EPILOGUE

Mads

Ten couldn’t sit still, he fidgeted and fussed with the hem of his jersey and even though I placed a steadying hand on his knee he couldn’t stop. Not that I was any better. This was big, enormous, life changing stuff and it all hinged on a yes from both of us.

“The concept of being the first out hockey player isn’t a small thing,” Ten said, and he placed a hand over mine and gripped hard.

“Which is why we’re bringing in a crisis management expert. This is non-negotiable Ten, how we deal with this as a team will inform one hell of a lot of future decisions. For the team, and for hockey.”

All I could think of was the kid out there on the ice somewhere in the ass end of Canada, worried about being honest with himself and everyone else for fear of not being able to play. I didn’t care, I was out, but I could be out, I was an ex player. Also, the bi thing meant that the label of gay wasn’t one that was used to describe me.

But Ten? He’d be Tennant Rowe, the openly gay player for the Railers…

When you played you didn’t hear the shit that the opposing teams threw at you, but what if that shit was coming from your team supporters? What if Ten coming out drove away crowds or became the subject of hate crimes. He’d said last night he wasn’t sure he was ready to be the person with millions of words of hate thrown at him. I could have said that it didn’t matter, but both of us knew it did.

The week since Thanksgiving had been stressful, but weirdly also calm. Ten was internalizing a lot of this, and I didn’t need to have attended therapy to know that.

“Ten?” I asked.

Ten looked at me, and gripped my hand tight. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

Coach opened the door and a man in a suit strode in. He exuded confidence and honesty in equal measures. He seemed to be a settled in his own skin, pretty much how I was now. All we needed for Ten was to get him to that point as well.

He extended a hand. “Layton Foxx,” he said, and smiled as he spoke. “I am so pleased to meet you Mr. Rowe, Mr. Madsen.”

“Mads,” I corrected.

“Ten,” Ten said at the same time.

We exchanged smiles, Mads and Ten could take on the world. Together.

Layton sat down. “Okay,” he began, “so this is what we propose.”

I listened to the words, heard every one of them, I think.

But all I could really focus on was Ten’s hand in mine, and enjoy the fact that I was loved, and in love, and that together we could beat anything that was thrown at us.

Anything at all.

 

 

THE END

 

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