Chapter 22 - Just a Kiss
While the hockey season began to pick up steam, largely carried on the backs of Luke and the ‘new goalie’ from the affiliate team, so did the physical nature of Emma and Ryan’s relationship. Though hardly a virgin, she’d been unaccustomed to anything other than a missionary ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am’, courtesy of the guys for whom she’d done homework for in college. And while she and Ryan had yet to cross the ‘sex’ barrier, it was pretty much the only thing they hadn’t done.
For the first time in her adult life, Emma found herself completely comfortable. A job she relatively enjoyed, even for its periodic minor hiccups. An apartment that with two instead of one felt far cozier than it had originally. And a thoughtful – not to mention sexy – boyfriend in Ryan who truly seemed to care for her. She couldn’t ask for more.
Sharing a bed with clothing optional was the norm, as was Emma coming back from the games all wound up and looking to ‘share’ her excitement with Ryan – something that seemed out of a wet dream still for him. Tonight though, would be the first of those nights she wouldn’t be heading straight home to join Ryan, as Luke was celebrating his birthday and had rented out an entire club for the team and any of their significant others. While Ryan intended to attend, Emma knew that her article had to take priority. So, while he would be attending the game with her that night for the first time since the surgery, he would then be carpooling with Luke off to the party, while Emma stayed in the press box to finish up her article.
But in the meanwhile, Ryan had therapy to attend and though Emma had grown accustomed to attending the ‘pre-game’ skating and/or workout sessions on game days, this time she decided to accompany Ryan to his therapy session.
He was gradually getting more mobility back in his knee, and Emma was impressed to see just how hard both his physio pushed him, and how hard he was working to get back to ‘normal’. He spent much of the therapy session in the weight room, doing strength and resistance training with his injured leg. At one point, when Ryan was off getting a drink, the trainer pulled Emma aside and told her, “Y’know, he’s working harder today than he ever has without you here. I think he wants you to see him getting 'better' firsthand.”
Smiling, and smiling wider when Ryan almost swaggered back into the room, though his knee brace was still in place, Emma blew him a kiss, telling him, “You’re doing awesome babe.”
Eyes sparkling in agreement, Ryan glanced between the physio and Emma and matched her grin with one of his own, asking, “So how much longer until I can skate lightly? I want to take this pretty lady out skating in the city.”
Shaking his head, the physio said, “Not yet.” And though Ryan pouted, he nodded his agreement, even as Emma tilted her head a bit.
“Me? On skates? That sounds entertaining.”
Ryan grinned wider. “Oh, it for sure will be for me, trust me on that!”
~*~
Opting for the smaller brace, the one that he could wear beneath his clothes, Ryan dressed in his best suit for the game, and arrived well before they opened the gates for the fans. It gave him the luxury of being able to take a slower walk along the concourse area. Just as he was about to reach the elevator, he heard a familiar voice calling, “Ryan! Hey Ryan! Wait up!”
Turning back towards where he’d just come from, Ryan found Trent chasing after him, also in a suit and not looking the least bit happy about it. When the other man finally caught him, Ryan asked, “Injured?”
“Concussed.” Trent confirmed with a scowl on his face. “Wasn’t expecting to have company in the booth, so glad I won’t be completely bored out of my mind.”
“Emma will be there too. She left even before I did, so I’m sure all set up, working up notes from whatever the coaches supplied her about practice.” Pausing for a moment, Ryan asked, “How’d you get concussed? I thought you were good after the last game.”
Snorting a bit, and joining Ryan in the elevator, Trent told him, “Suffice it to say your cousin and I were playfully roughhousing on the ice – sans helmets, of course – and he caught me off balance and I went ass over teakettle. I’m only a little dizzy still, but they’re holding me out to be on the safe side.”
Making a commiserating tsk noise, Ryan patted Trent on the back. “Still going to make it to the party tonight?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything. Free beer and the opportunity to see just how many of us got your cousin condoms for his birthday? I’d be mad to miss it.”
Laughing hard, Ryan held open the door to the press box, finding Emma so into her work that she didn’t even turn around at their arrival. Moving to settle into the spot beside her – unsure of where Trent would sit – Ryan placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, trying his best not to make Trent uncomfortable or disrupt Emma too much.
After a moment, Trent settled in on the other side of him, and Emma finally piped up, “It’s a good thing you picked his side rather than mine. Otherwise, god only knows what they’d have tried with the kiss cam.”
Both boys laughing hard, Emma flipped them off and went back to work.
~*~
As predicted, it took only halfway through the first period before Emma and Ryan ended up on the kiss cam, with Emma looking up long enough to shake a finger at the camera, even as the ‘camera’ tried to persuade her otherwise. Instead, she tilted her head towards Ryan, and after a moment the camera shifted towards him and Trent, leaving both boys wide eyed and then staring at each other.
After another moment, Trent put his hand over his mouth and leaned in, ‘kissing’ Ryan through his hand, much to the hooting and hollering of the fans and even the teams below. But what threw Ryan was even in that moment, even with the hand in the way, he felt a spark at feeling Trent's breath so close. Attracted to him as he’d been, he’d figured that attraction had faded.
Emma, meanwhile, was chuckling soft, elbowing Ryan a bit and teasing him, “At least it won’t be me getting called on the carpet tomorrow for being a distraction at the game. I hope your teammates remember how to play after watching that display.”
Smirking a bit, even though his cheeks were a bit flushed, Trent told her, “Coach’ll no doubt tease that we were the best action out there tonight, even though nothin’ happened. Course, this one’s,” and Trent paused to nudge Ryan before continuing, “cousin has to be the center of attention so he’ll perhaps try for something like a Gordie Howe hat trick for his birthday.”
At Emma’s confused look, Ryan busted out laughing, explaining immediately, “Gordie Howe was perhaps one of the best hockey players ever, played in Grandpère’s era. He was a talented goal scorer, but he also wasn’t afraid to fight, as you’ve seen that Luke isn’t either. So, a Gordie Howe hat trick, instead of being 3 goals in a game, is a goal, an assist, and a fight. And yes, that would be right up Luke’s alley, especially tonight.”
Turning her attention back to the ice as the action resumed, Emma could only shake her head and grin. This game was strange – but it for sure was entertaining!
~*~
The party had been raging for the better part of two hours, and Ryan had consumed more than his fair share of alcohol. He wasn’t completely plastered yet, but he was well on his way – and if nothing else, his bladder was soon filling. Escaping off to the bathroom to relieve himself, he wasn’t all that surprised when he was joined several minutes later by another body – just about everyone had been drinking their faces off.
But it was the one teammate who had been drinking the most that had followed Ryan into the bathroom, and when Ryan finished washing up, he found dark eyes staring at him, almost looking through him, finally stating matter-of-factly, “You felt it too. And somehow I don’t think it’s your cousin that’s the bisexual one.”
Blinking for a long moment, wanting to deny it but knowing his face completely gave him away, Ryan gulped hard and tried to make his voice as steady as possible, telling his teammate, “That may be the case.”
Nodding and taking several long strides closer to Ryan, Trent leaned down and pressed his lips to Ryan’s, in a kiss that soon took the goalie’s breathe away, full of teeth and tongue, and leaving the faint taste of copper on his lips when they finally separated.
When Trent pulled away, he nodded his head a bit and turned to exit the bathroom, leaving Ryan leaning against the sink area with his head spinning.