follow Em and me around. Knowing your sister, that’sexactlywhat she’s going to do. I don’t mind her sticking around sometimes, and I wouldn’t care if you came with us either, but have you met your sister?”
I grew up with my sister. “Not that I recall.”
Miles cocks his head, every ounce of joy draining off his face. “Why don’t you take her to Malibu and… I don’t know, sort out your family issues.”
I get the feeling that this has nothing to do with my sister at all.
My family issues…
