Page 85 of Hockey Halloween

Karl

Bergy’s voice rings out. “Looks like they’re getting along fine now.”

We blink up at Eden and Bergy, who are gaping back at us.

“Fuck.” I turn my back to shelter Maya with my body. She tucks away her luscious breast, the erect nipple still glistening with my saliva, and smooths her dress back into place while I adjust my pants and belt.

“You okay?” I murmur, and she nods. While it’s hard—in more ways than one—to get interrupted right now, maybe it’s for the best. The further we go, the harder it will be to move on when she goes back home.

Wordlessly, we walk up the stairs and emerge from our stairway jail back into the party. It feels extra noisy and crowded after our intimate time alone. The two women head off to find a bathroom, although judging from the eager look on Eden’s face, all she really wants to do is to interrogate Maya.

Bergy nudges me. “Soooo…you and Maya. Didja want to thank me for locking you two down there?”

“You could have left us there longer.” That blow job was mind-blowing, but I want more. I want to see Maya fully naked, fuck her deeply, make her come as hard as I did. She’s even more into sex than I am, and I’m a fucking hockey player.

“Yeah. I had no clue we were going to interrupt your make-out sesh. How far did you get anyway?”

I keep my lips zipped. Maya and I have gotten derailed by other people before, so I’m keeping things locked down now.

I blink and look around. Lana and Mats are dancing.

She’s still perfectly costumed, but he’s shed his jacket and vest and looks much more comfortable.

Sinc is easy to spot because of his shark costume, talking to a few of our teammates.

Either his dream girl didn’t make an appearance, or she rejected him again.

But maybe he’ll get another chance—like I did.

Maya and Eden return. She smiles at me, and I feel a rush of warmth inside. First I liked her, then I hated her, and now…I don’t even know how I feel. All I know is that I want more Maya in my life, but that’s not possible.

Suddenly, this party feels like too much. “Hey, you want to take off?” I ask her.

Bergy drapes an arm around Eden’s shoulder. “Great idea! Let’s all go to our place—lots of privacy there. Have you been to a hockey house before?”

A secretive look passes between Eden and Maya, and Eden shakes her head slightly. Shit. Is Bergy going to strike out again ?

“I was thinking we could get something to eat. Somewhere quieter,” I suggest. We’re yelling over the music here, which gets old quickly.

Maya nods. “Is anything still open?”

“H.O.S.?” Bergy asks, and I agree. We find our coats and head out.

The streets are busy for this late at night. We pass a guy dressed normally except he’s wearing a rubber horse head. Two women dressed as cats, one tabby and one black, rush past us.

Maya watches the cats arguing and smiles. “What I love about Hallowe’en is that it feels like you’re part of some weird indie movie. ”

I nod. That’s what I like too, the surreal quality of a night where a horse in a windbreaker is completely normal.

We walk a few blocks past the manicured main street into a more deserted area.

Eden shivers. “I’ve never even been here. Is it safe?”

“This is St. Viola,” I scoff. “Everywhere is safe.”

But I get what she means. This is not the touristy part of town; there’s an auto body shop and some random industrial stuff on this block. On one corner, a dimly lit awning announces House of Sandwich.

We go up to the counter to order. All of us order the hot beef commercial, which is the best thing on the wall-mounted menu. We snag a four-top in the corner. We’re the only ones in costumes; everyone else seems straight off a night shift.

Eden looks around. “It’s like the set of a retro movie.”

She’s right. The signage is ancient, and the tables and chairs are bolted to the floor like a food court.

“It’s straight out of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. ” Maya runs her hand over the chipped laminate table. “I like it. It feels authentic.”

I nod. She’s not a princess; she likes real-life experiences. We chat about random stuff until our orders are up, then fetch the trays. Steaming plates of roast beef on white bread with gravy and mashed potatoes—the perfect late-night snack.

“RIP my diet.” Eden sighs, then digs in. “Yum. I’ll have to come back here when I get the late-night munchies. As long as I have hulking escorts.”

“You can always call me. Day or night,” says Bergy with an eyebrow waggle. He has zero chill. I’m no expert on relationships, but nobody likes things that come too easy. Except maybe Bergy himself.

I look across the table at Maya. “So, what are you doing now if you’re not going to school?”

“I’m living at home and working at a bridal salon,” she says.

That seems like a waste. Maya was smart and driven back in high school. Not that everyone has to go to college, but I think she’d like it. Here I get to play hockey and have fun, plus put off my career decisions for a while.

She beams at me. “Congratulations. You pass.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Was there a test?”

“Usually, as soon as I say the words ‘bridal salon,’ guys flee as fast as humanly possible. But you’re still here.”

I laugh. “I know you’re not like that.” Quite the opposite, Maya was always elusive. I never knew where I stood with her—which is exactly where our problems started. I shake off my concerns. I already said I can’t do a long-distance thing, and I’m not going to rethink that now.

Eden points her fork at me. “Karl, help me convince Maya to come to Monarch. I’ve been telling her how great the film studies program here is.”

Hold up . If Maya came to Monarch, that would be a gamechanger. We’d have possibilities. And she’s independent—not the type of clingy girlfriend that would complain about all the time I need for hockey and training.

“I thought you wanted to study drama,” I say.

She shakes her head. “Drama turned out to be so competitive and critical that I couldn’t hack it.”

Eden nods. “Drama programs can be a cesspool. But film studies are more objective. Besides, our grads still go on to acting careers, or writing, or directing.”

“You’d make a good director.” Rehearsing for the play turned out be tougher than I expected. It’s one thing to play hockey in front of a crowd, but another to hit marks and speak dialogue all by myself. But Maya guided me through everything, even prompting me subtly if I forgot lines.

“Because I’m bossy?”

I laugh. “If the shoe fits. But you should think about coming here. It’s a great school. Small campus, good academic reputation.”

“And we have an awesome hockey team,” brags Bergy. He turns to Eden. “Do you go to games?”

She nods. “Of course. Everyone goes. It’s the social event of each weekend. ”

As Bergy asks Eden if she saw him play last year, I lean towards Maya. “Are you seriously thinking of coming here?”

She frowns. “I’m not sure. When Eden talks about her courses, they do sound amazing. Can you imagine getting to watch great movies and then discussing them? For credit!”

“Unless it’s more fun dressing Bridezillas?”

Maya groans. “Don’t forget the family conflict. Weddings bring out the worst in everyone. Someone always ends up crying. Sometimes it’s even me.”

I see a forlorn expression that is so opposite of the Maya I knew. I reach across and take her hand. She glances up in surprise, but doesn’t pull away. Instead she runs her thumb over mine. That warm connection makes me smile.

“I think you’re someone with a ton of potential. You were by far the best actor in our play. And you helped me so much, so if that’s what directors do, you would excel.”

Her cheeks flush. “Thank you. Life has been tough lately, so your encouragement feels amazing.”

When Eden eyes our PDA, Maya tries to pull her hand away, but I hang on. Who cares who sees us?

“See, Monarch College offers great courses and hot guys too,” Eden jokes.

“You can say that again,” Bergy agrees proudly. But when he reaches for her hand, Eden pulls it away. Strike two.

When the old guy next to us loudly belches and farts at the same time, we decide it’s time to head home. We walk back to Eden’s place, a shared house near campus.

Maya and I are still holding hands, walking a couple of feet behind.

“Tonight’s been great.” I can’t ask her for anything beyond this, though.

After all, I’m the one who insisted that I couldn’t do a relationship right now.

I sound exactly like our captain, Big Z, who tells every interested woman that he doesn’t do commitment.

But despite Maya’s high school memories, I’m not someone who has to fight off women.

“Yeah, it has.” She nods, a smile playing across her full lips—lips I was kissing not so long ago. “I have to confess, tonight’s been huge for me. My confidence was down, but I’m feeling a lot better now.”

“Same. Not confidence so much as trust,” I say. Trust in my own opinions, trust in women, and of course, trust in Maya.

We walk along. Her warm hand feels so good in mine. Being with Maya is addictive, and I’m already craving more.

“Can you come over now?” I drop my voice so Bergy and Eden can’t hear. “I owe you an orgasm.”

Maya’s loud laugh is low and throaty. “I wish I could, but Eden wants to go home and I don’t want to desert her. She’s been so good about supporting me through my bad times.”

I’m disappointed, but I respect her loyalty.

“Look, like I said, I’m too busy to do a long-distance thing. I have two games every weekend, usually a home and an away game.” Maybe I’m just reminding myself because it’s tempting to try to see her even though it’s not the best thing for my hockey.

She rolls her eyes. “Please, Mr. Ego, I heard you the first time you told me.” Maya’s velvety voice softens. “But what if we were living in the same place?”

I nod slowly. I’m not a guy who makes snap decisions, but I liked Maya a lot before. And now that I understand what really happened, I like her again. “You need to do whatever works for you around school. But it would be great if you came here.”

We’re at Eden’s house now. I watch her dodge Bergy’s make-out manoeuvres. Strike three. Poor sap.

Maya circles her arms around my neck. “I’m so happy we saw each other tonight.”

I capture her with my arms. “Yeah. Me too.”

Then she goes up on tiptoe and kisses me. I like it all—the feel of her curvy body next to mine, the softness of her lips, the taste of beef gravy and sweetness. Something about Maya feels so right .

She pulls away, and I reluctantly release her. She walks away, the silly snakes bobbling. But I have those snakes to thank for keeping the other guys away from Maya, except that stupid Batman.

Even though this is the right thing for now, I don’t want to leave things so unsettled .

“Hey, do I have your number?” I call after her.

“Same as always,” she says over her shoulder, following Eden up the front steps.

“I’ll call you when I’m home for the summer.” Although I’m sure we’ll talk or message before then. And we could see each other at Christmas too. So many possibilities.

Maya turns and flashes me her beautiful smile. “You better.”

They disappear into the house. Bergy and I head back home. He’s wondering what went wrong with Eden, but I’m not really listening. I’m too busy remembering everything that happened tonight. Now I have another reason to make Halloween my favourite holiday.

The End