Page 24 of Cross Checking (Off the Bench #2)

LUKE

I love visiting my grandparents in Vermont, but the drive takes a whole day, and I’m always exhausted when I get back to Toronto.

Southern Ontario issued an imminent snowfall warning, so I left a few days early.

It’s now New Year’s Eve, and I’m cold, alone, and awake far too early, even though it’s almost noon.

A shower and a coffee wake me up enough so I’m not entirely non-functional, and as I’m fixing breakfast, my phone pings. It’s a text in the group chat.

Stefano

guess where I am

Knowing Stefano, he could be anywhere. Last I heard, he wanted to go to Croatia.

Where lmao

Stefano

(PHOTO RECEIVED)

And that photo? It’s a picture of my fucking apartment building. Right after, Stefano sends a selfie of himself, Mark, and Carl right across the street from me.

They’re here. My friends are here.

My fingers shake as I type out a reply, a massive grin spreading across my face.

WHAT THE FUCK

Stefano

surprise

let us up pls it’s so cold

we also bought you food

Ofc. Buzzer code is the last four digits of my phone number

I buzz the guys up as soon as I get the call from the access system, and two minutes later, they’re barreling into my apartment.

“Hope you don’t mind us showing up unannounced,” Carl says as he gives me a bear hug.

Carl is tall. Carl likes proving he’s tall. Carl likes proving he’s tall by hugging his friends and lifting them off the ground.

“When I said that you guys are welcome whenever, I meant it,” I manage to get out. “Now put me down, you ass. We get it, you’re six-seven.”

“Even if you’re in the middle of a steamy hookup?” Stefano asks, dapping me up while Carl puts me back on solid ground.

“Depends on if you’re joining in, hot stuff.” I shoot Stefano an exaggerated wink which makes him groan, and I use that diversion to say hi to Mark.

Once their jackets are off, I fire up my coffee maker. “What are you guys doing in Toronto?” I ask.

Mark pipes up. “When you said you were coming back early, we talked and figured we’d surprise you and then get you wasted for New Year’s.”

“Yeah, Mark and I took the train in from Kitchener this morning, and Stefano got in last night.” Carl says. “Mark’s brother is letting us crash at his studio in North York, so we have a place to stay after we all go out tonight. That’ll beat going back home.”

“You guys should stay here,” I offer. “The subway is gonna be packed as usual, and we can pre at mine.”

“Uh oh, Luke’s planning a party. Things are gonna get wild,” Mark says.

“If you guys want a redo of our housewarming, look elsewhere,” I fire back. “I am reformed .”

Stefano thinks for a second, and then he grins. “Speaking of wild, you’re friends with a pro athlete, right?”

I tense up. He is not about to chirp me about Erik in front of everyone.

“Who?”

“Uh, I don’t remember his name… you went to high school with him? He visited our house a few times? Pitcher for Boston?”

Oh, right. James. That professional athlete. I was friends with him in high school, and he had a sick first season as Boston’s new pitcher. I love the guy, but he’s still a traitor for signing with them.

“Yeah, James! What about him?”

Carl stares blankly at me. “You went to high school with him. Here, in Toronto.”

“And?”

Stefano gives my chest a jab. “And you should strongly consider inviting your high school friends, famous and not famous, tonight.”

“You want to rub shoulders with pro baseball players, don’t you?”

“Yup, and we’re not scared to admit it. Meanwhile, you’re scared to say that you’re dying to rub dicks with a pro hockey player,” Mark says.

“Dude, shut the fuck up, that isn’t true!” I sputter.

“Your celebrity crush is literally Toronto’s married backup goalie.” Carl deadpans, and the other two cross their arms.

“Just because I think Vladimir Ivanov is the perfect specimen of a human being, that doesn’t mean I want to rub dicks with him.”

Mark laughs. “Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

I give Mark the finger and text James. Since he started playing for Boston, he locked down his social media, so nobody knows where he is or what he’s doing.

He showed up in Toronto in September and hung out with me a few times, but he was doing a ton of physical therapy, and his schedule was pretty packed.

Yo James, I’m having a little get-together at my place tn, you should reach if you’re in town

Hey man, thanks for the invite! I’m def down to come. Is it cool if I bring my bf?

Wait a second. James has a boyfriend ? The guy who was swarmed by girls at every high school party now has a boyfriend?

I… was not expecting that. At all.

Sure, our high school friend group was fruity as hell with each other, but that’s how some guys joke around. James wasn’t even the most intense out of all of us.

Then again, he tried playing gay chicken with me once, and I was the one who had to call it quits when he came to my house in a suit, real marriage paperwork in tow, and asked my dad for his blessing.

Maybe winning gay chicken against an actual gay guy should have tipped James off, but hey, I’m glad he figured himself out.

Yeah for sure, I have tons to drink at my place so dw about bringing too much

But I have to ask. Bf? How did that happen?

Yeah so basically I moved in with one of my teammates and then started to like him out of nowhere

Apparently I’m bi and now we’re dating

He’s Ethan btw

The guy plays major league baseball, and he’s dating one of his teammates ? That’s… kinda cute, actually.

Maybe there’s love to be found in professional sports.

No. Don’t go there.

“So?” Stefano says. “Is he coming?”

“James? Yeah, he is.”

Stefano cheers and then announces that he’ll help clean my house in preparation, and I decide to stock up on drinks for tonight, as promised—the company party alcohol heist didn’t net any beer.

Once Carl and I get back, straining with our arms full, we stuff my fridge and sit down, watching Stefano try to work my vacuum.

“Need some help there?” I ask as he gives the top a firm smack.

“Please.”

I walk over and take the vacuum from him, demonstrate how to activate the trigger, and then hand it back before pulling out my steamer.

Having people over wasn’t something I was expecting until my friends showed up, and even though I try to keep my house tidy, it could use some work.

Carl is sprawled on the couch, ordering food from some app, and I kick him off so I can clean it.

And then I get a great idea. I have two bottles of red wine that are way too cheap to drink neat, and I have the Swedish mulled wine recipe that Erik sent me.

“Hey, Carl,” I say, turning my steamer off. “Did you place that order yet?”

He shakes his head. “Did you want anything?”

“Yeah. I wanna make mulled wine, and I might need ingredients.”

Carl pauses his scrolling before handing me his phone. “Mulled wine, huh? That’s random.”

Nodding, I reference the translated recipe that Erik sent while looking through Carl’s food order, buying cardamom seeds for the first time in my life. “Yeah, a friend sent me a recipe.”

“German?”

“Nah, Swedish.” I hand the phone back to Carl and notice Stefano giving me a weird look, and I shoot him one back, hoping he doesn’t prod.

Thankfully, the only thing Stefano does is crack open a bottle of vodka and pour an outrageous shot for each of us, handing me a glass and motioning for me to take it.

The alcohol hits like a gust of wind to the face, but I manage to keep my expression neutral.

I’m not even a year out of university, after all.

Once the shot settles, I realize Stefano started a chain reaction, and our night kicks off at the early hour of four in the afternoon.

James said he’d only arrive after seven, so the rest of us finish setting up, unpack the food Carl ordered, and then discover that Carl neglected to buy anything except for chips.

We make a slightly inebriated last-minute run to the shawarma place downstairs, and after we finish, it’s already six-thirty.

The house is in decent shape, we’re well-fed, and there’s nothing left to do, so I give the guys free rein on my game console and get to work on the mulled wine, only to get stuck on the second step.

Add 2 dl of sugar to the pot.

Okay, so two deciliters equals two hundred milliliters, but sugar isn’t a liquid. I pull out my phone to look up what the hell to do, when I realize that a few texts from Erik came through.

Erik Norberg

Yooooooooooooo Lukey happy new year

I’m so dunk rn my cousin got us all messed up hahahaha

I snort. Erik is a fun, cuddly drunk.

Nice lol

Whatcha up to

Making that mulled wine recipe

Trying to get “dunk” too

Confused about what a dl of sugar is

Haha you aren’t the first

1 dl is a little less than half a cup

Oh nice thanks

Np

Ok gotta go my dad is making us do more shots

I put my phone away and get back to the mulled wine, and right when I finish preparing it, there’s knocking on the door. Wine in hand, I dart over. It’s James and his boyfriend, Ethan.

James is how I remember: a little shorter than me, perpetually tanned, and constantly smiling. Ethan is a tall, jacked, good-looking athlete with short brown hair and a killer smolder. Going gay (or bi) for someone isn’t a thing, but if it was, it’s clear why James picked Ethan.

They walk in and James introduces everyone. “Ethan, this is Luke, we go way back. Luke, this is my boyfriend, Ethan.”

We exchange greetings, with James doing most of the talking, as usual, and when I’m telling them about our potential plans to head out later, James interrupts.

“Yo, I’m so sorry to ditch, but I really need to take a leak.” At that, James darts into my hallway bathroom and firmly slams the door behind him, leaving me and Ethan standing in the entryway.

“So, can I get you anything to drink?” I ask, and Ethan nods. After pouring him a mug of wine, I’m about to introduce him to the group, but Stefano speaks first.

“Yo, it’s Ethan Sullivan!”