Hockey Is My Boyfriend: Part Two

by Ting, Melanie

  “You could come to Maine for a visit. Maybe a three-day weekend? It would be great if you could come and see me play.”

  “I guess, but since we both have hockey, we’ll never be free at the same time.”

  Jimmy nodded. “Well, you never know. Maybe after the season is over you can come down. It’s only about a five or six hour drive.”

  If I had a car. As I opened my mouth to point this out, he kept on talking. “I have this awesome long distance plan. I got it to keep in touch with my parents, but I’ll add you onto it, and then we can talk anytime. Or we could Skype. It would be great to be able to see you.”

  Was he talking about going out long distance? I hated to be the dream stomper, but this was nuts. “Jimmy, get real. We live in totally different places, and we’re both really busy. I don’t see how this can work.”

  “Kelly, come on. It’s not like everyday you meet someone you totally connect with. Of course we should stay together. I mean, in some ways it’s perfect for us—we both have hockey and school and not enough time during the week. We’re too busy for relationships that take up tons of time and energy. What we’ve got is more manageable. And when we do get to see each other, it’ll be awesome.”

  He punctuated this with a kiss, which was kind of distracting for me. Then he continued, “Plus, I don’t want to presume, but it’s a pretty sure thing I’ll be on the World Juniors team. I was last year. And you know where the tournament takes place, right?”

  I shook my head. Not actually something I thought about six months before the event.

  “Kelly, it’s in Vancouver! Perfect. You’ll be home for Christmas, and then we can see each other.”

  It was like he had a five-year planner in his head. And I was getting inked in for dates up until 2011.

  It was all ridiculous. Phil and I had agreed long distance couldn’t ever work, but Jimmy was completely confident it was the right thing. And I couldn’t explain the effect Jimmy had on me. He seemed to be able to persuade me to do things that were nuts. Like holding his hand in the dining hall, or even being his girlfriend for two weeks. But I guess he saw it as more than two weeks. He was always looking ahead, unlike me.

  I still thought this relationship couldn’t last, but maybe it would be easier to break up later—when he wasn’t caressing my hand and making me feel all kinds of hot.

  Jimmy kept talking. His low voice was almost hypnotic.

  “You feel it, don’t you? What we’ve got together.” He pulled both my hands onto his chest, pulling me closer. I could smell him. There was energy radiating off him and the heat between us, and a wave of pure desire hit me and pulled me under.

  And that’s how I ended up in my first long distance relationship.

  22

  The Maine Event

  A broken water pipe in Ottawa caused me to have a dirty weekend in Orono, Maine.

  The Martlets were supposed to be playing a game at Ottawa U on the first weekend of October, when the word came down that the arena had to be closed after a burst pipe flooded the ice. Coach Mike could have scheduled extra practices, but after hassles with the sports administration, he decided we needed a break and set us free.

  I never got weekends off, so I called Jimmy and he was keen. So I started trying to figure out how to get to UMaine. It was a trip that took six-and-a-half hours if you had a car, but twice that on the bus.

  Since I last saw Jimmy in Montreal, we had talked on the phone but there had never been a chance to see each other. The whole long distance thing was working out better than I expected. It wasn’t like I was a big partier to begin with, but now if I felt like staying home on a Saturday night, nobody got on my case. And I had a bulletproof excuse for the clueless guys that did ask me out, one that worked perfectly and didn’t leave things all awkward.

  I hated talking about the whole deal though. Anyone who could do math realized we had only known each other three weeks. Deirdre was particularly shocked.

  “Tank, are you shitting me? You got a serious boyfriend from hockey camp in New Brunswick? I’ve only lived my whole fucking life in Moncton and had one relationship.” Yeah, but Deirdre was at a disadvantage because she dated women, so the prospect pool was a lot smaller.

  “It’s not really serious,” I protested.

  “What’s his name? If he plays hockey, I probably know him.”

  Yeah, she was going to know him. “Um, it’s Jimmy Frechette.”

  Deirdre was shocked into silence. Her blue eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. Then she started laughing. “Of course. I shoulda expected nothing less from Kelly Tanaka, the girl who gets hit on while drowning. Now she’s dating New Brunswick’s answer to Sidney-fucking-Crosby.”

  Once she finished laughing, she squinted at me. “But jeez, how old is he? Wait, I know this because he played hockey against my brother. He’s only eighteen. Jesus, Tank, you’re a cradle robber.”

  This was another thing I hated talking about. He was only a year behind me in school, but he was two years younger. But his age was part of his personality. Jimmy had done a lot of exciting things I hadn’t, even if he seemed to be kind of socially backward. He probably found me the same mix. Mature was never a word I’d been tagged with.

  Deirdre was frowning now. “I personally don’t know him, but I’ve heard stuff about him. Isn’t he a little—” She stopped abruptly.

  “A little what?” I asked.

  “Nothing. He’s your boyfriend, right?”

  “Spill, Dee. It’ll kill you to keep an opinion to yourself.”

  “So unfair,” she declared. But she plowed on. “Well, people get jealous, right? They say he got so far because all he does is hockey. Eat, sleep, hockey.”

  I waited for the bad part. “Lots of people do that. And they don’t get as far as he has.”

  “Too true. And you can talk hockey ’til the cows come home. So he’s probably not boring to you.”

  Oh, that was the bad part. “We don’t just talk hockey.”

  “Ah, sex rears its ugly little head. Well, ugly to me, but not to you,” she snickered. “He’s built like a fucking truck, so if that’s what you’re into, great.”

  I laughed. That was what I was into, in a perverted way.

  “Jeez, Tank, you know something weird? I’m probably the only person in the world who has met all your boyfriends.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Dee knew J.P. the best, since we had hung out a few times last winter. But she had met Phil this summer, and apparently Jimmy too.

  “And you know what they all have in common?”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask,” I replied.

  “They’re all as hot as fuck.” She laughed. “Even I can tell that.”

  The travel arrangements almost derailed my trip. I wasn’t going to sit on a bus for thirteen hours, even for Jimmy. But I found a ride to Portland on McGill Rideshares. I could take a bus from there and end up in Orono around 11:00 PM Friday. The Rideshare guy also agreed to take me home if I got back to Portland by noon Sunday, all for the low price of gas, snacks, and my pleasant company.

  I was really looking forward to seeing Jimmy. When we talked on the phone or Skyped, it seemed more like we were friends and not boyfriend/girlfriend. Jimmy was a big worrier, and he bounced a lot of stuff off me. He worried about not being good enough for his UMaine team and for the NHL. He worried about whether he was going to grow more and get stronger. He worried about meeting the expectations of his parents, the Blackhawks, his agent, his teammates.

  I worried about school and assignments, but I had some bigger issues looming. My problems were a lot harder to put into words, so I didn’t talk about them. I was worried about what career I would have once I was done with school and what it would be like when I couldn’t play competitive hockey anymore. But sharing problems didn’t exactly make for an exciting relationship, and neither of us seemed to be good at getting romantic on the phone.

  As I got closer and closer to Jimmy, I wa
s increasingly excited. Would we still have all the chemistry we had in the summer? As the bus turned onto the campus, I peered out into the dark night. I could see rows of trees, wide lawns and brick buildings. The UMaine campus was compact and looked like a movie set all constructed at once. McGill was all historic stone buildings crammed into downtown Montreal.

  The bus slowed, and I saw Jimmy. He was standing by this bear statue, exactly where he said he’d be. He was standing very upright, his hands jammed into the pockets of a team jacket, and wearing a toque.

  “Jimmy!” I got off the bus and propelled myself at him.

  “Whoa, Kelly.” I had almost knocked him off balance. My arms were wrapped around his neck, and his arms went automatically around me. I luxuriated in the familiar feeling of his strong body against mine. I lifted my face up to his. His lips were soft and warm, and I kissed him hard. When we stopped, our breath was visible in the cold night. Just kissing him left me almost breathless with desire. I kept holding his hands but took a step back and looked at him carefully. He looked like a million other guys in his jeans, thick sweatshirt, and team jacket; but he also looked so special to me. He smiled shyly with his wide brown eyes focused only on me.

  As much as I wanted to, we couldn’t keep on making out in the middle of campus. Jimmy took my duffel bag and wrapped an arm around me. We walked down the wide path. I put an arm around his waist and squeezed. He felt different.

  “Jimmy, are you bigger?”

  “Yeah, I worked out with this special trainer in August and he put me on a new program. I’m trying to bulk up with weight work and protein shakes, and I’ve gained almost five pounds.” He sounded really proud. “We won our game tonight, first game of the regular season.”

  Jimmy stopped and pointed. “The arena’s back there. You’ll get to come to my game tomorrow. I’m really glad you came, Kelly.”

  “Me too.” I leaned my head into his chest, and he held me tighter. “Mmm, nice and warm. It’s cold here.”

  “Are you warm enough?” Jimmy peered down at me. “Do you want my sweatshirt?”

  I shook my head. I was so happy to be with him that I hardly felt the cold. The night sky was clear, and fallen leaves crunched underfoot. I knew there were other students around, but it felt like the world was only the two of us.

  “So, Kelly, there’s a bit of a get together tonight. Nothing big because we have another game, but if you want to go—the guys want to meet you. Or if you’re hungry, we could go out someplace to eat.”

  Well, I could party anywhere or eat anyplace. But there was only one place I could have sex with Jimmy. I smiled at him, and he grinned.

  “Okaaay. I guess we’re on the same page here.”

  It didn’t take long to get to his place. He lived in a dorm on campus, in a single room. Pretty nondescript but tidy, and it had a nice double bed. Once we got inside the room, Jimmy pushed me against the door and kissed me again. This time his lips were hard against mine, and his hands ran up and down my sides. He skimmed the sides of my breasts and hips, like he was trying to warm me up. I reached up to angle his head so we could kiss better.

  As our bodies pressed together, I felt something vibrating and heard a little noise. I kept kissing him but finally stopped.

  “Is that your stomach?” I asked.

  He flushed and nodded. “I usually eat after the game, but I waited for you. Y’know, in case you wanted to eat. And you didn’t, so.”

  I giggled. “I think you better get something to eat.” I knew what that was like. You burned a ton of calories in a game and needed to refuel.

  “Ah, this is so embarrassing. All I wanted was to be alone with you, and now…” He shook his head.

  “No, it’s perfect. I’ve been in a car or a bus all day, so I’d love to take a shower. And get ready for us.” I gave him a quick kiss, and he rushed off.

  I showered, put on some fresh clothes, and then I sat down to relax and wait. I was full of anticipation. Our chemistry was as strong as ever.

  23

  Skating Power

  Jimmy

  It was kind of embarrassing that when all I wanted was to be with Kelly that my stomach had other ideas. But my body was used to a certain routine, and if I wanted to gain weight then I had to manage my intake. Too bad I hadn’t eaten earlier, so I wouldn’t be wasting our time together. I was so stoked she was here. Long distance was tougher than I thought it would be. At least once a day, I wished Kelly were here. I really liked talking to her, and she was so positive and happy that she always cheered me up. I had a tendency to take things too seriously, but having people tell me to lighten up didn’t help. Kelly did though. Of course, at night I wished even more that she were here. It would have been great to be having sex with her anytime I wanted.

  However, long distance did solve some things for me. I liked hanging out with the guys on the team, and practices, games, and training took a lot of our time. Guys got hassled by their girlfriends for not spending enough time with them, but I never had to worry about that. Of course, Kelly understood how much time hockey took. Marty had stopped bugging me about girls. Best of all, I never had to feel awkward or too young anymore. I had a beautiful girlfriend, even if she wasn’t here.

  Life seemed a lot less complicated, especially since she was pretty low maintenance. Kelly was busy with hockey as well, and she seemed to spend a lot of time studying, more than I did. I cared about school, but academic expectations were not as high for the hockey team. I knew I would be leaving university at the end of the year and that would be it. Not that I slacked off or anything.

  After I got a snack, I rushed back to the room. Kelly was sitting in my big chair—all showered, with her hair still damp and feet bare. She wasn’t reading or anything, she was simply waiting for me. Her face lit up when I walked in, and I felt this spreading warmth inside. People wanted stuff from me, especially since the draft, and I worried about letting them down. But I knew what Kelly wanted from me, and it was exactly what I wanted from her.

  I took off my jacket and shoes. Then I went over and basically sat on top of her. There was something about Kelly that made me more spontaneous, and I did whatever dumb thing I wanted to.

  “Hey.” She giggled. “You’re going to squish me to death here.”

  “I thought you were Santa, and I could tell you what I wanted for Christmas.” It sounded stupid, but it was the first thing that came into my head.

  “For starters, you might ask for a smaller butt,” she suggested.

  “What?”

  “Oh, have you never looked behind you? You have the largest butt this side of the 49th parallel.” She kept giggling and patted my ass. This was something I had taken grief for before, but still, isn’t your girlfriend supposed to find you perfect?

  “It’s where my skating power comes from,” I told her.

  “Wow, then you must be the fastest skater this side of the 49th parallel.”

  “You must be pretty fast too,” I told her. Kelly had quite the ass as well, but in her case it was all good.

  “I travel for hours, and all I get is insulted?” She tried to tickle me. I dodged her for a minute, but she managed to get me. We started wrestling around. I got up, picked her up, and threw her on the bed. I jumped on top of her and started tickling her.

  She was laughing hysterically. “Stop, Jimmy,” she shrieked.

  “What’ll I get if I stop?” I was tickling her down her sides and admiring the way her tits stuck out when she struggled. I stopped for a moment, and she grabbed my wrists.

  She looked up at me and her eyes were sparkling.

  “You’ll get whatever you want.”

  The expression on her face made my cock jump up. I reached down and started to unbutton her white shirt, and then I unzipped her jeans. She wriggled out of both, and she was wearing this lacy white underwear—it looked so innocent and sweet, just like Kelly. Yet it also looked sexy, since the tops of her breasts were pushed up by the bra, and you could see
her bare stomach and the dark hair of her pubes through the lace.

  I yanked off my clothes. I was still full of the energy I got after a hockey game, especially a win. It was so perfect that Kelly was here to help me burn off that energy. I lay down beside her and started kissing her and running my hands over her body. Her skin was really soft as always. And she responded right away, holding me close and kissing me back. She sucked my lower lip into her mouth in this hot way. I reached back and tried to undo her bra, but it was kind of complicated. She rolled over so her back was to me and I could see what I was doing. I undid her bra, and then I reached down and swatted her on the ass.

  “Lots of skating power here,” I told her.

  “You know it.”

  She turned onto her stomach, and she raised herself up on her elbows. She looked sideways at me, her hair falling over one eye and a big smile on her face. I loved the curve of her back as it went up into her ass, and I trailed my hand there. Then I reached up and pushed the bra off her shoulders.

  I moved behind her and pulled her panties down, revealing her perfect ass. She was watching me over her shoulder. Could she tell how crazy she made me? I spread her thighs and sat behind her legs on the bed. I ran my hands up her thighs and then squeezed her ass cheeks. I had seen her naked before, but now in my room and in the light, she looked even better. Her skin was this caramel colour, which was beautiful and yummy. As I touched her, she sighed a bit, and I let my thumbs move down between her legs to feel the wetness I knew would be there.

  She moaned. She was turned to face the headboard now, but I heard her swear softly.

  “It’s okay, Kelly,” I told her.

  “Wha'?” She was half out of it already, she loved foreplay.

  “The walls are cement block here. You can be as noisy as you like.” I knew what she was like from the summer. I leaned down and kissed her on the shoulder blades and reached my hands around to cup both her tits, juggling their soft weight in my hands. Her nipples were stiff against my palms.