Page 34

LUKE

APRIL

My life right now consists of waiting and not much else. Waiting for HR to send my location change request to Ajay. Waiting for Ajay to sign off on my location change request. Waiting to finally, finally , move to Sweden and be with Erik.

Because I don’t want Ajay to get annoyed with me, I’ve only asked him for a status update twice. In his words, HR is taking their sweet ass time reviewing my application, but I’ll be the first to know of any news on the file.

One thing that I’m not waiting for, but is still more than welcome, is a text from James.

James Hernandez

Hey man I’ll be in Toronto for the season opener this week. You should come to one of the games and hang out after if you’re free

Hey, I’m down!

Does Friday work?

Kinda slammed with work so idk if I can make Thursday

Alright I’ll snag a ticket for you and anyone else you wanna bring

Can grab dinner w me and Ethan after too

Then I get an idea. Emily is still living at home, and this is a chance to lure her to the city.

Hey I can get tickets to the Toronto-Boston game on Friday, do you want to come?

Emily

Omg yes if it’s at 7 I can take the train in

Idk if I want to stay too late though

OK, sounds good. Feel free to crash at mine if you’d like

I have something to look forward to, but it’s in three days, so it’s back to waiting for me.

Friday rolls around and I’m tapping my fingers on the desk, mentally counting down the hours until I can log off for the weekend. It’s getting warmer, the days are longer, and the last thing I want is to be stuck inside. To make things worse, there’s still no update from Ajay on?—

Hold up, he’s calling.

“Hi, Ajay, good afternoon. How are you?”

“Hey, Luke, I’m good. So, I’ll get right to it.

I heard back from HR about your transfer plan.

” His expression is the same practiced, corporate one that gives me no clues at all as to what he’ll say next, so I hold my breath.

“Essentially, since we have a global presence, all corporate-level positions can be performed wherever we have an office.”

I smile. “That’s great news! So?—”

“Not so fast,” he says.

Damn it.

“The catch is that if you want to work from somewhere, you either need to have the permanent right to live there, or the company needs to have a business rationale for visa sponsorship.”

Permanent . The one-year visa I can get is the opposite of permanent.

“And since you’re employed in Canada, and you’re able to do your job from here, there’s no justification to sponsor you for immigration to Sweden.”

“Got it,” I reply, keeping my face fixed in the most professional expression I can muster. “What if it’s a one-year visa that’s eligible for extension?” That’s worth a try, at least.

Ajay squints at his screen. “According to the email HR sent me, we can only approve transfer requests to any EU country if you show us a national residence permit specifically for permanent residence, or evidence of citizenship in an EEA country, whatever that is. Or Switzerland works, too. Are you secretly Swiss?”

I shake my head. I have two passports, Canadian and American, but neither of them let me stay in Sweden for more than three months.

Noticing my sour expression, Ajay puts on a sympathetic face.

“I know you were looking forward to going, and I’m sorry that it isn’t up to me to make the rules,” he says.

“Besides, it isn’t impossible. You just need to find a way to get a three-year Swedish visa without company involvement, or find a different internal position that’s eligible for sponsorship. ”

Without anything else productive to say, I thank Ajay for letting me know, sign off, and let my head fall onto my desk.

I guess it’s time to break the bad news to Erik and search for other jobs.

Company says that I need a permanent visa to transfer my job. The one year working holiday thing doesn’t cut it.

Erik Norberg

Oh no I’m sorry to hear that :(

Are you doing okay?

No, but the fact that he asked makes me feel a bit better.

I’ll be fine, my manager said that the company will sponsor me for a work permit if I can find a job based in Sweden

So that’s what I’m going to do now

Sounds like a plan but it still sucks. No game tn so lmk if you want to call

It’s eight on a Friday there, so I’m not going to make Erik stay in and talk to me when he should be out with his friends.

Thanks, I think I need to spam job applications on the portal rn. Going to watch baseball later so hopefully that’ll take my mind off of things

Sounds good. Have fun!

I send out a couple of job applications to the few jobs at the company that are based out of Sweden. As I’m about to look for ones in the rest of Scandinavia just in case, I get a text. It might be Erik, so I check it immediately.

It isn’t Erik, but it’s James, so my mood still lifts.

James Hernandez

Confirming two tickets for the 7PM game tn, you still in?

Hell yeah. Need it after the day I’ve had lol

Oh shit, tell me abt it over drinks after. I got good seats for you guys so hopefully that cheers you up a bit

James texts me the tickets, and they’re in the private area right behind home plate.

HOLY SHIT THESE SEATS ARE AMAZING

Thank you so much man I really appreciate it

Np, hope you enjoy them!

It’s after three on a Friday, and my entire team is offline, so I log off. If this company is jerking me around and taking months to do so, they can deal with me taking back two hours of my day.

A few hours later, Emily and I walk through Gate 1 of the Northlink Centre and emerge in the newly renovated private area.

“How the hell did you get these seats?” Emily asks as she scans the space.

I shrug. “I’m tight with one of the Boston pitchers.”

Emily spins around and glares at me. “And why are you friends with the enemy?”

“Whoa, chill. James and I went to high school together.”

Emily softens, accepting my explanation, and we settle into our plush seats as soon as the teams emerge from their dugouts.

“Okay, so I know Boston is still the enemy,” she says, observing the teams, “but I have to admit that they have the hotter roster.”

I follow where she’s staring and land right on James and Ethan.

“Like, look at those two! Their bromance is so cute.”

“Emily, that’s my friend James, and his boyfriend Ethan.”

She doesn’t blink. “That’s even cuter.” Then she does a double take. “Wait, who’s that ?”

“Hey, come on. We came here to watch baseball, not the athletes…”

That’s when I notice the guy Emily is blatantly ogling. Whoever LeBlanc is, a tall guy with auburn hair and great throwing arms, he makes me reconsider my stance.

“Maybe we can watch the athletes a little,” I say, and we do, at least until the teams take their positions to start.

“Ooh, your Ethan is batting first,” says Emily. Sure enough, he’s marching toward the box, his face neutral and his steps measured.

Our pitcher winds up and throws, and Ethan tenses up.

Ethan swings, connects, and takes off, making it to second.

“He’s good, and I’m sure he’s nice, but ooh, I hate him for that,” Emily says, and I nod.

“Yup. James is a traitor, twice over. He and Ethan should have demanded to play for Toronto.”

At least they play baseball for Boston, not hockey, so there’s some room for forgiveness.

Thankfully for Toronto, Boston only scores one run, and James takes his position on the mound for the bottom of the inning.

I clear my throat. “Okay, James. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

He’s got enough skill to carry the whole damn team, apparently, because every single pitch he throws in this inning results in either a foul or a strike, and the score remains at one to nothing.

“Why are you friends with people who make us lose?” Emily jokes, knocking my shoulder.

“We aren’t losing yet,” I shoot back. “Have some faith in our boys.”

Our faith means nothing because Toronto loses. Only by one, though. Toronto knocked Boston out of the playoffs last season, so maybe this is some kind of revenge.

“Alright Emily,” I say, picking up my empty cups and tossing them into the recycling bin. “Let’s go meet the victors.”

She laughs, and I text James to see where I can find him.

Congrats on the win!

James Hernandez

Lmfao thanks

Come hang out w us

Go to section 112 and I’ll get you into the visitor’s clubhouse

Sounds good

“Yo, Emily, let’s head out,” I say, and I lead her to the meeting point. “James is taking us into the visitor’s area.”

“Are we even allowed to go in?” she asks.

I wave her off. “I think so? Just act natural.” No sooner than I’ve said that, James sticks his head out of a door and motions for us to follow him. We say hi, I introduce Emily, and a few steps later, we’re in the underbelly of the Northlink Centre.

“Welcome to the visitor’s clubhouse,” James says, walking backward to face us. “Doesn’t hold a candle to what we have in Boston, but it’s still pretty sweet.”

“Yeah, no. This is sick,” I reply, and Emily stares.

Then the two of us spot Will LeBlanc, and our attention goes straight there. James chuckles in confusion before swiveling his head around.

“He’s… not available,” James says, much to Emily’s disappointment. He lowers his voice. “The team is in a great mood tonight after the win, so if you want something to happen, just sit back and wait. They’ll come to you.”

I nod out of politeness because I’m ninety-nine percent certain that James’s advice is for Emily, not me.

“Sure. Besides, where’s Ethan? He’s still coming out with us, right?” I ask.

James is about to speak when Ethan shows up with an unfamiliar guy in tow. He’s even taller than Ethan, with brown hair that frames his striking face.

Boston definitely has the hotter roster, hands down.

“Guys, this is Max,” Ethan says. “He’s our rookie outfielder this year, and I’m helping with introductions and stuff.” He turns to Max and points to each of us. “You know James, this is James’s friend Luke, and this is…”

“Hi, I’m Emily, Luke’s friend-slash-coworker.”

Max gives Emily a shy nod. “Hey, Emily.”

If chemistry was audible, we’d all be deaf. Their sparky eye contact, interested smiles, and open stances are impossible to ignore.

“I didn’t see you out there today,” Emily says.

Max clears his throat, clearly nervous. “Wasn’t on the roster tonight.”

Emily tilts her head. “Is this your first time in Toronto?”

Max nods.

“Need someone to show you around?”

The tiniest smirk appears on Max’s face. “Yeah, that would be great.”

“Awesome! Come with me. I’ll be your tour guide.” Max sticks out his hand, Emily grabs it with great enthusiasm, and the two of them leave the ballpark.

Ethan stands motionless for a second before snapping back to reality. “Did I accidentally set up the rookie with Luke’s coworker?”

I laugh. “I guess so, but he’ll be well taken care of. Come on, let’s head out.”

The three of us take a different exit out of the Northlink Centre and walk down Front Street to a rapidly emptying sports bar. We settle into a booth and order our first round, and then James proceeds to add three double shots to the order.

“Ethan and I aren’t scheduled for tomorrow’s game, so we’re all getting drunk,” he says, and Ethan snickers.

“Instead of pouring one out for Emily, we’ll drink her share, since she and Max are exploring Toronto. And probably some other things,” I say.

James points a finger at me. “Hey, Max is my teammate. Don’t make things weird.”

Ethan snorts. “Hmm, yeah. You never get weird with your teammates.”

“I still can’t believe you two are teammates and dating,” I say. “That’s got to be a first.”

Chuckling, Ethan takes a sip of his drink. “Yeah, I haven’t heard of any other teammate couples, at least in men’s baseball.”

“What about you?” James asks, pivoting. “Anything new in the dude department?”

I take a sip of seltzer before replying. “Actually, yeah. I started dating a guy about two months ago. His name is Erik.”

James’s face brightens. “That’s great! I’m so happy for you.” Then he notices my expression, and he tilts his head. “Is… everything okay between you guys?”

“Yeah, I really like him, but he’s in Sweden. Like, he lives there.”

“Oh.” James’s fingers clasp around his beer, sending beads of condensation dripping down onto the table. “Can I ask how you two, uh, happened?”

I take a sip of my beer. “He was playing in the AHL here?—”

James raises his eyebrows. “Hockey, eh?”

“Don’t go there,” I say, half-seriously glaring back at him. “Long story short, he moved to Sweden, we tried to stay friends, we sexted each other, kept doing that, then I visited him?—”

“You visited Sweden? That’s so sweet,” says Ethan.

“Oh yeah. That’s when we made things official.”

Sighing, James fiddles with his napkin. “I hate to be the one to ask—you guys live across the world from each other. What’s the plan?”

The twinge in my stomach is inconvenient, but I power through it. “I’m trying to move there now.”

That makes James and Ethan freeze mid-sip.

“Wow.” James drags the one syllable out. “That’s a big decision.”

“Yup. He’s worth it, though. I’m tired of everyone I know leaving.”

Shit. Is that too on the nose?

Apparently not. The shots are already getting to James, and he leans toward me. “Hey, Luke, sometimes you just gotta go for things. I mean, Sweden is a long way to go for some tail?—”

“Dude, come on.”

James remains undeterred. “—but you aren’t the kind of guy to fuck around like that. You said it yourself, you really fucking like him, and if moving to be with Erik is what you have to do, then so fucking be it.”

“That’s exactly what I needed to hear. Even with all the f-bombs.”

James barks out a laugh. “Yeah, well that’s on my mind even more now, since I got with Ethan and his sweet as?—”

Ethan claps a hand over James’s mouth, much to our amusement.

“Who the hell let you be attracted to men? You’re a menace,” I say, and James shrugs.

“That would be my fault,” Ethan mutters before clearing his throat and changing the subject. “Anyway, Luke, you need to tell me all of James’s embarrassing stories from high school. I’m dying to hear all the juicy details.”

“Oh, god, please no.” James puts his face in his hands, but it’s clear he’s grinning.

I smirk. “Ha, I’ve been waiting for this. Do you want to hear about how I lost a game of gay chicken against him?”