Page 17 of Crease Collision

He responds with one finger, never slowing down.

I keep walking. I like this city more than is reasonable after four days.

Training camp comes to mind. Only a few more weeks to go. The Fury have made it clear that I will come in as the backup, which sounds steady but is actually a risk.

Everything is conditional. Play well, and they will keep you; otherwise, you end up “developing,” as they say, in Richmond, Virginia. I looked up the city last week, and it is far enough from New Jersey to seem like a punishment. To make sure I understood the demotion, they would pay much less. It would still be more than anyone in my family imagined I could earn stopping pucks, but what a disappointment it would be. I did not cross an ocean to almost succeed.

I want the HFNA, all the speed and noise as the best shooters in the world try to beat me every night. I need to be tested. But before I get there, I am walking through Manhattan, wondering if a man with trust issues will smile when he sees me. This kind of thing can destroy the focus of a professional athlete.

Kai is an odd man, and his apartment is as unusual as he is. When I walked in, I expected what rich men usually have: costly belongings, poorly arranged. Instead, I learned that Kai collects things no one else would put together. Finished LEGO sets lined up like museum exhibits. Philosophy books beside a set of blueprints for a spaceship. Copies of famous paintings leaned against framed photos of the originals. I couldn’t tell whether he’d made the copies or bought them, and I wanted to know.

His kitchen was stocked with food so virtuous it looked like medicine. Everything in the place said Kai is a man who needs to be in control. But sex was the opposite. With that, he showed how much he wants to let go. I believe both sides of him are real, and the gap between them is where he lives. I want to be allowed in there with him, which is more than I should expect from a picnic.

I stop for a don’t-walk sign and laugh to myself. The woman next to me glances over, probably wondering if I’m crazy.

I probably am.

For the next block, I tell myself I only want Kai because he is beautiful and blushes when I push him. Because his sex noises turn me into an animal.

It would be a better lie if I weren’t also wondering what we will talk about while we eat. I have to get that right so he will not think I am stupid.

A storefront is ahead with huge gold letters in the window: FRIED CHICKEN. The smell stops me. We have fried chicken at home, but it is not the same. In America, it is less a food than medicine for the soul. I think about Kai’s refrigerator, then shrug. Every picnic needs something irresponsible.

“What can I get you?” the man asks.

“Enough for two hungry people.”

He gives me a look. “That sure narrows it down.”

I leave with a bag the size of a small child, filled with chicken, fries, coleslaw, biscuits, and cookies as wide as goalie gloves. Kai will either be delighted or offended, and I am hoping for both.

The park entrance is easier to find than I expected. Beyond the gates are thick green trees, with tall buildings in the distance behind them. Even after several days here, the city keeps surprising me with how quickly it changes. Steel and glass, packed streets, noise everywhere. Then, without expecting to, you find grass and shade, almost as beautiful as home.

I run a hand through my hair. Useless, but at least I have tried.

My heart is pounding like there is an incoming puck. Ridiculous. I have faced penalty shots with entire seasons riding on them, in front of thousands of people. Now I am nervous because an intriguing man asked me to lunch.

Get yourself together.

I walk through the gates to find him.

CHAPTER SIX

KAI

I was up before seven. Even a round of Extreme Sudoku couldn’t clear my head, so I gave up and went downstairs to lift weights, arguing with myself the whole time about canceling lunch. My thoughts went in circles for hours, which was stupid because I always knew I’d keep the date.

Inviting Oskar was a mistake. Liking him is an even bigger one. I know exactly where this road ends, and I don’t want to be there again. So I made a plan—a nice lunch followed by a friendly goodbye. He’s new in the city, so ghosting him would be rude. But after today, I’m done.

I got here early to claim a shady spot under the trees before they’re all taken. Oskar’s skin is fair enough to burn in minutes, so I don’t want him stuck in the full sun. It’s a good thing I brought a fidget toy, or I’d have lost my shit by now. Where the hell did this mess even come from?

A frisbee gets away from two guys playing nearby, and I catch it and flick it back. I almost ask if I can join them. After the morning I’ve had, I could use a distraction.

My phone buzzes with the 11:45 alarm I set for the picnic. I barely have time to turn it off before someone calls my name. Oskar’s walking across the grass, carrying a huge paper bag and waving like he’s trying to flag down a rescue boat. His grin seems bigger than his face.

“Oskar!” I jump up and wave back before I realize what I’m doing.

Too loud. Too happy.