Page 78 of The Call-Up
“It’s okay, buddy,” he says. “I’ll still come over all the time. And you can keep my hodag.”
That last part makes Danny crack a small, watery smile. “Really?”
Brandon nods his head. “Yes. Really.”
Brandon
After dinner, Ryan and I pack up my belongings. I guess one of the nice things about going straight from college to the NHL is that everything I own, outside of my hockey gear, can fit into one bag. Nice and easy. Now it’s only a matter of where to unpack my stuff at his place.
“In the closet, of course,” Ryan says. “Just shove my shit out of the way and make room for yourself.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, staring into his closet which is a complete and total mess. Not that mine have ever looked any better. And unlike any closet I’ve ever had, this one is a walk-in and there is plenty of space. It’s loaded with shelves, racks, and rods to hang things from.
“Yes. I’m sure,” he says. “Or if you want, don’t bother unpacking at all. Just wear my shit.”
That’s not a terrible option. But I do still need my beat-upUDub sweats. They’re lucky. So I get down on the ground with my bag and pull them out.
Shaking his head, he grabs my garment bag containing my suit and hangs it up on the long rod next to all of his.
He drops down on the ground across from me and starts pulling the remaining clothing out of my bag with me. “We need to take you shopping.”
“No. We really don’t,” I laugh.
“We do, actually,” he says, holding up a pair of my briefs. He highlights the hole in them that has formed between the side and the elastic band by sticking his finger through it. Then points out that that’s not the only pair I have with the same problem.
“Fine. We can get me underwear.”
He pulls out his phone, types something in, then scrolls for a few beats before he presses down on the screen again. He ends by sliding his phone back into his pocket. “Okay, that’s done.”
“What’s done?”
“Getting you underwear.”
I stare at him, stone-faced. “Did you just Amazon Prime me new briefs?”
“Yes.” He smiles. “You can pay me back later.”
“So that’s how this is going to work?”
“Yes. That’s exactly how this is going to work.”
“Perfect. This is just what I’ve always wanted. Are you going to put my initials on the tag as well like my mother used to?”
“I wasn’t planning on it, but if that’s something you need, I guess I can pull out a Sharpie.”
“Or,” I say with a little force as my phone starts to ring on the bed where I left it, “you could let me handle my own shit. I’m not a baby, you know.”
“Tell that to the team.” He smirks, then snatches my phone off the bed. “It’s your brother. Do you want me to answer it?”
“You can if you want.”
“Will he think it’s weird if I answer?”
I look up at him. “It’s Ander. He’d find it more weird if we weren’t hanging out together.”
“That’s fair,” he says, then slides his finger across the screen. He places it on speaker then drops it into my lap.
“Dude. You are killing it!” Ander exclaims.
