No, they made that decision and he’s not going to take it back. It wouldn’t be fair for either of them.
#
Blake goes in the second round.
He goes in the second round and he almost laughs, because Elliot was right, and because it’s the New Jersey Knights who pick him, and they play in Newark, across the river from the New York Ravens.
It’s almost a blessing that Blake already knows that he’ll be spending some quality time with the Knights’ AHL team in upstate New York, because that way he won’t be thinking about how bad of an idea it would be to visit Elliot in New York on a daily basis. Because Elliot is definitely going to New York. The Ravens need a guy like him on the roster, don’t have time to send him down.
It’s not like Blake is desperately in love with Elliot. He didn’t let himself fall desperately in love with a boy who would have refused to love him back. Whatever they were until they kissed goodbye in that stairwell had an expiration date so bold and glaring that having any feelings whatsoever would have been nothing but torture.
So, no, Blake is not desperately in love, but it’s easier to be somewhere that’s not just across the river. Rivers are too easy to cross, with all those bridges and ferries and tunnels.
After he’s drafted, Blake gets a call from Jason Renwick, one of the Knights’ alternate captains. He’s thirty-five, just signed a one-year extension, and he gives Blake his phone number, his address, and invites him over for dinner, “Whenever you’re next in town, kid. We’re glad to have you on the team.”
Honestly? Blake is glad that he ended up in New Jersey. People don’t usually have too many good things to say about the place – Blake has never been, except for the airport – but looking at the team they have actually gives him hope. They made the playoffs last season, none of their players are outright assholes and their management seems to be at least somewhat competent. Jersey has a good room that welcomes new guys with open arms. Blake’s phone is blowing up with messages all day – the Knights’ new captain, Brian Kelly, and their starting goalie, Jake Matthews, other teammates, coaches and trainers.
There’s one from Elliot in there, too, a very formal congratulations, and not a word about the river, or the bridges and ferries and tunnels. Of course not, because they broke things off the other night. Being so close to one another won’t change a thing; they could be on the same team again and it wouldn’t change a thing.
He wonders for how long he’ll think about Elliot, about how small he seemed when he leaned against Blake in that stairwell after Blake told him that he knew, that he’d known all along that this was it for them. There were wrinkles in the shirt Blake was wearing from where Elliot’s fingers were clenched in the fabric, like he didn’t want to let go. He did let go, though, and so all Blake gets is congratulations.
His grandma hugs him tightly when they know that he’s going to New Jersey and she pats his cheek and Blake lets her, because she’s the only one around to be proud of him, except for his brother, Evan, who insists on giving him “the highest of fives”. They’ll probably be here again, two years from now, to see where Evan will end up.
Blake tries not to wish his Mom and Dad were here. No point in that. He knows that by now.
Blake leaves Ottawa without exchanging another word with Elliot. Which is fine. What would he say anyway? Goodbye? They’ve said goodbye.
On the way to the airport, on the flight home, he can’t shake the thought that he forgot something important.
Chapter Two
Elliot spends his summer working harder than he’s ever worked before. He was the second overall pick and there’s a good chance that he’ll end up on the Ravens’ opening night roster, but he doesn’t want to show up acting like he already has a place on the team.
The Ravens had an abysmal previous season, hence the second pick, one of their forwards retired at the end of the season, two moved on to greener pastures. The Ravens signed a bunch of new guys during the off-season, so it’s a weird locker room to walk into for training camp, although Elliot is really just excited to be here. He’s in his gear before everyone else, eager to get on the ice.
As guys get sent down and the rest of them are fitted into the lineup, Elliot ends up on a line with Magnus Nyström on his left wing and Adam Ishida on his right. Magnus has been on the roster for three years, Adam has been a more recent addition, spent the past season on the farm team. Elliot gets along with them, jokes around with them on the ice, laughing when Adam tries to find nicknames for him.
“El. No, that’s weird. Wellie.”
“What did people call you in juniors?” Magnus asks.
“Elliot.”
“They did not, that’s way too boring,” Adam says, shaking his head at him, or maybe at the lack of creativity on his junior league team. “There has to be something we can do with Cowell. What about… Hm, Cowie.”
Magnus slaps the back of his head. “No.”
“Yeah,” Elliot says, “that’s definitely a no.”
“Oh,” Magnus says. “What does the cow say?”
Adam’s eyes light up. “Moo.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Moo,” Magnus says softly. “Beautiful.”
Two days later the entire team is calling him Moo and there’s no escaping it anymore. Some of the guys will still
