Chapter 2
Until two months into the season, when Wes frowned at his phone, and Luc asked if he was okay.
"Yeah, I just haven't heard from Rose in a while," he said.
Connor had looked wide eyed at Luc, surprised.
"What's a while?" he tried, sounding as casual as possible.
"We usually check in throughout the day, but I haven't heard anything since this morning," Wes said.
"Is she stuck at work?" Luc asked.
"Maybe," Wes said, not looking up.
"Have you called her?" Connor asked.
"No," Wes frowned, finally locking his phone and looking up at them.
"Doesn't sound like you bug her if you usually talk that often," Connor said, looking at Luc.
Luc nodded reassuringly.
"Maybe," Wes said.
"Ice in five," Dubois shouted into the locker room.
Wes sighed, putting his phone in his cubby face down.
"I'll call after the game."
Connor followed Luc and Wes out onto the ice, watching as Wes cleared his head and played a killer first period.
They made it all the way through their second period when he heard Rousseau talking to Wes about the Centaur's disastrous game earlier that afternoon.
"I only caught the highlights, but Sokolov went down hard," Rousseau was laughing.
"How hard?" Wes asked.
"Eh, not sure, but he was off the ice for the rest of the game," Rousseau said.
"Hospital, probably."
Connor sat with Wes, leaning in to talk to Rousseau.
"Good.
Might mean he's riding the bench when we play the Titans next week."
"Not that it matters," Rousseau said.
"Even with Sokolov, those assholes don't stand a fucking chance this year."
"Still, without him there, it'll be a smoother game for us," Connor said.
"I'm not sure it's worth playing if Sokolov isn't there," Wes finally piped up.
"That's easy for you to say," Connor said.
"You're the only one immune to his chirps."
"If you guys haven't learned not to react to chirps after all these years, that's on you," Wes shook his head, standing and skating back onto the ice.
Connor watched as Wes absolutely dominated the third period, rushing off the ice as soon as the game was done and leaving the locker room without changing out of his skins, clearly in a rush to get a hold of Rose.
Connor shrugged as he caught Luc's eye, glad that at the very least, Wes talked about her with them.
Maya raised her eyebrow at Connor as Wes smiled down at his phone, texting quickly before tucking it back in his lap and handing Finn another piece of pasta.
Wes had seemed so much happier this season.
Connor and Luc hadn't been too sure about it, but they figured it had something to do with Rose.
She was more constant lately.
Wes was on his phone more than ever, but he'd been
smiling
more than ever.
He was happier, joking more.
He was more patient on the ice, more relaxed during practice.
This year's rooks were getting the most relaxed version of Wes Calloway that Connor had ever seen.
"How are your parents, Wes?"
Wes looked up confused for a moment before he smiled.
"Oh, they're good."
"You spent most of the summer with them, right?" Maya asked.
"Yeah, we were at the cottage with them," Wes said absently.
Connor's eyes cut right to Maya's; they were practised at not reacting, but Connor
they would be talking about that
we
later when Wes had left.
He waited until dinner was over to text Luc and tell him what Wes had said.
We.
There was a
we.
Luc was right; Wes and Rose were serious.
Connor was going to meet Rose before summer.
He was determined.
"Dude, he said
we,"
Connor recounted.
"Okay, okay," Luc said excitedly as they watched Wes skate out on the ice.
"So I was right."
Connor rolled his eyes.
Of course that was what Luc would get hung up on.
"Sure, yes," Connor agreed.
"So, what do we do?"
"Nothing," Luc said.
"He's relaxing around us.
That's all we can ask for.
We keep doing what we're doing, and he'll come to us in his own time."
"That could be another five years," Connor whined.
"No, listen," Luc said, leaning in closer.
"They weren't serious for years.
This
business is new.
And he's already talking to her about it.
I think we're closer than you think."
Connor sighed, but it made sense.
"So Rose's not new, but the relationship is kind of new."
"Exactly.
All we have to do is be patient.
We've got like three games with Seattle already on the schedule.
The first game, we say nothing, but maybe the second game, we try to work out if she comes to the games?
Maybe she's been coming and watching him play all this time?"
"Okay," Connor agreed, liking the plan.
"So we just stay supportive and hope he wants to introduce us?"
"Yeah, this has to be on his own time," Luc said.
"You know what he's like."
"Why do you think he hid her all this time?" Connor asked, watching Wes laugh with Novak out on the ice, his stomach hurting at the idea that Wes not trusting him.
"Isn't it obvious?" Luc asked.
"She's probably a die hard Minutemen fan.
Probably wears a Minutemen jersey when they fuck."
Connor laughed, but he wondered.
If that's all it was, why wouldn't Wes have told them?
Wes was in a mood.
It had been six days, and he was becoming insufferable.
Connor had asked if he was okay, and Wes had just said he was
fine
, terse and stiff.
Luc had asked if he was feeling alright, and Wes said he had never felt healthier.
Connor has asked if his parents were well, and Wes had looked confused and said they were great.
On day six, Luc asked if he'd spoken to Rose lately, and Wes smacked his stick against the boards and skated off in a huff.
"Do you think they're fighting?" Luc asked.
Connor had
idea.
He had figured they had fought for a while two years ago, and it had been horrible; Wes had dated Ivy Thompson for a few weeks, but he had never been more miserable.
Connor hadn'tseem him crack a smile the entire time, and he was even more on edge than usual.
He had been a strange combination of angry and sad and heartbroken and devastated.
But this wasn't that.
Wes was twitchy, crawling out of his skin.
Anxious, maybe.
Connor didn't think he was angry, but he definitely seemed unhappy.
"We should do something," Luc suggested.
"Maybe we invite him out for a boy's night."
"He won't come out, especially if he's in a mood," Connor said.
"Okay, let's go to his tonight.
Bring some beers, watch a movie, just keep him company," Luc said.
"Maybe we can distract him and get his mind off of whatever's going on."
Connor nodded; that was actually a really good idea.
They would be on Wes's turf, so he'd be comfortable.
Connor was sure he wouldn't drink, especially not during the season, but he'd be relaxed in his own space, at least.
"That actually might work," Connor said.
"Grab me on your way in at like seven thirty?
I'll put the kids to bed and then we can sort Wes out."
Luc nodded as he joined Wes out on the ice, getting ready for the next scrimmage.
Connor was proud of them.
They were great friends.
The house was dark when they pulled up.
Luc parked a couple of houses down, grabbing the case of beer he had bought before picking up Connor.
They knocked on the door, faltering when it became clear Wes wasn't home.
"Should we just go?" Connor asked.
"It's not even eight," Luc said, looking around.
"Where would he even be?"
"Maybe he went out to grab food?" Connor suggested, pulling out his keys.
Wes had given him a spare key for emergencies.
Connor hadn't used it before, but he figured this was kind of an emergency.
He avoided Luc's eye as he unlocked the door, urging him in and shutting it quickly, resetting the alarm system as they walked into the main room.
"Fuck, I always forget how good the view is here," Luc said, dropping the beer on the dining table and walking towards the big bay windows.
Wes's new house looked out onto beautiful greenery.
Connor had been surprised when he had rented out his apartment in the city last year and bought this massive house; Maya had thought it was way toobig for just Wes, but Wes had said that he needed a change of scenery.
"It's amazing," Connor said, going into the kitchen and searching the drawers for a bottle opener.
He frowned when he found it inside the fruit bowl, stepping back and taking a look around the house.
There were blankets strewn across the couch, not folded neatly like Wes usually had them.
There was a black peacoat hanging off the back of one of the dining chairs, and two pairs of slides sitting by the front door.
There was a tiny whiteboard hanging on the wall above the phone, the entire left hand side covered in tiny scribbles of smiley faces, hearts and stars.
"Luc," Connor called, looking around.
"Does it look like someone else spends a lot of time here?"
Luc surveyed the room, his eyebrows shooting up as he looked around.
"You think Rose has been here?"
"I mean, someone has been," Connor guessed.
"Wes's too anal retentive to live like this."
"Damn, Calloway forced to accept a bit of mess for good pussy, I never thought I'd see the day," Luc laughed.
"Wes would never leave his place this messy," Connor frowned.
"No shit," Luc said, reaching into the couch cushions and holding up a nearly empty bottle of lube.
"Busted, Calloway."
"We should call him," Connor said as Luc tossed the lube back on the couch.
"He might be out with Rose and –"