Page 10 of Two Guys One Puck (Gods Versus Monsters Hockey #2)
TEN
SEABORN
K tytor pulls his shirt off revealing a chain around his neck I hadn’t noticed before. It has some kind of medal on it. Like one of those religious ones catholics wear. I can’t make it out before he heads into the bathroom. He doesn’t bother to close the door or nothing to take a piss.
Holy shit. I force myself to go deeper into the room and not bitch out.
It’s only a couple of nights. I’m straight, and I’m not sure I’m even attracted to him.
I have no idea why punching each other makes us do what we did, but he’s a dick who pisses me off.
I shouldn’t be at any risk of touching him like this. We have a truce.
I toss my bag on the chair in the corner and turn in time to find Ktytor coming out of the bathroom. “How are we playing this in the morning?”
“What?” I try not to look at his bare chest, but it’s hard.
“I’m guessing you don’t want to be seen leaving my room. So are you leaving early or what?”
I hadn’t even thought of that. “I’ll leave early since you’re being nice enough to let me stay.”
“Cool.” He’s being cold. Or maybe I’m reading into it.
It’s just three nights. It’s not a big deal. I could sleep on the floor for three nights. I shoot a quick text to my aunt, asking her to feed my cat and telling her I won’t be home until Sunday.
I toss my phone on the side table and dig through my bag for a pair of shorts. I take those to the bathroom and close the door—no way I’m going to leave it open like he did. I piss and splash some water on my face, then change into the shorts and look in the mirror.
Do I take my shirt off? Do I leave it on? I’ve never had a second thought about sharing a room with a dude. I’ve been to hockey camps and clinics my whole life and shared a ton of rooms to save money.
Why is this one the issue?
But I fucking know why.
It’s sitting in the pit of my stomach like a stone.
“You gonna sleep in the tub, pretty boy?”
I throw open the door, finding him leaning against the wall opposite. “Am I not allowed to wash my face in private?”
“Sure you are, but you were staring into the mirror talking yourself down, weren’t you, buttercup?” Ktytor says in his smug accent. He can’t fucking know that.
But how did he guess?
“Or I’m keeping my face pretty.” I shove past him like he did me, tugging my shirt off as I do just to push his buttons back. I can’t let him be the only one getting shots in. I toss my stuff in my bag and grab my tablet.
I don’t know what he plans on doing until we go to bed, but I don’t want to make it seem like I’m dependent on him for entertainment. I sit on the side of the bed and take a deep breath, forcing myself to get in.
He watches it all before sitting on the other side. “See? There’s plenty of space.”
“I thought you liked to spread out?” I don’t look at him.
“Not until I’m asleep, sunshine. Then you’ll have to deal with me hogging the bed.” He doesn’t even bat an eye as he says it. Ktytor is so comfortable in who he is.
“Lucky me.”
“You are, aren’t you?”
I shake my head getting on my iPad.
He grabs a book off his nightstand. I try to catch what title it is without making it too obvious, but he doesn’t seem to notice. I can’t see it. He reads fast, and I find myself watching him more than my iPad.
I finally realize I can’t read the title because it isn’t in English; I should have known. “What are you reading?”
He pauses mid page, turn then flips it over, keeping his thumb inside it so he doesn’t lose his place, giving me a better look at the cover. “John Green.”
“I’ve read a couple of his. Is it good?”
“So far. Do you read a lot?” he asks, tucking the jacket edge in his place before setting it aside.
“Don’t stop reading because of me.” I feel his eyes on me.
“Then why did you ask?” Ktytor tucks one hand behind his head, twisting a little to face me while he plays with his necklace with his other.
I finally look at him. “Curiosity got the better of me.”
“Don’t like not knowing things, do you?” How does he know me so well?
“I don’t.”
“So I tell you. No big deal.” He nods at my iPad. “What are you working on?”
I tap my pencil on my screen. “I’m designing a shelf to hold plants for my aunt.”
He cocks his head. “Do you work with wood?”
I snort a laugh. “I did fine with yours, didn’t I?”
Ktytor rolls his eyes. “I walked right into that one, cupcake.”
“Wow, look at you letting me win without a fight.”
“Don’t get used to it.” He holds his hand out for the iPad. “Let me see.”
I pass it over.
“Can you do all this?” Ktytor gestures at the screen.
“I can.” I smile, pretty proud of the design I have so far.
“Does she have a lot of plants? I kill plants. They don’t like me.”
“She does. We both do. This can fit in her window and hold more.” It sounds kind of dumb saying it out loud.
“Is this for her birthday or something?” He leans closer, like he’s interested.
“No, just something nice. She does a lot for my brothers and me, so I want to do something nice for her. No one does anything for her.” I don’t know why I’m telling him so much.
“You’re adorable.”
“Fuck off.” I grab my iPad back.
He smiles. “She your dad’s sister or mom’s?”
“Dad’s, but she’s closer in age to me than my dad, so we’ve kinda grown up together.”
He leans closer. “You like plants, too?”
“I do.”
“Do you have a lot of them?”
I switch to photos and find one of my room, then hold it out to him. “It’s not a lot, but I like them.”
Ktytor takes the iPad back, looking at it for a long moment. “What types are they?”
I walk him through my little collection.
He scoots closer, listening. After I finish, he points to the Monstera. “I like this one.”
“Me too.”
“The leaves are like Swiss cheese.”
“A little, yeah.”
“I wish I could keep plants alive. I don’t know how you do it with hockey.”
“That single focus thing. That’s your problem.”
He looks at me for a long time. “You’re probably right. I am pretty single focused. But is working, no?”
“Don’t you get lonely?”
He considers my question. “I don’t let myself think about those things.”
I don’t believe him. “I told you about my thing. You really going to sit here and bullshit me?”
He searches my face then breaks eye contact. “You said earlier you don’t have a choice. You have to make this work, yes?”
“Yea?” I ask not sure what he’s getting at.
“We are in the same boat. I have to make this work. If I don’t, I have to go back to my country, and if I go back there, I have a war. At twenty-five, I have to serve unless I get a waiver for being an elite athlete. And then my brother can come here.”
I wasn’t expecting all of that. “He didn’t come with you?”
“How? This was my chance like you are taking yours. I have a scholarship to be here like you. I couldn’t bring them with me.” No wonder he works so hard.
I work my ass off to help my family, but he’s got so much more on his shoulders.
“Don’t fucking look at me like that.”
I sit back, caught off guard. “Like what?”
“The fucking pity, princess. I don’t want it, and I’m sure you don’t want mine. This is just a truce. Any time we are on the ice, I’ll slaughter you.”
I roll my eyes. “Can’t be soft for five fucking minutes, can you?”
“I’m Ukrainian. We are always hard.”
I drop my gaze to his dick. “Is that why you were so big in the shower?”
“Don’t be jealous my genetics are better than yours, sweetheart.”
“You really are just insufferable.” I turn off my iPad and set it aside. “I’m going to sleep before we get in another fight, and I kick your ass, then feel bad.”
“That’s your problem.” He moves back to his side of the bed, and I’m almost sorry at the loss.
“What?” I fluff up my pillow and lay down.
“You have regrets.”
“How can you not have regrets?” I roll on my side to face his direction.
“I just accept things as they come. Why worry about things I can’t change?” Ktytor can’t really be like that.
I just don’t buy it. “Because everyone does?”
“Sounds like a waste of time to me.” He’s so fucking smug about it.
“So you don’t regret kissing me?”
“I regret nothing.”
I don’t dare ask him about the rest. He’s so close and if I open my mouth we’ll either end up fighting or fucking and I don’t know which is better.