Page 28 of Offensive Edge
“Well, you can sleep easy tonight knowing that you have nursed the crown prince of the NHL back to health.”
“Fuck you,” Theo said without heat. “I’m just going to do chicken and veggies for dinner. You in?”
* * *
Vic and Theo left Rowan at home the next day when they headed to the airport. Theo left Rowan with a side table full of Gatorade, water, and a box of granola bars. Rowan reported feeling a little better, but he got the go-ahead from team medical to take another day. He’d meet them in Anaheim after they played Vegas.
They dropped the game to the Spades, and in media after the game, a reporter asked if he thought this two-game loss streak could be attributed to Rowan’s absence.
“First of all, I don’t think two games is a streak. We’re still top of the West. We’re not worried. Second, yeah. He obviously leaves big shoes to fill out there. Mateo really stepped up on his first line opportunity. We may not have won, but he did a great job. We’ll have Rowan back when we tackle Southern California.”
“We heard you two live together.”
“Yeah, with Vic.”
“Did the two of you take turns holding his hair back?”
“Vic dipped to make sure he didn’t get any germs. And because he actually has a girlfriend.” Theo appreciated the laugh he got. “I was the one cracking open Gato for him.”
“So he owes you.”
“Oh, he for sure owes me.”
Theo took a window seat on the bus to their hotel, sending Rowan a few check-in texts. He told himself he just wanted to make sure Rowan was alive, but his knee bounced as he waited for a response.
The boys were quiet. They had a back-to-back. They’d play Anaheim in less than 24 hours, with travel, so they were conserving their energy. Theo tried to keep that mindset when he got up to his room, not wasting any time in the casinos. The Serpents had already had their fun Vegas trip for the year. This was the last time they’d be there for the season, and it was an in-and-out operation.
He kept an eye on his phone as he wandered his hotel room, toothbrush in his mouth, parting the curtains to look out over the Strip. He knew the teams that were in major talks with Rowan before he signed with the Serpents, and the Spades were one of them. The Serpents narrowly won out. It was rumors, but he had heard that the Spades were willing to pay Rowan more than he was getting with the Serpents. Every team wanted to give Rowan Foley whatever he wanted, but few could actually make that offer.
If the Serpents weren’t able to give him more money, what did they have that the Spades didn’t have?
He wondered if he was Rowan’s deciding factor.
His toothbrush had been hanging out from between his lips for long minutes since he had last actively brushed his teeth. On his way back to the bathroom, his phone buzzed, rattling on the marble of the modern side table. Vegas went hard when it came to hotels.
He was relieved to see a text from Rowan.
Rowan:I’m alive. I’m meeting you in Anaheim.
He attached a selfie of him in bed, his black hair messed up like a teenaged emo kid, a thumbs-up accompanying a facial expression Theo thought made him look barely alive.
But tomorrow, he’d have his winger back.
He sent Rowan a photo of the Strip out of his window.Getting wild in Vegas. Alone. In the hotel room.
Rowan:I’m glad that if I had to miss a Vegas trip, it was the short boring one.
For the first time in years, his text thread with Rowan was filled with messages. He was terrified by the way he had felt his rage thaw over the past several weeks. The underlying hurt was still there, but it was hard to sustain anger over a long period of time, and Theo was tired. He knew what it was like to be Rowan’s friend. It had been the best and worst thing that had ever happened to him. He knew he was inching closer and closer to a fire that could easily burn him. But he was having a hard time backing away.
CHAPTER18
ROWAN
Rowan madeit to the arena in Anaheim for morning skate before the rest of the guys. Of course, the equipment managers were already there setting up the locker room, and Rowan talked one of the guys into letting him put his own pads up. Not because he was particular about it, but just because he needed something to do.
He was stretching and warming up by the time the bus with the rest of the team arrived. A few of the guys checked in with him to make sure he was feeling okay, which surprised him. Outside of hockey, he felt like he flew under the radar with his teammates.
“Are you alive?” Theo asked, plopping down next to Rowan in Aaron’s stall. Aaron was working with an equipment guy to fix one of his skates, and Theo stayed put, telling him about Vegas and asking about what he’d eaten in the past couple of days until Aaron came back to kick him out.
