Chapter 1
I Like Kate For You<!
Tuesday night home game. 2015-2016 season. Final score:
Harbor City 2-Oakvale 3
Why did the guys always want to go out to the same bar as their opposing teams?
It's like they're looking for a fight.
And, since their captain rarely comes out with them, it falls on resident level-head Garrett Nash to make sure those fights don't happen.
Especially not in their home city.
Tonight the place is packed with Harbor City and Oakvale players, the two teams only mingling when they approach the bar to scoop up drinks before heading back to their respective corners.
Garrett is glad it's a big room this time.
Sometimes in smaller, packed bars, a brushed shoulder leads to a shove or some heated words.
Now that he's assessed the situation, he'll sleep easier knowing he or Evan (or worse, Coach) won't get called to retrieve anyone from jail.
He pops up to the bar to settle his 2-beer tab.
Marissa knows he's out after the win and could be late.
Hell— he scored the game-winning goal tonight, he should be celebrating.
But he can't help it, he misses his wife and wants to go home.
He checks the time on his phone and sets it down on the bar, tapping his card against the bar top, waiting for a bartender's attention.
Too bad the bartender is currently helping World's Largest Asshole, Nikolai Krasnov.
His elbow brushes Garrett's arm as he reaches to take the beer he's being handed.
The bartender asks if he's starting a tab and Krasnov responds curtly, "No, just one." Garrett cocks his head.
Huh.
He thought Krasnov stays out late at these things.
"Early morning flight?" Garrett guesses out loud.
He remembers Harbor City does actually have a game tomorrow night, and really no one from their team should even be here partying.
"Sure." Krasnov says distractedly, checking his phone.
He's texting.
The look on his face is one Garrett has seen from almost every guy in the league.
Krasnov is making hookup arrangements.
Garrett is close enough to see a text thread open with the recipient Kate.
Kate: A car will be there for you in a half hour.Kate: I left it open, just come up when you get here.Nikolai:
"Ah." Garrett tears his eyes from the screen.
Marissa has made him so nosy, such a bloodhound for gossip.
"Well, good game.
It's always more fun to play against you."
Krasnov puts his phone down on the bar next to his beer to look Garrett directly in the face.
"What do you mean by that?"
Maybe there's a language barrier?
Garrett thinks he didn't use any weird words, though.
"Just... the team rivalry?
Goes back decades, right?
Doesn't hurt that you and Evan are in this crazy scoring race every season." Krasnov's phone lights up on the bar.
Garrett's eyes reflexively look down at the notification.
Kate: can't fucking wait
Krasnov didn't notice.
He's sipping his beer and looking around the room.
The phone screen turns black again.
"He is ahead for now.
But I will beat him." Krasnov responds flatly.
"I don't know... he's at home watching tape with a ginger ale, and you're here, so..." Garrett smiles and shrugs.
"Funny." Krasnov states but doesn't laugh, picking up his beer and his phone, slipping the latter into his pocket.
He signs the receipt from the bartender.
He tips $81 for one beer and flashes the receipt to Garrett with a smirk.
His jersey number.
Goddamn, he even makes tipping well into a dick move.
Garrett finally gets the bartender's attention and settles up.
He grabs his phone off the bar, pats his coat pocket for keys, and heads out.
When his phone alarm goes off the next morning, Garrett already knows something is wrong.
He's never heard his phone make that sound.
"Is that your phone?" Marissa calls from the en-suite.
"Yeah— I'm not sure why it's doing that." He sits up and grabs it from the nightstand, shuts the alarm off.
The background on the lock screen is a building Garrett has never seen before.
Fuck, this isn't his phone.
Same phone, same phone case, but these notifications are not meant for him...
Flight 2576 8:35am
Kate:
You left your socks here Kate:
How does someone forget socks when they leave?
How did you put your shoes on?
Brett:
You left the bar?
Brett:
Oakvale girl?
You're whipped
These give no context clues as to the owner of this phone.
Kate... why is that familiar?
Brett is maybe Brett Sanderson, Harbor City player?
"I think I took someone else's phone home from the bar."
Oh god Garrett you drove home!" Marissa responds furiously, "how were you that drunk?"
"I wasn't, I had two beers!
It must have just been a mistake."
"Call your number.
Someone probably turned your phone in at the bar."
He dials his own number.
It's not saved in the phone, scratching any hope the phone is a teammate's.
A deep voice with a Rodavian accent answers the phone.
"Hello?""Krasnov?
Fuck." Garrett sighs.
Marissa mouths "swear jar" as if she didn't just hear whose phone he has.
"It's Garrett Nash.
You have my phone?"
"That explains some things.
We have same phone.
And phone... cover... thingy." Krasnov trails off as his language fails him.
"Well!
Can I come switch them?
Are you still at the hotel?"
"Ehh no. I am at airport.
My airplane takes off in a half hour."
"Fuck!
What do we do?"
"On Friday our games are about a three hour's drive." Well, he knew that information very quickly.
"Meet me halfway, we will switch."
"Ok.
Ok." Garrett breathes, half agreeing, half calming himself.
"What do I do until then?
I need a phone."
"Use my phone." Krasnov says simply.
Before Garrett can be surprised at the kindness, he amends his statement.
"Uh... for emergencies only.
Do not answer calls.
Do not read texts.
Do not go through pictures.
Do not go on my social media.
Do not beat any levels in Gem Blast.
Ah fuck, do not open uhh... web browser."
Same.
The pictures thing." Fuck.
There are nude pictures of Marissa on his phone.
He'll have to be on the lookout for blackmail in case Krasnov tries anything.
"And if there's anything that looks like an emergency, please text me about it.
I have kids— everyone has that number."
"I will." Garrett didn't expect the favor to be so quickly accepted.
"Don't do the same.
Don't look at anything."
They hang up and Garrett saves his own number as Krasnov.
Marissa is getting dressed.
"I'm going to text you so you have this number in case of an emergency.
Otherwise I have practice all day so if the team needs me, I'll just be there." He shoots a text to his wife, carefully not saving her number.
He can delete these texts when all of this is done and Krasnov doesn't have to sext his wife.