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It was a cool night in Avery River in Nova Scotia, the sun having set hours ago. In a house on the edge of the ocean, only a single room was illuminated.
Not by a light, but by a television set.
On the couch before it, two men sat, entwined in each other's embrace, a elderly dog asleep at their feet. In their own little universe.
Outside of this bubble, some people may recognise one of the men as Adam Sheppard, former Captain of the Toronto Men’s Hockey Team, Superstar Center, Stanley Cup Winner and soon to be inducted into the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
The other man, well…. Some veteran hockey enthusiasts would know him too as Riley Tuck, a fellow Hockey player and Stanley Cup winner, who sadly ended his career too early for reasons only a few people knew.
Those same veterans of the game would undoubtedly remember the legendary friendship between the two men, displayed every game they played on the ice. A friendship that had led their team to so many victories. A friendship would be all they would have thought it was.
The truth was something different. Something that the world was maybe not quite ready to hear but would soon know.
About a relationship which had spanned years, brought down in a single drunken night by a foolish statement and painstakingly rebuilt through a long and hard trial.
Adam and Riley had been living together for a while now, ever since Adam had finally been cleared from his shoulder surgery. He would never play again, but then again, that was the whole point of retirement. To finally rest.
Most of the time, Adam lived in Riley’s house, in Avery River but occasionally, they made the trek to Toronto for Adam to deal with something from his old life. See his ex-wife and kids or deal with something the MLH had thrown his way.
Not that Riley begrudged Adam that other life. Not anymore.
He and Maggie, Adam’s ex-wife, had always been friends and Adam finally coming out had meant there was nothing from keeping them from becoming thick as thieves, much to Adam’s horror. And Adam’s kids, Lucy and Cole, loved their uncle Riley. Possibly more than they loved Adam.
They certainly loved that Riley encouraged Adam to get rid of his old house, which he had bought after his divorce and buy a penthouse in the city.
Adam had only meant for it to be temporary. His full intentions had been to sell everything and move fully in with Riley as soon as Riley had finally let him back into his life. But that wasn’t feasible
For now, Adam owned an apartment in Toronto, which was mainly occupied by his kids since it was nearer their college than Maggie’s house and gave them some freedom to be young adults and Riley owned his beautiful beach side home out here.
Not that it really mattered, since Adam preferred to spend as much time as he could in Riley’s home, hanging out with the locals and becoming somewhat of a legend and writing his memoirs. And of course, building a life with Riley and his dog Lucky.
Adam had been working on the book for a while now. It was common for famous athletes to write their story, but this one was particularly personal. Adam had even waved off the offer of having it completely Ghost Written for him. He wanted this first draft at least, to be in his own words.
It was just about done now, and Adam knew that the editor had no idea what was coming. He hadn’t told the publisher ahead of time that he planned to use this book to come out as gay. But there it was, in black and white on his computer screen. The story of how he had once had everything, a thriving hockey career, a team who would go to war for him and a best friend who he was in love with and who loved him back. And how he had fucked it all up.
It would be difficult to tell that story. But he deserved to no longer live in the fantasy life the world had spun for him. And Riley deserved the acknowledgement. The acknowledgement that he had been failed by everyone. Not just Adam but the League.
Riley had assured Adam he was ok with Adam sharing parts of his story, even if he was insistent that Adam not make him seem too much a victim. Adam wasn’t interested in showing Riley as a victim, but as a human being who had been abandoned by those who had promised to protect him.
Besides, if one single person could take away something positive from that story, well, Adam knew Riley was ok with that.
That day, Adam had spent time on his computer, typing until his fingers ached. He wasn’t great at this but for this story, he would endure.
And then, after dinner, he and Riley had retired to the couch to watch the Stanley Cup final.
Adam had kept an eye on the hockey world after leaving it behind, mostly because watching and analysing other teams was what he had done as Captain for years and it was a hard habit to break, even now, several years removed from it all. Riley hadn’t been as up on the state of the League but he still enjoyed the occasional game.
And since they had won the Stanley Cup together all those years ago, it felt right to watch it tonight.
It was shaping up to be a good match. New York vs San Francisco.
Adam knew Riley didn’t have a team he was backing here. After all, Toronto had been knocked out of the finals early on and frankly, Adam didn’t think they deserved to win.
As much as he hated to say it, there was something almost toxic going on with Toronto. A deep rot. Adam hadn’t seen it, exactly but he had that feeling, every time he watched them play, that something was deeply wrong.
The two teams that had been knocked out that had taken Adam by surprise had been Montreal and Boston.
Montreal, he could kind of understand. Their Captain had taken a bad hit on the ice during the first final which had benched him for the season and it had rattled the team up good. But Boston falling over their very next game had been a shock.
Still, it had given New York a straight run to the Cup which, in Adam’s experienced mind, meant it was almost in the bag, provided the team didn’t get too cocky.
Not that Adam thought that was going to be a problem.
Scott Hunter was their Captain now.
Adam had known Scott from his rookie year, when the kid was the player to watch. He had been honoured to mentor him through the early years and even be Scott’s Captain during two All Star’s matches, including one where Scott had set a record which had taken years to beat. He had known, even from an early age, that Scott was a player to watch.
Tall, strong and yet always seeming to try and take up less space in the world. Scott’s build would have put him in good stead to be a brawler but instead, Scott was fast. A lot faster than his size suggested. And he was smart. A tactical player. Which was why Adam had no doubt, if the kid he had affectionately dubbed ‘Rook’ years ago, kept his head, well…. He was going home with a ring tonight.
The game had progressed as Adam had predicted to Riley, plus several of the locals who had asked his opinion, back in town. New York was on fire and San Fran was struggling to keep up.
The score had at 2 to 4, New York leading with 30 seconds on the clock when Adam finally let himself smile.
Riley, who had placed his head on Adam’s lap to watch, stirred slightly. Adam knew his boyfriend wasn’t asleep, but still, the cozy posture made it hard for Adam to concentrate sometimes.
Threading his fingers through Riley’s hair, Adam glanced down as on the screen, the crowd began to count down to the siren.
“He’s got it.” Riley said, not moving from his place as the living room filled with the sound of cheering.
Adam had told Riley about playing with Scott. Riley had been retired by then and had never met the man but he liked hearing stories about how Adam had helped a few younger players in their careers. Honestly, Adam thought Riley and Scott would get along famously. They both had that dry wit that sometimes left Adam behind. And that steadfast loyalty.
“He has.” Adam agreed.
“The boys are going to be talking about this for the rest of the week.” Riley said. The boys in question were the local sport’s enthusiasts. A group of men, some of whom were decades older than Riley and Adam and yet, who still seemed star-struck by the thought of having not one, but two NHL players in their community.
“And I get to say, I told you so.” Adam replied.
More than one of the group had poo-poo’d Adam’s prediction of a New York win. After 28 years, it was a dream, they had said. Well, it looked like Adam was going to be smug tomorrow.
“Careful. You piss off the town elders, you might get chased out of town.” Riley warned, turning on his back so he could look up at Adam while still keeping his head in his lap.
“I can take them.” Adam said. “They’re old and I have multiple undiagnosed concussions and a bung shoulder on my side.”
“I’m serious. They will bring pitchforks and flaming torches.” Riley said, warming to the theme.
Adam laughed before leaning down to plant a chased kiss on Riley’s lips.
God, after over a decade apart, it still took Adam by surprise, every time he got to do this.
On the television screen, the commentators were still going as the Cup was brought out and presented to the team but the two men ignored it. Their own Cup night had been ruined by a stupid mistake on Adam’s part. This Cup night, even if they weren’t the winners, they planned to do things right.
Adam was about to suggest they get up and go to the bedroom when something on the television caught his attention.
“What is Scott Hunter doing?” The commentator asked, the note of surprise in his voice enough to draw Adam’s attention from his boyfriend in his lap and to the television before them. Riley too, glanced over.
“Is that a fan? Big moment for that fan, if true.” The commentator continued.
The camera was fixed on Scott, circling around him and yet, Adam could see that Scott was ignoring them, his eyes fixed on something up in the stands as he gestured to someone. The camera then switched to pan to the crowd where someone dressed in a blue jacket was pushing their way through, heading down to the ice. It was a man.
Slowly, Riley rose from his position, eyes fixed on the screen just like Adam’s.
The cameras continued to follow the mystery man as Scott skated up to the boards and gestured for the man to jump over.
“He just hopped the boards.” The commentator continued but Adam was barely listening anymore, his attention fully on the image as Scott guided the mystery man across the ice. He had no idea what was happening and yet, deep in his gut, he knew it was something important.
Once he was closer to the team, Scott stopped and Adam couldn’t help but notice the grip Scott had on the man’s hand. It wasn’t just a helping hand. No, it was much more intimate.
Adam felt Riley reach down and grip his own hand, threading their fingers together.
“Is he….?” Riley breathed.
And then Scott was leaning forward and kissing the man with a passion Adam had rarely seen before.
“Ho…Ly….Shit!” Riley breathed beside him, grip tightening.
The cameras were still circling, capturing images of the couple, because that was what they clearly were, as the commentators tried to fill the stunned silence with chatter. In the arena, the crowd was going nuts. Cheering as if New York had just won the cup all over again. Even the rest of the New York players, in the brief moments when the cameras were pointed their way, seemed to have realised what was happening and rather than ignore it or be upset, were actually cheering their Captain.
“Good for him!” The commentator stated. “Good for Scott Hunter.”
Finally, as the New York players rushed forward to swarm the couple, the screen switched from the live feed down on the ice to in the commentator's room where the presenters sat in stunned silence for a moment.
“Wow! That is one hell of a way to celebrate a cup win!” One of the men said.
Riley clearly wasn’t in the mood for whatever they had to say, snatching up the remote and switching the television off.
The room fell into dim but neither Riley nor Adam cared. They could still see each other. And that was enough.
“Did he…?” Riley asked before trailing off.
Adam could only nod.
Riley looked at him.
“When you played with him, did you know?” He asked.
This time, Adam shook his head. He hadn’t known much about Scott outside of Hockey. Although now he thought about it, Scott had always been a loner, even when he was a rookie. He hadn’t had any major rivals and as far as Adam remembered, he had never been linked to a woman before.
“No.” He finally said, his voice horse.
Riley shook his head, even as he smiled. Then, he broke out into a giggle.
“This is going to change so fucking much!” He muttered between fits of laughter.
Adam couldn’t stop his own giggled at this. They were infectious, when it was Riley.
“Fuck!” Riley finally muttered. “How many other players do you think will come out because of this?” He glanced over at Adam.
“Well, we will when the book is finally published.” Adam said. “But I am sure there will be more.”
There was a long pause as the two former hockey stars processed this. The world had changed from the cold, unfeeling sport they had both offered themselves to as kids. The sport which had taken so much from them, physically in Adam’s case and mentally in Riley’s.
“Not the first now, huh Shep?” Riley finally said.
“You wanna know a secret Riles?” Adam asked. Riley glanced at him. “I’m glad I’m not gonna be the first. Scott’s a brave kid. He can handle whatever they throw at him. And he’s in a better position to do some good than me.”
Riley smiled at that.
“Shit.” Adam muttered suddenly. “I should call him. I have his number somewhere…” It was true. Adam did still have Scott Hunter's number in his phone book somewhere. He had gotten it years ago and being somewhat technically challenged, had never deleted it. Of course, Scott could have changed his number but still, Adam should at least try to reach out.
Adam made to stand, to search for his phone but Riley placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Not tonight.” His boyfriend muttered, being the voice of reason. “I am sure he has something far better to do right now.”
Adam immediately caught his boyfriend’s meaning there.
“Yeah, he probably does.” He agreed.
“And so do we.” Riley continued.
Adam grinned and immediately stood up, intent on getting to the bedroom as soon as possible. But he had forgotten one thing.
At his feet, Lucky huffed, the dog clearly annoyed at being woken up by the sudden movement. Riley laughed.
“You go upstairs. I’ll put Lucky to bed and join you.” He suggested.
Adam smiled.
“Yeah?” He asked.
“Yeah.” Riley confirmed.
Adam didn’t need to be told twice as he turned and made his way up the stairs. His mind was racing with possibilities now. Yes, he was ready to come out, to stand with Riley by his side but it had still terrified him.
Now though, with what Scott had just done, the future was not looking scary at all.
In fact, Adam was looking forward to it.