“Or worse,” Cookie adds. “Remember last year when Coach scratched Red? It was the game he could’ve scored his two hundredth goal, and he scratched him because Red talked back to him. I don’t even remember about what.”
“That was before I came,” I say. “That’s fucked up.”
“Right?”
“Everyone screws up at some point,” I mutter. “We’re not perfect.”
“I know.”
“You guys wanna come up to my place for a beer?” I ask as we approach the entrance to the apartment building.
“Sure.”
We ride the elevator to the seventh floor. As I enter my code at the door, I hear Otis whining and yipping, and I grin. “Coming, my man.”
I open the door and he’s right there, bouncing in his usual frenzy of excitement to see me. I grab him so we can all get inside and shut the door. I head to the kitchen while Cookie and Russ wander into my living room where Lilly left a light on for Otis. They shed their jackets, tossing them onto a chair, and sprawl onto my big sofas.
I carry beers into the living room and set them on the table. “Make yourself at home, gentlemen. I have to take this dude outside, but I’ll be right back.”
I haven’t noticed any puddles on the floor, so hopefully I can get him outside before that happens.
After a quick trip to the grassy boulevard, we head back in. “Good boy, Otis.” I hold him in the elevator. He’s getting better about riding the elevator but is still anxious. “You’re really learning, aren’t you?”
I’m proud of him.
Jesus.
Whatever.
Back in my apartment, I grab the beer waiting for me and sit in an armchair. Otis jumps up on the sofa to annoy Russ. He’s pretty good about it, actually, rubbing his head. When Otis brings his rope toy to Cookie, he takes it and has a little game of tug o’ war.
“Where’s Hannah tonight?” Cookie asks Russ about his girlfriend.
“We, uh, had a fight.” Russ’s face scrunches up.
“Uh-oh.” I grimace too.
Russ leans forward. “Can I ask you guys something?”
Cookie and I glance at each other and nod.
“Sure.” I hitch one shoulder and lean back in my chair.
“Hannah told me the other day that she’s going off the pill.”
My eyes widen. “Ohhhh.”
“She wants to get pregnant?” Cookie asks.
“No.” Russ shakes his head. “She wants me to use condoms now. I was totally blindsided.” He rubs his face. “We, uh, kind of got into an argument over it.”
I blink. “Huh.”
“Ugh,” Cookie says sympathetically. “Ah well.”
“No,” Russ says. “I hate condoms. I can’t stay hard wearing a condom.”
My eyebrows fly up. “Oh,” I say again. My vocabulary has deserted me.
“This is gonna ruin our sex life,” Russ adds. “Fuck. I’m so pissed about it.”
I purse my lips, still lost for words.
“She should have talked to me about it before she made that decision,” Russ continues. “I mean, that’s a big decision, right?”
“I guess.” Cookie nods, frowning.
“Then she was furious at me for telling her that. We had a big fight. I don’t know what to do.”
“Are you, uh…saying she should have asked your permission before going off the pill?” I ask carefully.
“Well, yeah! That’s what couples do, right?”
“Wrong.” I shake my head.
“What?” He stares at me.
I grimace. “Not that I know much about relationships.” I hold one hand up. “But come on, man, it’s her body. She can do what she wants. Birth control pills can mess women up.”
He scowls. “Are you kidding me?”
“Not kidding, no. I mean, yeah, she could have talked to you about it. Maybe that’s what she was trying to do when she mentioned it?”
“She said it like it was a done deal. It pissed me off.”
“I see that.”
Cookie makes a face at me, like he doesn’t know what to say. I’m floundering myself here, but this is how I feel about it. “You should talk to her more,” I say. “But if you think she needed to get your permission to go off the pill, be prepared for her to flip the fuck out on you.”
“I gotta agree with that,” Cookie says.
“You two love each other, right?” I ask.
Still frowning, Russ nods.
“So talk. Maybe there are other birth control methods she could try. Or maybe she’s already ruled them out for some reason.”
“You could get a vasectomy,” Cookie puts in helpfully.
“Jesus Christ!” Russ bolts to sit straight. “I’m not getting the snip!”
“All juice, no seeds,” Cookie says. “No problem.”
I choke on a laugh.
“Why not?” Cookie continues. “It’s usually reversible. If condoms are that big a problem for you, it’s one solution.”
Russ’s mouth drops open.
“Can’t argue with that,” I say mildly, taking a big swig of my beer. “How much do you want to keep having sex with her?”
Russ slouches back into the couch. He lifts the beer bottle to his mouth and drains it. “Shit.”
Great. Now Russ is pissed at me. I don’t want bad feelings between me and another teammate, but I’m not going to take his side on this. Why do guys ask for advice if they don’t even want to listen to it? I sigh inwardly. “Need another beer?”
“Nah. I’m good.” He stands. “I’m gonna head up to my place.” He carries his empty over to the counter separating my kitchen from the living and dining area. “See you guys tomorrow.”
“Be prepared for another bag skate,” I say dryly, following him to the door. “We good, man?”