Saige: Sorry about the loss. :(
I hate that fucking sad face emoji.
“Drake!” Coach Vittner calls from his office.
All the guys give me the same look. The one that says, “Sorry we lost and you have to bear the wrath since you’re captain.”
I walk in, already out of my skates and shoulder pads but still unshowered. To my surprise, Gerhardt and Joran are in here. Joran looks up and shakes his head ever so slightly. Is he telling me I fucked up and I’m traded or the opposite? I can’t read him.
“Shut the door,” Coach says. “Have a seat.”
“Two losses, Aiden,” is all Mr. Gerhardt says.
Does he know how long our season is? We’re not going to win them all. If that was the case, we’d be the Cup winner every damn year.
“I’m sorry. We seem to be off our game.”
“Actually, you seem to be off your game. I think it’s this new girlfriend of yours,” Mr. Gerhardt says.
My fists clench at my sides and I narrow my eyes at him. Not him too.
Joran must notice because he steps in and sits at the edge of Coach’s desk. “We all want this to work out, Aiden. Carl doesn’t want to trade you any more than you want to be traded. But you were on a great roll. Is it a coincidence that after you out your new girlfriend, your game is suffering? I’ve seen this with a lot of players in new relationships. It’s just the distraction of it all. That’s why it’s better when players meet their girlfriends during the off-season. They spend all their time together and come season start, they’re ready for a little space, or ready to part ways altogether.” He smiles.
I want to punch his face again. “What are you suggesting?”
“Give each other some space. Let you worry about winning hockey games, her worry about her social media business, and you two can get back together during the off-season.”
I look around the room and see Coach roll his eyes, but Gerhardt looks as if he’s actually buying this.
“I’ve owned this team for so many years, yet I still don’t understand guys like you,” Gerhardt says. “The world is your oyster, pearls in everyone you open. Why do you only want one oyster when you can have them all?”
I stare blankly at him.
“Have fun with all the oysters you want right now, and when your hockey career is over, find that special oyster you want to hold on to.” He pats my leg.
I glance at Coach, who again rolls his eyes.
“By oysters, you mean women?” I ask for clarification.
“Yeah.” Mr. Gerhardt seems proud of himself.
“Okay.” Joran claps once. “Can I have a moment with Aiden by myself?”
“Here?” Coach asks.
“Where else?” Joran asks.
Coach throws up his hands. “Complete bullshit. You have two minutes, Peters.”
Once they leave, Joran sits where Gerhardt was. “Listen, Aiden, Gerhardt isn’t bluffing. If you continue to date her and the Fury continue to lose, I’m pretty sure if you’re not traded now, you will be at the end of the year. We’ve been over this. We need you playing well before this next contract negotiation, otherwise we have no leverage. I know you like Saige and she’s great, but she manages professional athletes’ social media. She understands an athlete’s world. I’m sure she’ll understand if the two of you need to call it quits until the off-season.”
I don’t say anything.
“You’ve known her, what? Almost two months? Hockey is your life. It’s everything you’ve sweated for for the last twenty-plus years. You’re gonna throw that away for some regular pussy for a few months? Come on, Aiden, that’s not the guy I know—the guy who works extra hard every practice. The guy who wasn’t a shoo-in and scraped and clawed his way to get where he is now. You need to think about what’s right for you. And speaking strictly as your agent, I think you need to cut her loose for a little bit.”
I run my hands down my face. “It’s been two games.”
“If it was only two games, we wouldn’t be here, but you’re forgetting the nine games before the revival. Now it’s looking like the slump is starting again.” He pats me on the back. “It’s a hard decision, but all athletes make sacrifices.”
He leaves the room and I sit there until Coach barges back in. “Go do your self-reflection bullshit at the yoga studio.” He eyes me. “But it would be a good idea for you to get your ass to that psychologist’s office.”
I stand and leave, happy to see some of the team is already filing out. I send Saige a quick text.
Me: I’m going to be awhile, I’ll call you tonight.
Without waiting for an answer, I shove my phone back in my locker and head to the showers.
Is there some truth to the suggestion that I’m distracted? Sure, I do think about Saige a lot, and I did miss a good chance at a goal tonight because I was looking at her. But she’s the one who brought my game back in the first place.
The water sluices down my back and I stand there for a moment, staring at the floor. I need to think this through. If I end up getting traded to a different city, that’ll be the end of Saige and me anyway, so I need to stay on the Fury no matter what it takes.
“Damn it,” I mumble and pump some shampoo into my hand.
How do I stay on the team and keep Saige in my life? It doesn’t seem like they’re both possible at the same time. So maybe I need to do what I can to stay on the team so I can work on being with Saige after I’ve accomplished the first goal.
Chapter Thirty
Saige
Aiden has taken this loss a lot worse than the first one. He didn’t even call or come over last night. Instead he ended up texting me that he was heading home and going to bed and he’d call me this morning.
So when I’m getting ready for work and there’s a knock on my door, I’m surprised to find Aiden in workout clothes at my front step, holding a box of danishes.
“Hey, want to help me get dressed?” I open my towel and flash him.
He doesn’t react at all. Instead his face is void of emotion. “Can we talk?”
“What?” I’m a little taken aback at his lack of response, and embarrassed.
“Can I come in?”
I swallow the dryness in my throat and step aside. “Maybe I should get dressed before you break up with me.”
He quickly looks away from me. Oh my god, I was half joking, but is that really why he’s here?
I stand there and inhale, wetness filling my eyes. “Say what you want and leave.”
He heads to my living room and sits on the couch. “Come on. Sit down next to me.”
I shake my head. “Say it.”
He puts the danishes on the coffee table. Is this what guys do now? Bring the girl some sweets when you’re going to break up with her so she can put herself in a sugar coma after you leave? Or better yet, have her gain ten pounds before the next guy?
“Mr. Gerhardt and Joran cornered me last night.”
I nod. “And?”