Delayed Penalty

“Stop laughing at your own jokes. That’s my thing,” I said.

Sha

Our friendship worked because we both let the other one be herself. Sha

“How’ve you been?” she asked. We both took a few steps forward as the line moved.

“Great. Just working on my social work degree so I can help people before they become your future clients.”

“You don’t think I want to be a prosecutor?”

“Nope.” I glanced at the concrete floor, wondering if I should even ask the next question. Ah, what the hell. “I saw you with Drew when we first got here. What’s up with you guys?”

“We saw each other at a party on campus freshman year and we’ve been dating ever since.” We inched up a few more steps as a woman came out of the restroom.

“You’ve been dating for three years?” I asked. I’m sure my voice held more surprise than I meant to express. Drew had been dating Sha

“We both have really busy schedules. I’m always studying, and he’s always practicing or traveling, but, um, yeah.” Sha

“Why?” I asked in confusion. Had I done something to offend her, other than let our friendship slip away? Maybe it was a big deal to some people. To me, it was just the cycle of life.

“I don’t know, I just—I know you liked Drew a while back, and I would never want to hurt you,” Sha

“No,” I said. “Seriously, I’m here with someone.”

Would I have been angry with Sha

“You’re sure you aren’t mad because it’s Drew?” Sha

“Oh my gosh. That whole thing I had for Drew was lame. Just a crush a long time ago,” I told her with certainty.

“It’s good to talk to you again,” Sha

I hugged her back before she entered the restroom.

When I walked out of the ladies’ room, I spotted Drew and Aleksandr talking. Well, talking might not be the correct word, since Aleksandr and Drew were almost nose to nose and Aleksandr had a fist clenched at his side.

Drew’s lips were moving as he watched me approach, but I couldn’t make out what he’d said.

I rushed to Aleksandr’s side, taking hold of his fist, so he wouldn’t use it. His breathing was audible, and his shoulders were heaving. How the hell could someone who supposedly couldn’t speak English get so angry?

“Stay the fuck away,” he said to Drew in heavily accented English.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Neeshtoh,” Aleksandr spat, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward our seats.

“Yeah, that looked like nothing,” I muttered as I followed him.

“You all right?” I asked Aleksandr during the first break in play of the second period. I’d given him some time to cool down from whatever had transpired between him and Drew in the concourse by letting him watch the hockey game in silence.

“Da,” he responded.

No eye contact. Speaking Russian. Not all right.

“You seem upset.”

“Tell me the truth about him, Audushka.” He swiveled to look at me. “I deserve that, don’t I?”

I nodded. “Drew and I have been friends since birth. I had a crush on him years ago. He made it clear he never liked me in that way. Now he’s dating someone who used to be a good friend of mine. It’s kind of weird, but no big deal.”

“He likes you in that way now.”

“No. He doesn’t.”

Aleksandr laughed. “I can’t tell if you’re lying or clueless.”

“Seeing as I’ve never had a boyfriend and the only guys who’ve ever showed interest in me just wanted sex, I’d say I’m completely clueless.” In raising my voice to emphasize my point, I’d drawn the attention of roughly thirty of the twenty thousand people at Joe Louis Arena watching the hockey game. Though we’d been conversing in Russian, I still slunk back into my seat trying to curl up like a roly-poly bug.

“You’re too beautiful to be completely clueless,” Aleksandr mumbled, his eyes returning to the action on the ice.

Beautiful? I have fairly good self-esteem, but the B-word had never been on my radar.

“I’m not beautiful. I’m average. I’m the wing woman, not the one guys go for.” I sighed. “I guess that makes me a realist.”

“You are clueless. You don’t even know.”

“Know what?”

“The effect you have on me.” He met my eyes again and shifted toward me. “The effect you have on others.”

Holy crap. My effect on him? A tight ass for him to ogle while I translated his words for the media?

Did this guy realize the effect he had on me? Did he know that every time I looked at him I saw stars? Or that his voice was my new favorite song? Did he know his presence made me feel more comfortable and calm than I’d ever felt around anyone in my life, including my best friends?

But I couldn’t tell him any of those things.

“I have no effect on anyone. I’m a ghost. Forgettable.”

“A ghost is haunting, possessing.” Aleksandr placed his hand on top of my thigh as he leaned closer. His lips brushed my ear as he spoke. “You are anything but forgettable. You are so beautiful, the sun dims when you’re around.”

I didn’t understand his angle. I’d already chosen him. I didn’t want Drew. Was he throwing the kitchen sink at me to get in my pants?

“Kristen and I were walking across campus one day and there was this guy driving around yelling things into a megaphone out his car window. He said, ‘Wow, you’re hot!’ When Kristen and I both smiled, he corrected himself. ‘Not you. The one in purple.’ I was wearing red.”

“I’m not even go

“Not letting me go?” I asked. “You think you have me?”

“Yes.” He leaned in all the way and planted his lips on mine. I sunk into the kiss, my eyes fluttering shut as he pressed harder.

“Seeing your friend with him upsets you, doesn’t it? Just like seeing you with me upsets him.”

His voice caused my heavy lids to flash open. Why couldn’t he just stop at having me? I’d let him have me in the arena’s grimy bathroom or on the beer-soaked floor. I didn’t care where we were as long as his lips were on mine again.

I tried to brush it off. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does. You shouldn’t have to tiptoe around your friends.”

“I avoid conflict. I fly under the radar. Everyone is happy.” He’d crossed the conversation into uncomfortable territory, even for us.