Page 160 of Game Misconduct

“Nope.” Tanner lowered his voice and thought about it some more. “Yeah, I don’t like that shit at all. Thinking about him living with someone else, texting them instead of me when something big happened, sleeping next to them every night, yeah no. No fucking way.”

Tom grinned. “Well, you’ve found your first boundary. So how would you feel about havinghimas your primary partner?”

“I’m into it,” Tanner said as he pictured it. “But uh, it’s complicated. We don’t live in the same city.”

Tom grimaced. “Thatismore complicated.”

“I know, right?” And Tom didn’t even know the fucking half of it.

“Are you open to having other sexual or romantic partners along with your primary partner?”

“But he doesn’t?—”

Tom held up a hand. “This isn’t about whathewants right now. This is about you. You need to figure out whatyouneed and want and where you’re willing to compromise. That’s the real secret of relationship success, Tanner. Knowing what’s a hard boundary and what isn’t and being able to talk about it.”

Tanner nodded. “Then okay. Yeah, I think I’d be cool with that.”

“What if he had other sexual or romantic partners? Not primary ones. Just … in addition.”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, that’s a good one to think about more then.”

“True.” Tanner was silent a minute before he sighed. “This is a lot. Holy shit.”

“I know. Especially right now.”

“Yeah, fuck,” Tanner agreed. “The playoffsandthis shit?Dude.”

“And that, my man, is how you know it’s love,” Tom said with little wink.

He was right. If this had been anyone else, Tanner would have already bounced so he could focus on hockey. But Leif?

Yeah, for Leif, Tanner would figure this shit out.

Later that night, Leif’s stomach cramped as he waited for the video call with Tanner to connect. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see him—he very much did—but they’d agreed to give it a few days to think about what they wanted before they talked more.

Some of that time had been occupied by flying back to New York and practicing and preparing for the upcoming playoff games, but a lot of it had been spent thinking about what to say to Tanner.

It wasn’t that Leif didn’t trust that Tanner loved him and wanted to be with him. He was just afraid that they weren’t going to be able to figure outhowto be together. He didn’t want Tannerto be unhappy trying to be someone he wasn’t. But he didn’t want to make himself miserable trying to be someone he wasn’t either.

And right now it felt like there were more reasons they wouldn’t work together than reasons they would.

The call connected and Leif’s heart ached at the sight of Tanner on the screen. He was wearing his Harriers hoodie, his curls were kinda messy, and his eyes were soft and oh fuck, Leif was so in love with him it hurt.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi.” Tanner looked at him, his gaze open and earnest. “I want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you too,” Leif admitted, kind of relieved that Tanner had jumped right into things. As much as his bluntness had driven Leif crazy, he kinda appreciated it now. “But fuck, Tanner, how do wedothis?”

“Well, I talked to someone on the team today?”

“What?” Leif yelped, a spike of adrenaline hitting hard and fast.

“No! Shit, no,” Tanner said with a grimace, “Not aboutyouor who youare. I didn’t even say that you were a hockey player.”

“What did you say?” Leif frowned at him.