Micah made a face. “I didn’t. Neither did Tabby. Just so you know.”
“I probably wouldn’t blame you if you did,” Daniel said, voice grim. “Hey, would you mind if we just didn’t talk about it? I’ll have to deal with game tapes and all that shit later, but I’d really like it if we just sort of, you know. Let it be.”
Micah felt weird, like he was being chastised for doing something wrong. But then he reminded himself he was new at this, and he honestly did appreciate Daniel laying out how to deal with this in clear, easy-to-understand terms. “Sure thing,” he said, smiling. “I’m looking forward to introducing you to the crew, and if it helps, they probably didn’t watch the game.”
Daniel stared at him, blinked, and then said, “Oh, that’s—that’s right. I forgot we were going to do that. It’s kind of late, are you sure they’re still there?”
“Yeah, it’s trivia night, everyone usually hangs around until the late-night happy hour ends at eleven.” Micah was getting some weird vibes, here. “Is it still okay if we go?”
“I think I should probably go home, to be honest. I’m not in the greatest headspace right now, and I’d hate the first impression I made on your friends to be me in this mood.” Daniel did look pretty grim, with none of that boyish charm and friendliness that seemed so much a part of him.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Micah asked, a little carefully. He didn’t necessarily want to bail on his friends, but he did want to be a supportive boyfriend.
“I—” Daniel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know it probably seems like I’m being ridiculous, but it was a tough game. I do want to meet your friends, and I do like your company, but I think tonight I should probably head home.”
Micah understood that while this was just a game for him to watch, it was Daniel’s job. And he’d had bad days at work, hadn’t he, even though it was his dream job. He’d missed Quinton’s birthday party one year, because they’d lost a dolphin calf and it had really upset Micah. Enough that he’d gone home and curled up with his cat and a book, choosing some good old-fashioned self-care over socializing. Quinton had understood, because having a bad day at work was a universal experience, right?
And again, no one ever booed him at his job, so. Micah understood, and he also knew that Daniel was disappointed his former teammates had to immediately leave after the game and couldn’t even hang around past the usual media availability to chat for a bit.
“Sure,” Micah said, but he felt a little unsettled. It was important to him that Daniel meet his friends, but not if he was in a bad mood. No one would enjoy that. “I’ll go for a bit, then, and tell them they’ll have to meet you later. They think I made you up, anyway.”
Daniel tried a smile, and he did give Micah a kiss goodbye...but Micah still felt unsettled as he headed to the bar. Should he have insisted? That seemed like a crappy thing to do. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted to meet Daniel’s friends after that day the baby dolphin died at the aquarium. Was this even analogous? Was Micah making excuses?
Either way, he was alone when he showed up at the Fox and Hound. His friends were clearly disappointed that Daniel wasn’t with him, but they at least seemed to understand.
“They had the game on,” Justice explained.
“People were mad,” Ash added. “It didn’t look very fun.”
“Unless you were a fan of the other team,” her wife, Bethany, put in. “Then I bet it was a lot better.”
“Are you mad?” Quinton asked, as Micah settled down with a beer at their table, helping himself to some of the remaining appetizers.
“I guess not? Maybe? I don’t know,” Micah said, shrugging. “I know it’s not his fault he had a bad game.”
“I think it’s probably a good sign that he knows himself well enough to know he wouldn’t make the best impression,” said Bethany. She was a counselor at a local youth center, so she probably knew what she was talking about. “And it’s not like we won’t get another chance. This isn’t a major social event, it’s just late-night happy hour.”
“I missed Quinton’s birthday because of that—thing at work.” Micah had learned you didn’t say dead baby dolphin around people if you could help it. Too depressing. “But we’re all busy, and I don’t want you guys thinking I, you know. Made him up?”
“We don’t think that,” Bethany assured him. “But hey, we could always go to brunch tomorrow!” She brushed her dark brown hair back and gave him a hopeful smile. “We could go to Bleu. You know I love any excuse for brunch!”
“I could make it,” Ash said, winding her hand around her wife’s with a smile. “Gotta enjoy all these brunches before we have kiddos and do whatever people who have kids do on Saturdays, instead of brunches.”
Quinton gave Micah an I told you so look over the rim of his wineglass.
“I can text him, sure,” Micah said, pulling out his phone. He chewed on his lip. “I don’t know, though. Should I leave him alone?” He groaned. “Bethany, give me a book about how to have a functional relationship, please.”
“Why are you not asking me, hello, Justice and I are very happy!” Quinton pouted.
“Because Bethany’s a therapist, and you’re not?” Micah glanced at his phone, and he tried not to be disappointed that Daniel hadn’t texted him. It was late, Daniel was probably asleep. “What time tomorrow, for brunch?”
“Eleven. I’ll get us reservations in the morning, I know the manager.”
“She knows the manager,” Bethany stage-whispered.
“That was back in college!”
Micah half listened to his friends, letting their familiar banter wash over him as he sent Daniel a message. It took him a while to figure out what to say.
Missed you but everyone understands, and no pressure, but we’re going here for brunch tomorrow if you’re hungry. No pressure, just an invite, okay?
Micah sent along the location for Bleu, waited for a moment to see if Daniel responded, then resolutely put his phone away and turned his attention back to his friends. By the time he left for the evening, Daniel still hadn’t responded but Micah at least felt better about the whole thing.
After all, this was going to be part of it, right? Daniel couldn’t win every game, just like Micah couldn’t save every animal. If he was going to date someone for whom hockey was more than a sporting event to watch at a bar, he should probably get used to this. Right.
It might have been nice if he warned you, though, a little voice said. Tabby even said he’d lost games, before. What if it was just an excuse?