Chapter 2
Davis, Rook and Ramparts fans : the freckles that got me my husband<!
"Okay Finn, you ready for this?" Davis asked.
He was sitting down on a stool in front of a white background with a Centaur logo on it.
He could see Roman and Rook talking quietly in the corner, Rook's presence explained by the fact he was scheduled to film after Finn, and Roman's presence explained by the fact he could not miss any opportunity to fluster Finn.
The Ramparts were filming a video answering fan questions about themselves.
They were doing a lot of that stuff this season.
Finn personally thought it diverted attention from what mattered most: hockey.
But Roman had explained to him, "Fans don't only care about hockey skills, Barrett.
They want to know if we're nice guys." He then smugly affirmed that his delightful personality had partly boosted ticket sales since he joined the Ramparts.
Finn had replied in kind, teasing that maybe Roman had to make up for a lack of skills with his big personality, which Finn could not relate to.
Roman had then tackled him to the couch and whispered something about showing him what else was "big" about himself.
The questions started harmlessly:
"How does it feel to play for your hometown team?" "What's the difference in play style between Lakeshore and Stonebridge?" "Breakfast?" "Cat or dog person?" Davis had to silence Roman's genuine outrage on behalf of Kira when Finn attested he was a cat person.
"Okay, next question: this person asks, what do you think is your best attribute?"
Finn visibly flinched.
Complimenting himself was not his forte.
He could hear Roman and Rook snickering and glanced at them.
Roman caught his gaze for a moment and silently mouthed, "Your ass." Finn groaned, feeling his face heat immediately, a low blush spreading from his ears to his neck.
"Ugh...
I've never really thought about it," Finn started, his voice hesitant.
"I guess... my freckles?
I didn't always like them.
Neither of my parents have them, so I always thought it was a bit strange that I did.
Freckles tend to be inherited from a parent, right?"
He paused, realizing he was leaning toward a biology lesson rather than answering a fan question.
Davis nodded encouragingly, giving Finn a gentle smile.
Finn exhaled, shaking his head slightly at himself, and decided to go with the flow.
So... my freckles.
Roman once told me they were stunning, that they took his breath away... ever since we met for the very first time," Finn said with a shy, fond laugh, glancing around for Roman.
"So I guess I was born with freckles... because they'd get me my husband."
Finn's eyes landed fully on Roman, and he froze.
His husband's face was bright red and barely containing his sappy grin.
Rook, completely unbothered, was snapping a photo at full volume, clearly enjoying the moment, and glanced up at Finn with a teasing grin.
Davis chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"Oh wow, I did not expect that.
Who knew our captain was so... mushy?"
Rook smirked and raised his voice to say, "Barrett, I think the question was about your best attribute as a player, but thanks for... that.
Cute bit."
Finn groaned, rubbing a hand across his face.
He could feel the heat in his cheeks.
Well, at least he'd managed to fluster his husband.
And maybe he'd never live this down but somehow, that was fine.
The Internet : a decade-long love story<!
Finn had never been the jealous type.
Well, that was partly because he was competitive and knew no one could even come close to him for Roman.
Yes, his husband had slept around a lot before they became a couple.
Yes, Finn had far less experience than Roman.
But he understood that for Roman, physical intimacy had been a form of solace, a way to grasp for connection while finding it impossible to be fully, authentically himself with anyone else.
Finn knew he was as special to Roman as Roman was to him.
Still, Finn was human, and humans, he was learning, could be possessive and sentimental creatures.
After their relationship was revealed and the news of their marriage broke, a few of Roman's past flings had reacted online.
Most of it was harmless and humorous: women congratulating Finn for being the one to make THE Roman Koslov settle down.
A running joke emerged, with many expressing gratitude for having experienced Roman before he was officially off the market.
Finn knew his husband was skilled in bed, but he didn't particularly enjoy the public reminders that others had once benefited from that ... expertise.
Finn was lounging on the couch while Roman was at a meeting at the rink performing his captain duties, when he saw it.
A model Roman had slept with a few times in Laketon was mouthing lyrics to a song while applying makeup.
Your Taste by Luna Sterling, it was indicated in the top corner:
"I heard you're back together and if that's trueYou'll just have to taste me when he's kissin' youIf you want forever, and I bet you doJust know you'll taste me too"
The caption read:
"When the playboy hockey player you were seeing finally settles down, but you know you are unforgettable."
Logically, Finn knew it meant nothing.
Roman had stopped his casual affairs months before first coming to the cottage, the moment he had admitted to himself that his feelings for Finn were permanent and something he no longer wanted to escape.
Finn scoffed.
Roman had been his for nearly seven years before they became officially exclusive.
Little did she know, she was the one who had tasted Finn on Roman's lips, he thought petulantly.
Scrolling through the comments, Finn was amused, and a little smug, to see others shared his perspectives:
"Girl, get up.
Latest news:
Roman has been obsessed with Finn's freckles since they met...
The boy was down bad from the start."
"Imagine thinking you could compete with THE Finn Barrett."
"As an Stonebridge fan, Koslov's obsession with Barrett is peak romance, I was told by my teenage girls.
My daughters became hockey fans just from watching how he gazes at him when Barrett scores."
"Who are these two?
Hockey players?
I might have to start following hockey now."
A notification popped up,distracting him from his online scrolling, "You have a memory.
This day 12 years ago." It was a photo of the set from the Apex Gear shoot Finn did with Roman before their rookie season.
He smiled, remembering it was where it all started.
Maybe supermodel Miley from Laketon would be less smug if she knew that.
Feeling bold and childlish, and because he had promised himself to be more open about his love for Roman, he dug through his gallery for the shot of him and Roman giggling at the Apex Gear shoot, foreheads touching.
Roman had sent it to him last year; it had briefly been his phone background.
Finn then opened Wave, looking for a recent, rather presumptuous tweet about himself he has seen a few days ago.
When he was done, he stared at the post, thumb hovering over the "post" button.
The photo was the unedited Apex Gear picture—two boyish rookies laughing, a song from his shared playlist with Roman, playing softly in the background (Quiet Storm by Ryo).His caption:
"12 years ago today.
To the person at Apex Gear who had the brilliant idea of launching a joint ad campaign with me and Roman: thank you.
May God bless the dinosaur that died to make the fossil fuel that became gasoline in the car that took your mom to the hospital to give birth to you. 12 years ago, the day my husband kissed me for the first time."
It was a little unhinged, Finn thought.
He was 90% certain his friends would text him, concerned for his sanity.
But he was even more certain it would make Roman laugh and happy, maybe even blush, and that was worth any minor embarrassment.
He took a breath and posted it.
Unsurprisingly, it sort of broke the internet.
"12 years ago?
Before their rookie year ?
Trust Finn Barrett, golden boy, to have an epic love story."
" This is peak soulmate energy.
How does it feel to be God's favorite ?"
"The funniest part?
Every woman who had a fling with Koslov now knows Finn was always on his mind "
Friends and teammates jumped in. Privately, they were annoyed that Rook had won the long-running bet on how long Finn and Roman had been seeing each other.
Publicly, they played along with the jokes.
Parker:
"Yo, call Stellar—enemies-to-soulmates romance incoming."
Davis:
" Cutest love story ever."
Rook:
"Thanks for the thousand bucks, boys "
Sorensen:
"The power couple of hockey, everyone."
Hayden:
"Proud to have been the (reluctant) sidekick in that romance movie of yours."
And then there was Roman.
He saw the post while walking to his car after the coaching staff meeting, curious about the sudden flood of Picto mentions.
Surprised to see Finn had posted something so audaciously out of character, his first reaction was a free, genuine laugh, his heart swelling with delight.
He knew Finn had been making an effort to be more open, but this... this was provocative and deeply revealing.
Then, a flicker of concern crept in. Had something happened ?
He knew media speculation about his past could sometimes make Finn tense, even if he insisted it did not bother him.
Well, if Finn was feeling territorial, Roman thought, the best course of action was to head home immediately and remind him, in no uncertain terms, exactly who he belonged to.
Giving one last fond look at the photo of their younger selves, Roman left two comments as unhinged as Finn's post, because why shouldn't they be loud and obnoxiously happy about their love ?
"We are number one couple "
"Moya lyubov ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ My heart (and one other part of my body) knew instantly.
Sorry my stubborn head needed time to catch up.
I love you, always."
Edmund Drake :
What's a soulmate ?