Page 62 of Crease Collision

“Okay. I have ideas, but I want to hear from you too. We’re doing this together.”

“Deal. You go first.”

He nods. “I’ve looked at our schedules, and they are not as bad as I feared. We are both on the road a lot, but we will often be traveling at the same time. This means we will both be home more than you might think.”

“I noticed the same when I checked the calendars.”

“Good. So here is what I want. For me, dates are a must. The day at the park was one of the best times I ever had, so they don’t have to be fancy. We can hang out and do casual things, as long as we actually do it.”

“Fine with me,” I say. “Casual I can do.”

“I do not want to hide. It would be stressful and lead to unhappiness.”

My body relaxes. “I don’t think I could hide. There are other gay and bi players on the Condors, and I’ve never hidden who I am.”

“Perfect. I will be proud to be seen with you.” Something uneasy crosses his face. “We are together, right? I am sick of hooking up.”

“Makes two of us. You know saying we’re together makes me nervous, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll explain why, but I realized something important this afternoon. I don’t want to be afraid.”

He stays quiet.

“I’m…” My voice trembles, so I swallow and try again. “I’m choosing to see what can happen. For both of us.”

“That is a big thing for you, I know.” He rubs a hand over his mouth. “I won’t hurt you, Kai. That has never been who I am, and you are a very special man.”

My foot shakes so much it makes my leg jerk.

Trust him. I have to try.

“You’re special too, Oskar.”

The phone screen makes his blue eyes look even sharper than usual. And he’s smiling.

I remember Nico’s warning about being on time for morning skate. Hanging up is the last thing I want to do right now, but I need to rest.

“You have practice tomorrow?” I ask. “Ours is at nine-thirty.”

“Eleven.”

“You’re lucky. Our old coach did ten-thirty or eleven. It was much better. This new one likes an early start.”

“His name is Holmer, right? He’s Swedish?”

“Yes. I like him. I don’t like early mornings.”

We go quiet, staring at each other through the connection.

After a few minutes, Oskar whispers, “I don’t want to hang up, but we both need our rest.”

“Yeah.”

Nothing happens. Our eyes are locked.

“Can we hang out tomorrow?” he asks. “We both have trips in a couple of days.”