Page 55 of Grumpy Pucking Orc (Orcs on Ice #1)
The locker room atmosphere was jubilant, even though we’d lost. I awarded the post-game cannoli to Ugwyll for his point and incredible improvement in skating, then gave up my own cannoli to Ttonel, who’d slammed one of the enemies into the glass, which allowed Ugwyll to steal the puck and skate to a goal.
We showered and changed, fatigue slowly descending like a heavy fur blanket over us all. I hurried, throwing on my street clothes and heading out to where I knew Jordan’s family were waiting .
It was bizarre to walk into a crowd of humans with matching bright-green shirts. At least they’d removed their fake tusks before coming to the pre-press room.
“Ozar!” An older man approached me and clapped my shoulders with his hands.
He was bald with wisps of silver-gray hair at his temples.
A similarly colored beard bristled from his jawline, chin, and above his mouth.
His stormy-gray eyes were startling in contrast to his weathered, tanned skin. “I’m Todd, Jordan’s dad.”
He went on to introduce me to the crowd. I struggled to keep track of the names, only managing to retain that Jordan’s parents were Todd and Eileen, that her brother was Jake and his wife was Ella, and that one of the uncles was named Oscar.
“That was an amazing game,” Eileen said. “But I worry about you all on the ice without any shirts. Aren’t you cold? I’d think that you would be cold. Do orcs not feel the cold like we humans do? I feel like I should knit you and the others on the team scarves at the very least.”
“Eileen makes great scarves.” Todd fingered a thick, red-and-white striped scarf dangling from his neck to his rounded stomach.
It reminded me of the candy cane I’d bought at the food store in Pittsburgh.
The strong mint bite had appealed, and I found myself wanting a candy cane colored scarf like Todd’s.
One of the aunts pushed between Todd and Eileen to tell me how she was thrilled at Jordan having a boyfriend. According to her, the family had given up all hope at Jordan getting married and having kids.
Jordan’s brother Jake came forward, sighing and glancing sideways at the aunt.
“Dude. So glad to meet you. I’ll admit that when Jordan said she was dating a hockey player, I had my doubts.
But you seem like a stand-up kinda guy, and I was impressed at how well you all played tonight given that none of you orcs have much of a background in ice sports. ”
I nodded and shook his hand. “Thank you.”
His grip tightened. I was sure that if I’d been human, it would have been painful, but for an orc the pressure felt mild. “Jordan is my sister,” he muttered. “If you hurt her, if you break her heart, I’m coming for you. Understood?”
The human must have known how ridiculous the threat was, but I eyed him solemnly, knowing that this man would face terrible odds to protect his sister. Which was something I respected.
“I would never hurt Jordan. She is my breath and my life.” I didn’t add that I’d proposed, that I wanted to marry her and spend my life with her. That was between Jordan and me, and not something I should involve her family in at this point.
“Glad to hear.” He pumped my arm again and scowled before releasing my hand and stepping back.
The other team members had begun to come into the room at this point, making their way to the press room.
Seeing the crowd, they’d paused. Which gave Todd a chance to again name Jordan’s family.
I was impressed that he knew all the team members and could identify them, pointing each one out as he made the introductions.
That done, the family turned to me once more while the team continued to crowd into the room and watch.
“Ozar, I love the team’s Insta account,” Ella, Jordan’s sister-in-law, gushed. “And the TikTok vids are amazing. I’m hoping to win the contest for the Buffalo game.”
I frowned and remained puzzled even after I’d searched some of the words on my phone’s translation app. Contest? Insta? TikTok ?
“Social media,” Jordan’s dad told me. “Not just Instagram, either. You guys were nowhere, and suddenly last week, there were official Tusks accounts with pictures, videos, bios, and contests. It’s a lot of fun.
That’s where we got the idea for the upside-down plastic vampire teeth.
I’m hoping we make it on tonight’s TV recap. ”
Nothing he’d said enlightened me any further, but Bwat had edged up beside me with his phone in hand.
“Instagram? This one?” He turned the phone toward Jordan’s family, and there was a chorus of “yes.”
Looking over Bwat’s shoulder, I saw a mosaic of pictures and videos featuring us at workout, practice, games, even getting on and off the bus.
Bwat touched a picture, and it filled the screen with an image of Trap lifting a woman in a wheelchair above his head with one hand while I scolded him in the background.
That had been Miami, and while the woman seemed delighted by Trap’s antics, I’d been terrified the orc would drop her.
Trap wasn’t the strongest on the team, but he’d been egged on by the crowd of humans and the woman’s encouragement and had taken extra care even as his bicep shook with the effort.
The caption informed me that this picture was the Miami winner, and that HatTrick2001 would be contacted for an address to ship their prize package which included a beer koozie, a Tusks official poster, and a team Coolmax workout shirt.
HatTrick2001 would also be entered to win VIP tickets to the next Tusks game in their area as well as a signed edition of our Hot-On-The-Ice calendar.
I shook my head slowly, looking up the translation for coozie and Coolmax to no avail.
When had this begun? I couldn’t imagine anyone on our team or Escellates Johnson organizing all of this, and I knew Jordan didn’t have the time.
It was a mystery—one that seemed to really intrigue Bwat even as I shrugged it off.
“I am so glad you came to the game,” I told Jordan’s family. “It means a lot to me and the team that you wanted to be here. And I am happy to meet you. You are all welcome to visit in Baltimore. Family of Jordan is family of mine.”
I wasn’t sure why I’d suggested they come to Baltimore.
I didn’t have room in my tiny apartment to host anyone, and I had no idea if Jordan was open to having her family stay with her without any notice on my invite.
Luckily, no one jumped to take advantage of the offer.
Instead, I was treated to a barrage of back and shoulder slaps, yanked down for cheek kisses, and given arm-pats.
Leaving Jordan’s family with a wave, I led the team into the press room for the post-game interviews that I’d come to dread.
Microphones were shoved in my face, and a tall human male with spiky blonde hair asked me how I felt about the game.
This was all new to me, and I never knew how to answer these humans’ questions, but I’d been informed that post-game interviews were part of our responsibilities.
“We are skating better and improving at keeping control of the puck,” I announced, leaning into the microphone. “With added practice, we hope to keep the other team from scoring points.”
The other reporters shouted questions, but I was exhausted and done. Leaving Bwat to take the spotlight, I headed for the solitude of the bus. There I’d relax, and when we got back to the hotel and I was sure Eng was asleep, I’d call Jordan for what had become our nightly ritual .
“Phone sex” she’d called it, although we spent a lot of time just talking before things got sexy between us.
As much as I missed having her in my arms, I’d grown to enjoy this strange distance-intimacy with her.
Separated by many miles, Jordan voiced all sorts of desires, detailing her physical reactions and telling me in detail what she would do if I were there in person with her.
I loved these phone calls. And while I counted down the moments when we would be together again, this phone sex served to build our connection, to stretch the tension of our desire to the point of insanity.
I loved it. I loved her. And as I sat on the bus waiting for the rest of my teammates to board, I knew that I’d rearrange my entire life to keep her.
The future might be not exactly what I’d hoped for, but deep inside I knew that a life with Jordan would be worth that sacrifice.