Page 38 of Goalie Interference
With his free hand he waves our server over. “Order some things. You will feel better after you eat.”
Nikolai
I’m reluctant to remove my hand from Ander’s arm, but I do it anyway once our server arrives at the table. I don’t need Ander freaking out even more if this server gives us a weird look because he saw me touching Ander in a way that could be perceived as intimate. Even though that’s not at all what that was.
Well, not to Ander anyway.
His nervousness is clear. And I can’t help but wonder what’s causing it. It could be as simple as him needing something to eat. Or it could be because he is still struggling with his game. The Blizzards have been on a three-game skid and it’s hard not to look at Ander’s issues in net as the cause.
But also, he’s not the only one at this table who is nervous. He’s just the only one who can’t hide it.
“Anything to drink tonight, sir?” our server asks me.
“No, thank you,” I say. “Water is fine.”
“No vodka tonight?” Ander asks. His face twists up in thought. “Or saki, I guess, since we’re here. Do you like saki? I don’t really. It’s fine, you know, but not my first choice.”
Yeah. Okay. The last thing Ander needs is saki. Or booze of any kind for that matter right now. I look back at our server. “Water for both of us, I think.”
He raises an eyebrow at me before he takes one last look at Ander, then leaves. I sincerely hope he’s not a hockey fan.
Once he’s gone, I bring my attention back to Ander. He seemed to respond well to touch as far as calming down goes. But instead of placing my hand on his forearm again, I scoot myself closer to the small table and use my long legs under it to brush our knees. When he doesn’t move away, I press my knees more firmly against his.
He visibly calms. Shoulders soften and his skin flushes more. If he notices, he thankfully doesn’t seem embarrassed by it.
“Saki is okay,” I say. “But after game, I prefer not to drink.”
“I’m the opposite. I like a good beer after a win.” His lips turn down. “I haven’t been having much of those lately.”
Again, I adjust myself so I can place the outside of one of my legs against his. He presses back, but I get the sense he doesn’t realize he’s doing it.
“Maybe it is time for new tradition,” I suggest. Hockey players tend to be superstitious, especially us goalies. A change up to his routine might do him some good.
“Like what?” His blue eyes are painfully earnest as he looks at me across the table. “Because I’ll tell you something, I’m desperate.”
“What makes you happy?”
“Winning.” He grins and I can’t help but laugh.
“That makes us all happy,” I say, as our server drops off the sushi rolls Ander ordered. It’s a colorful array and all of it looks delicious. “But not even the best of us can win all the time.”
“Clearly.” He picks up a piece of spicy salmon roll with his chopstick, dips it into soy sauce, then drops it into his mouth.
“What else?”
“Makes me happy?”
“No. Miserable,” I say, then eat a piece of the roll as well. Immediately I can see why he would stab Gavin for a bite of it.
“Smart ass.” He laughs and has a bite of the tuna roll. As he chews, his lips twist up in thought. After swallowing, he wipes his mouth with his napkin, briefly covering his plump lips, then takes a sip of his water. “Shutzie makes me happy. I like having a dog. And hanging out with my teammates is great! They’re my best friends.” His expression shifts. His smile falls slightly and his eyes lose some of their brightness. “But they’re all busy now. I’m the last single guy on our team. No one wants to hang out anymore.”
My heart gets heavy. I know how he feels. I’ve been the odd man out on all of my teams at some point. But where I’m used to that being the norm, it’s clear that Ander isn’t.
I offer him a small, crooked smile. “I want to hang out with you,” I say before I eat another bite.
His face lights up again. “It’s too bad we play for different teams. We could be partners in crime if we played together.”
“If we played together, we would hate each other,” I tell him honestly.
