Archive of Our Own

I’m going to kill you for talking me into this.

Geno sighs and hangs his head as the text fails to send. He lifts the phone up over his head searching for a signal but when he fails to find even a single bar he gives up and drops it back to his side. Yelling at Flower and Tanger will have to wait until he’s somewhere with more reception.

Spending a week of his off season at a dude ranch in the middle of the Canadian Rockies had sounded like a great plan five months ago. It was a Christmas present for his girlfriend, Alyona. They had been together for nearly six months and he wanted to do something special. The season had been grueling, filled with more downs than ups and he could feel it beginning to put a strain on their relationship. He had remembered her telling him how she used to ride horses when she was young and knew how jealous she had been of him when the team spent a long weekend in Banff during their western Canadian road trip.

Geno had spent several hours researching and googling different ranches before he settled on Five Rings Ranch, a 35,000-acre family owned dude ranch that offered everything from horseback riding to fly fishing to mountain biking, along with the promise of a relaxing private cabin with its own hot tub.

It looked expensive and luxurious while also being adventurous and outdoorsy and Alyona had seemed so excited to go. She said she was going to be counting down the days and Geno had plans to buy an engagement ring so he could propose on the top of a mountain. By the time the trip rolled around they would have been together for just over a year and it would have been time to commit.

It was going to be romantic. It was going to be fun. It was going to be a way to celebrate another successful NHL season.

But then the Pens lost rather embarrassingly in the first round. Geno was held pointless and Alyona decided she didn’t want to be with — as she put it — a failure.

She left and he returned the ring and forgot all about the reservations to Five Rings until he got the reminder email two weeks ago.

Flower and Tanger had lobbied for him to go. They said it would be good for him to get away for a while and clear his head. It wasn’t as if Russia was welcoming him back with open arms anyways. They were even less accepting of failure than Alyona.

It had taken a few days of his teammates' constant needling before they wore him down and he agreed to go, mostly because he didn’t want to go through the hassle of canceling.

Flower and Tanger had him believing that there was a chance that he could have fun but, now, after flying into a nearly microscopic airport with no cell service, he has his doubts.

He grabs his suitcase off the carousel and rolls it away from the baggage claim area.

Someone from the ranch is supposed to be picking him up but he’s not sure how he’ll know who it is. It’s certainly not a bustling airport, but every other person looks like they rode in on a horse.

Finally, Geno turns a corner and spots a man holding a sign with his name on it.

The guy is tall, blond, and young. He’s wearing a plaid button-down tucked into blue jeans with brown boots and he’s holding a tan cowboy hat in the hand he’s not using for the sign.

His eyes go wide when he sees Geno but he recovers quickly as they nod to each other.

The man tucks his hat beneath his arm and holds his hand out for Geno to take. It’s warm and heavily callused.

“Mr. Malkin, it’s good to meet you. I’m Nate. I’ll be bringing you back to Five Rings.” Nate stands up on his toes to peer around Geno. “Is your companion in the restroom?”

“Am alone,” Geno says simply and Nate furrows his brows.

“Oh, okay.” He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. “Because I was told I was gonna pick up two people. Evgeni Malkin and one guest.”

“Is just me,” Geno says hotly. “Trust me.”

Nate blinks at him and Geno can see the wheels slowly turning in his head. “Oh. Okay. Okay then. Let’s go. Here, let me take your —.” He reaches for Geno’s luggage but Geno wheels it out of his reach.

“Can handle it,” Geno says and Nate nods.

“Cool. That’s cool. Follow me then.”

Nate leads him out of the airport, pausing to put his hat on before he steps into the sunlit parking lot. Geno fishes around in his carry-on for his sunglasses, finally finding them in time for Nate to unlock the doors to an F-150 truck.

“Your bags should be fine in the back,” he says as he drops the tailgate. “Don’t worry, it’s clean, we only use this truck to pick up guests.”

Geno loads both of his bags into the bed of the truck and Nate closes the tailgate.

“All right,” Nate says, “let's hit the road.”

Nate’s quiet until he pulls out of the parking lot and starts down the tree-lined two-lane highway.

“You know,” he starts, “we actually get a lot of solo travelers at the ranch. I think you’ll have a great time.”

“Hope so,” Geno says half-heartedly and Nate bangs on the steering wheel.

“There you go! That’s the spirit! You’re gonna have a great time, I promise.” He gives Geno a sidelong glance. “You guys deserved better in the playoffs.”

Geno sighs and closes his eyes behind his shades. “Really didn’t.”

“No, you did,” Nate insists. “You guys played really well but, you know, it just doesn’t go your way sometimes. Like that last game, you guys hit how many posts?”

“Don’t really want to talk about it,” Geno says and Nate nods.

“Okay, sure, no problem. I’ll shut up about it.”

Nate is silent for thirty seconds before he says, “Fuck the Flyers.”

“Weren’t playing the Flyers,” Geno says back.

“I know,” Nate says, “but still.”

Geno smiles to himself and decides that maybe Nate isn’t so bad.

Forty-five minutes and a series of winding dirt roads later Nate pulls into a gravel drive.

They round the first turn and a huge log cabin comes into view. It rivals the size of Geno’s home in Pittsburgh, with a wraparound deck and windows that extend all the way to its pitched roof.

Geno doesn’t remember seeing anything like that online.

“That’s where Mario lives,” Nate says, uncurling his index finger from the wheel to point at the house. “He owns the place. He inherited it from his great-great-uncle in the early nineties. Packed up his whole family and moved from Montreal. The guy has more money than God now. He’s a really good boss. My mom got sick a few years back and he paid for my flight home and continued to pay me while I was gone. Don’t know what I would’ve done without the money coming in.”

Geno hums and cranes his neck to watch the house disappear from view.

A couple hundred yards down the drive they come upon a couple dozen smaller cabins, each one set back on at least an acre of land.

“This is where the staff and the ranchers live, if they chose to.” Nate extends his arm to point across Geno and out the passenger-side window. “That one on the end is mine. Pretty cool, right?”

Geno nods. They’re cute. A little too rustic for his taste but they’re nice.

They drive for another five minutes before the trees lining the drive begin to thin and the land opens up to rolling fields and snow-capped mountains in the distance. They cross a bridge above a slow-moving river and then drive beneath a large metal sign that reads Five Ring Ranch with the silhouette of a mountain range in one corner and a horse in the other.

“We just have to check you in and then I’ll take you to your cabin,” Nate says as he slows to a stop in front of a cedar-sided building.

Nate takes his hat off as he enters the building and Geno slips off his sunglasses.

“Hey, Stephanie,” he says to the young woman sitting behind the desk. “Mr. Malkin is here. Alone,” he adds quickly and Geno blows out a breath as Stephanie nods.

“Sure thing,” she says with a bright smile. “Welcome to Five Rings. I know you’ll have a great time.” She places a folder on the desk and flips it open. “In here you’ll find everything you need to know about the ranch.” She walks him through the times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and gives him a quick rundown of the activities that are offered.

“Have to do?” Geno asks and Stephanie blinks up at him.

“No,” she says with a shake of her head, “of course not. What’s most important to us is that you have a good time here. If you’d like to relax in your cabin or hang out by the pool the whole time that is completely up to you. You make your own schedule here. However we do encourage every guest to attend our farewell bonfire and barbecue on Saturday evening. It’s a lot of fun.”

Geno nods, noting the event. 

She shows him a map of the ranch, pointing out his cabin in relation to the main lodge where all the meals will be served, along with the fitness and business centers and a small ranch store where he can buy essentials like Band-Aids, bug spray, and sunscreen.

“Here’s your code to get into your cabin,” she says, pointing to a five-digit number, “and the Wi-Fi password. If you have any questions this is the number for the desk here; just give us a ring and someone will be happy to help you.”

Geno thanks her and picks up the folder then follows Nate back to the truck.

Nate points out the main lodge as they drive and one of the many horse barns on the property. There’s a paddock out front with horses grazing on the lush, green grass.

“That’s where the bonfire will be,” Nate tells him as he points to a large, brick fire pit in the middle of the lawn in front of the lodge. “It’s so much fun. The best part of the week.”

Across from the lodge is a row of guest cabins, a neatly painted number on each of the doors and two wooden Adirondack chairs on the porch.

Geno’s cabin is set back amongst the trees about a hundred yards down the road. It’s the same design as the other cabins but it’s easily twice as large.

Nate moves fast and grabs Geno’s luggage out of the back before Geno can get to it then follows him up the front steps to the cabin door.

“Just want to make sure your key code works for you,” he says, “then I’ll be out of your hair.”

Geno nods and flips through the folder he got from Stephanie until he finds the code and carefully punches it in. It works on the first try and Nate smiles and hands over Geno’s bags.

“Dinner isn’t until six,” he says, “but the bar opens at five if you’re interested.”

Geno definitely is. “Thanks,” he tells Nate. “You were big help.” He reaches into his back pocket for his wallet so he can give Nate a tip but Nate quickly waves him off.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it.”

“You sure? Don’t have to tell anyone. Won’t say anything.”

“I promise. Mr. Malkin, everything is included in the price of your stay.”

“Call me Geno,” he says as he slowly puts his wallet away. “Is fine. And you really sure?”

“Positive.” He backs down the steps and tips his hat to Geno. “If I don’t see you, have a good night.”

Geno waves then shoulders his carry-on and rolls his suitcase through the front door.

It’s absolutely beautiful inside, modern and sleek with subtle nods to the wildernesses outside in the hardwood flooring and matching trim accents.

There’s a full kitchen with a two-burner stove and a selection of coffee and teas along with a stainless steel sink and fridge. In the living room there’s a deep leather couch that looks long enough to fit all of him even if he stretches all the way out and a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall between two floor-to-ceiling glass windows that give him a spectacular view of the mountains in the distance. The bathroom is all marble with a double vanity and a walk-in shower, and the king-size bed in the bedroom faces another window that looks out onto the mountains. Out the sliding glass door is another porch with two more chairs and a hot tub.

All in all, he’s stayed in five-star resorts that haven’t been as nice.

He grabs his bags and unpacks his clothes and toiletries then heads into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. There’s a kettle on the stove so he fills it with water and, while he waits for it to boil, he looks through the cabinets and drawers. They’re well stocked with dishes and utensils and pots and pans along with a few kitchen staples like salt and pepper and olive oil.

He grabs a jar of honey and a mug and sets them on the counter before he checks out the fridge. It’s stocked with bottled water and a bottle of champagne with a label around it that says Welcome to Five Rings. Hope you enjoy your stay.

It makes sense. Everything about this place screams romantic getaway. After all, that’s what Geno was originally going to be using it for.

While his tea steeps he connects his phone to the Wi-Fi. He finally has enough service to send the text and, by the time he fixes his tea to his liking, Flower and Tanger have texted him back.

Tanger says have fun!!!!!!!!!! while Flower simply sent a kissy face emoji.

Geno mutters under his breath and takes his first sip. It’s still way too hot so he decides to take a quick shower while it cools off.

The water runs to just the right temperature and the pressure is amazing and the towel he wraps around his waist is oversized and soft.

By the time he gets out his tea is perfect and his eyelids feel heavy. It’s only three-thirty so he decides to set his alarm for five and take a nap.

He hits the snooze button twice and thinks about skipping drinks and dinner altogether but his stomach rumbles and he drags himself out of bed.

He pulls on jeans and a T-shirt and grabs the folder Stephanie gave him so he’ll have something to read while he’s eating dinner. Staying cooped up in the cabin all week seems like a waste so he hopes he’ll be able to find something to do that interests him.

The walk to the main lodge is quiet and peaceful, with birds chirping all around him as the sun filters down through the leaves on the trees.

As he approaches the cabins he can see that more guests have checked in and the ones who are sitting out on their porches wave as he walks past.

He waves back then cuts across the lawn to take a more direct route to the lodge, where two groups of guests are playing a game of horseshoes.

There are quite a few people at the bar inside the lodge. Couples mostly, along with a group of five who are drinking and laughing at a table by the window. Still, as soon as Geno walks up, the bartender is in front of him with a smile asking him what he would like.

He orders a scotch and brings it to a quiet corner away from the other guests. He settles into a leather armchair with his back to the wall then flips open the folder to pull out the map. According to the map he’s in the entertainment room. There’s a pool table, a ping-pong table and a foosball table along with a flat-screen TV hanging on the wall above the stone fireplace. There are shelves on either side filled with books and board games and etched on the coffee table in front of the leather couch is a chess and checkers board.

The next room over is the ranch store and after that are the fitness and business centers, followed by the dining room.

He sips his drink and flips through the brochure, contemplating the glossy images of smiling people horseback riding or mountain biking.

He doesn’t see himself doing either of those things but the trap shooting and fly fishing do have potential.

At six o’clock sharp, dinner is announced with an actual dinner bell and Geno follows the sound out of the building and down the porch to the far side of the building.

There’s a blonde woman at the door welcoming everyone in for dinner and to her home.

The food is set up buffet style on a long table. There’s chicken and steak, crispy fried fish and huge bowls of salads. Macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Geno fills his plate, or, more accurately, overfills his plate, and sits down at one of the two-person wooden tables.

People file in and soon nearly all the tables are full. The woman at the door is the last to come in and she sits down at a table between a dark-haired man and Stephanie.

Geno digs in, each bite more delicious than the last. He has a mouthful of cornbread slathered with honey butter when Nate walks in, closely followed by a woman with a blonde braid hanging down her back. They’re dressed similarly in button-downs tucked into jeans and boots and Geno looks quickly away so he doesn’t draw Nate’s attention, but he does a double take when he sees the man who comes in right after them.

Geno wants to rub his eyes or pinch himself to make sure that he’s not still dreaming, because he can’t believe this man is real.

He’s taller than the woman but shorter than Nate and he’s wearing the same type of outfit but the shirt pulls across his broad shoulders and his jeans are tight against his thighs. He has dark hair and suntanned skin and, when he ducks his head to say something to the woman, Geno can see that they share the same smile.

They grab their food and sit down at the table at the back with Stephanie. Geno keeps an eye on the man as he eats. He can’t seem to look away. The man talks and laughs while he eats, the people around him seeming to hang on every word he says. It’s obvious that whoever he is, he has their respect.

At one point the man looks up and makes eye contact with Geno just as Geno takes a huge bite of mashed potatoes. The man smiles and nods and Geno wants to melt off the chair so he can hide beneath the table.

When dinner is through they bring out dessert. Cakes and pies and home-churned ice cream.

Geno waits until the man goes up before heading up himself. He lingers and waits and plans it so they reach for the same slice of chocolate cake — with raspberries and cream between the layers — at the same time.

The man looks up, surprised, and laughs. From this close Geno can see that his eyes are a warm hazel and there are fine streaks of silver in his hair.

“You can have it,” the man says and Geno withdraws his hand and shakes his head.

“No, no, is yours. I will get something else. Everything looks so good.”

“Everything is good,” the man says as he picks up the cake. “Mario wouldn’t settle for less.”

“Mario is owner, yes?”

The man nods towards the table at which he was sitting. “He’s the one on the end. The woman next to him is his wife, Nathalie, and those are his kids.”

“And you are?” Geno prompts and the man smiles.

“I’m Sid. I’m just one of the ranchers.”

“I’m Geno. I’m just guest.”

Sid laughs. “And how are you enjoying your stay so far?”

“So far so good. Lots of good food. Going to need to do lots of activities this week to burn it off.”

“Well, if you’re interested, I’m bringing a group out on a trail ride tomorrow morning.”

“Is on horses? Doesn’t seem like much exercise for me.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised. Sleep on it. Maybe I’ll see you out there.”

“Yes,” Geno says, “maybe.”

Sid nods to him and turns back to his table and Geno very nearly needs to stifle a moan at the way Sid’s ass looks in those jeans. If all else fails this week, at least he can say that he appreciated the view.

Geno grabs a piece of pie and, as soon as he sits back down, Mario stands up.

“Excuse me, everyone,” he starts in a kind yet commanding voice and everyone stops talking so they can pay attention. Mario smiles. “I won’t take up too much of your time here but I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Mario and this is my family.” He gestures to Nathalie and his kids and also farther down the table to Sid and the rest of the group. Then he gestures around the room. “And this has been our home for nearly thirty years now and we’re so honored that all of you decided to spend some time with us. We hope that each and every one of you creates memories here that you’ll never forget.”

Geno looks at Sid and is surprised to find him looking back with one brow raised and Geno decides right then that he’ll be going on that trail ride.

After dinner a lot of the guests linger in the dining area, talking and drinking coffee. Others take a walk outside or play a game of volleyball or horseshoes.

Geno spends the rest of the night lying in bed googling horseback riding for beginners. Unfortunately, he falls down a rabbit hole that leads him to watching horseback riding accidents on YouTube for an hour and a half.

Finally, he forces himself to close the app and tells himself it’s not going to be like that. It can’t be. He knows he just met the man but he gets a feeling that Sid would never let that happen.

Still, he has a nightmare about falling off a horse into a bottomless puddle of mud while a handsome man laughs at him the whole time.

He wakes up with a stomach ache and considers sleeping the day away but he knows it’s just nerves and refuses to give in. He fled Russia to play in the NHL; he can handle riding a horse.

Breakfast is just as delicious as dinner, with a variety of pastries and baked goods, still warm from the oven, and piles of bacon and sausage along with fresh-squeezed juice, coffee, and tea. Geno tries to keep things light, opting for only a bowl of fruit salad, but the smell of the maple bacon is too strong and he decides he can’t have bacon without a stack of pancakes, as well.

When he’s finished he drags his feet on his way to the barn, nerves still eating away at him.

There are eight horses tied to a hitching post in front of the building and Geno follows the sounds of voices inside, nearly running into the blonde with the braid who walked into dinner with Nate and Sid.

“Whoops,” she says, tightening her grip on the saddle over her arm. “Sorry about that.” She steps around him to a tan horse and throws the saddle up onto its back like it doesn’t weigh a thing.

Geno continues into the barn and finds Sid handing out liability waivers to the guests. He’s in the same tight jeans and a red button-down with a black cowboy hat on his head.

“Geno,” Sid says with a huge smile. “I’m glad you decided to join us. I just need you to fill one of these out real quick.”

He hands Geno the waiver and Geno skims it over. “Lots of people get hurt?”

“No,” Sid says quickly, “not at all. This is just a legal thing. I promise, you’re gonna be okay. I’ll take good care of you.”

Geno thinks of the videos he watched last night but signs the form anyways.

Once Sid collects all the forms he brings everyone outside where the woman has finished saddling up the horses.

“All right everyone, I just want to say thanks for coming out this morning,” Sid says to the gathered group. “We’re gonna have a great time.”

“Umm.” A woman timidly raises her hand and Sid nods to her. “Is it okay that I’ve never been on a horse before?”

Geno could kiss her for asking that question before he had a chance to.

“Of course,” Sid tells her. “The first thing you need to know about these horses here is that they’re the calmest ones we’ve got. They’ve been walking these trails for years now. They could probably do it riderless and with their eyes closed. Once they’re untied from the post they’ll fall right in line behind me. I will give you a few pointers, just in case you need to take a little control. But if you feel even a little bit uncomfortable while we’re out there, just tell me or Taylor —.” He stops and points to the blonde woman. “And we'll get someone out there to take you back. All right?”

Everyone nods and Sid smiles. “Good. Now, everyone go ahead and pick your horse.”

Geno decides on the one on the far end. It’s all black save for one white foot and, when Geno approaches, it turns its head toward him and exhales loudly.

“You doing okay?” Sid asks as Geno slowly extends a hand for the horse to sniff. “You picked a good one.” He confidently scratches the horse’s forehead and the horse bumps its head against Sid’s chest. “Stella here is a real sweetheart.”

“Never been around horses before,” Geno admits. “Little nervous.”

“Well, it looks like you’re not alone.”

Geno looks over Stella and watches the majority of the group anxiously pet their chosen horses.

“It’s not too late to back out,” Sid says. “There’s still plenty of time to join up with another group and do another activity.”

Geno shakes his head. “No. Is fine. Can do this.”

Sid smiles and claps him on the shoulder. “Good, that’s a good attitude. Do you want a helmet?”

Geno really doesn’t. When he looks back at the group only two other people are wearing them, but he knows how upset his agent and coach would be if he ever found out he even thought about not wearing one.

“Maybe I should,” Geno says sheepishly.

“Good choice,” Sid says. “If I had it my way everyone would be required to wear one. I’ll be right back.”

Sid ducks back into the barn and Geno watches as Taylor helps the other guests onto their horses. Geno gauges the distance between the ground and the stirrup and thinks he can probably do it himself.

Sid comes back out of the barn with a white riding helmet and Geno thanks him and puts it on, buckling it securely under his chin.

“You need a leg up,” Sid asks and Geno shakes his head.

“Should be okay. Have long legs.”

“Yeah,” Sid says with a laugh, “I’ve noticed. Put one hand on the horn up here, the other on her mane, left foot in the stirrup. Then push yourself up, over, and down.”

Geno repeats the words to himself and tries to remember the instructional videos he watched last night. Then, he takes a deep breath, puts his foot in the stirrup, and pushes himself up.

“There you go,” Sid says as Geno settles into the saddle. “You got your other foot in the stirrup? Don’t be afraid to bend down and use your hand if you can’t get it in. You feel okay?”

Geno nods. “Feel tall.”

“What else is new?” Sid asks with a teasing grin. He shows him the proper way to hold the reins then easily mounts his own horse, a buckskin with a black mane that's been hitched to the other side of the post.

He gives everyone a quick rundown of how to make their horses go, stop, and turn left and right. He checks that everyone feels comfortable and safe before he asks Taylor to start unhitching the horses.

Taylor starts with Stella and Geno flails a bit when she starts to move but he quickly figures out how to center himself.

Sid walks his horse backwards as the others start to follow, only turning around when the last one is untied and Taylor’s on her own horse.

“All right,” Sid says as he turns his horse around. “Let’s ride.”

They follow a well-worn trail through the trees, over hills and through valleys that show off the view of the mountains.

Geno feels more and more comfortable the longer they ride and, by the time they cross a shallow river, Geno squeezes his legs against Stella’s side. She picks up speed and Geno holds onto the saddle horn for dear life until Stella slows beside Sid’s horse.

“Hey,” Sid says, “you’re a natural.”

“Ah,” Geno says back, knuckles still white against the saddle. “Don’t know.”

“Well are you having fun or do you regret coming out?”

“No, is fun. Very pretty here.” He squints up at the clear blue sky before looking back to Sid. “Glad I came. Your horse have a name?”

Sid pats his horse's neck. “This is Sam. Her previous owner put her up for auction because he said she was too headstrong, he couldn't train her for barrel racing. All he wanted was to make money off her. I guess in the end he got what he wanted because I got into a bidding war over her. I didn’t like the looks of the guy that was trying to outbid me. Probably spent too much but she’s been worth it. Now she lives the good life. Goes for trail rides, eats, sleeps, has a whole bunch of buddies.”

There’s a sudden burst of laughter from behind them and when they look they see Taylor’s horse pawing playfully at the water.

“Taylor is your sister, yes?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“I watch when you walk in last night. Have same smile.”

Sid’s brow furrows in concern. “You were watching her?”

“No, was watching you.”

Sid smiles then quickly tries to hide it. “You know,” he starts, “I’m used to people hitting on me. Usually it’s middle-aged women trying to find themselves after their kids have all gone off to college or older men celebrating their third divorce.”

“Got dumped before I’m come here. That count?”

“Did you deserve it? Were you a douchebag? Did you cheat or something?”

“Lose playoff game. I play hockey —.”

“I know,” Sid says. “I know who you are. And I don’t think that’s a very good reason to break up with you.”

They’ve made it to the other side of the river, where the trail narrows to single file, and Sid urges his horse ahead.

“Let me take the lead, all right?”

Geno nods and falls in line behind him.

Back at the ranch Sid gives them all a lesson on how to safely dismount their horses and how to tie them to the post.

“Is anyone sore?” he asks then laughs when everyone answers no. “Give it some time,” he says. “I hope you guys all have a good day.”

Everyone says their thanks and goodbyes and wanders off, except for Geno, who stands awkwardly with the helmet in his hands.

He knows he has a severe case of helmet head and his shirt is sticking to his sweaty back but there’s not much he can do about it. Sid’s going to have to see him at his worst before he decides if he wants to see him any other way.

“You coming to lunch?” Geno asks as Sid takes the helmet. It’s almost noon and his stomach is beginning to rumble.

“I’m gonna be a little late,” Sid says. “I have to get everyone untacked and put out in the pasture. Unless you want to help. It’ll make things go faster.”

Geno didn’t watch any videos about that. “Don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I’ll show you,” Sid says. “It’s easy.”

Between Geno, Sid, and Taylor, it’s quick work. Geno takes off the saddle and brings it into the tack room while Taylor grooms the horses and Sid turns them out into the pasture.

He’s just put the last saddle on the rack and is about to head back out when he almost collides with Taylor.

“Oh!” Geno says as he steps to his left to get past her. “Second time today.”

Taylor slides to her right, blocking his path. She’s not smiling and her arms are crossed over her chest. “Do you like my brother?” she asks.

“What?”

“Do you like my brother? I see lots of people flirting with him and usually it’s pretty gross. He usually ignores it but with you it’s like he’s flirting back.” She wrinkles her nose, like the thought of her brother flirting with anyone makes her uncomfortable. “I guess he likes you or something, which, I understand. But you’re leaving at the end of the week so it’s not like anything can happen. I mean, not anything real.”

“Guess not.”

“Good. I’m glad we agree. Because I would hate to think you were leading him on or something like that. That would suck. For you.”

“Okay,” Geno says slowly. He’s been staring down hockey players nearly twice her size for over a decade now but he’s never felt this nervous before.

“Is everything okay in there?” Sid calls as he steps into the barn, bridles looped over each arm.

Taylor nods and steps out of Geno’s way. “Yup. I was just telling Geno that I’m running a trap shooting class this afternoon if he was interested. So,” she says to Geno, “are you?”

Geno can only nod and Taylor smiles.

“That’ll be fun,” Sid says as he squeezes past Geno so he can hang up the bridles. “More fun than what I have to do. Some fences need fixing out on the west side of the property. We gotta get to it before the cattle figure it out and make a break for it.”

“You go riding again tomorrow?” Geno asks when he gets his voice to work. Sid shakes his head.

“No, we all rotate so we don’t end up doing the same things day after day. Austin is taking the group out tomorrow. I’m going fly fishing, if you’d like to come.”

“Love to fish,” Geno says. Taylor heaves a sigh and walks out.

The shooting range is a ten-minute 4x4 ATV ride from the center of the camp.

Despite their rocky interaction back in the barn, Taylor seems impressed by the accuracy of Geno’s shot.

“Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” she asks as she fiddles with her earplug.

“Maybe is like hockey,” Geno says. “Good shot there, good shot here.”

Taylor rolls her eyes but smiles anyways.

They stay at the range until it’s time for dinner and Geno’s shocked when Taylor sits down at the table across from him.

When Geno looks around he sees the ranchers are all dispersed around the room, clearly having made friends with some of the guests.

“So,” Taylor says before she takes her first bite, “did you really crawl out of a bathroom window in Finland to get to America?”

Geno tells her the story, the real story, and he’s just begun telling her how it felt to score his first NHL goal when Sid walks in.

He’s stripped out of his button-down, leaving him in a white T-shirt. There’s dirt on his jeans. He looks a little sweaty and sunburnt but, when he gets close to the table, Geno can see that his hands are freshly washed.

“You stink,” Taylor says as Sid sits down beside her. “And Nathalie is going to be pissed when she sees that you showed up for dinner with guests like that.”

“Nathalie looks worse than I do,” Sid says, jerking him thumb over his shoulder, where Nathalie is sitting beside Mario. Her hair is falling out of her ponytail and there’s dirt streaked across her face. “She was working out there with us. How was your afternoon?”

“Geno is a ringer,” Taylor says.

“Beginner’s luck,” Geno corrects. “Or maybe I’m just great.”

Sid laughs and Taylor rolls her eyes.

After dinner, instead of going back to his room, Geno hangs around and plays a game of horseshoes with Nate, Sid, and Taylor.

One game turns to two and then three as Sid’s competitive side comes out. The sun dips below the horizon and the spotlights come on. The heat of the day burns off and the temperature drops. It gets cool enough that Geno wraps his arms around himself and rocks back and forth on his toes to try to warm himself up as Nate and Taylor take their turns.

He doesn’t even realize that Sid is gone until he returns with a Carhartt jacket and hands it to Geno.

It smells like leather and hay and it’s big through the shoulders, but that just means there’s more room for Geno to wrap himself up in.

A few rounds later Geno is the first to yawn, something Taylor takes joy in pointing out.

“Had long day today,” Geno says and Taylor laughs.

“That’s our life every single day.”

“Does that mean you forfeit?” Sid asks and Geno rolls his eyes.

“Yes, Sid, you win. You happy now?”

“Very.” He hands his horseshoes over to Nate. “I’ll walk you back to your cabin.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Geno tells him. The moon is full and bright and the path back to his cabin is lit with solar lights, but he knows now how vast the property is. Anything could be out there. “Okay,” he says. “If you want.”

They walk quietly together, Sid’s hands in the pocket of his jeans and Geno’s in the pockets of the coat. Their shoulders brush occasionally and Geno feels a thrill each time they do, unsure if Sid’s doing it on accident or on purpose.

When they get back to Geno’s cabin Geno steps up on the first step and turns.

“Can come in,” he says to Sid, “if you want. Have a bottle of champagne and a hot tub.”

Sid laughs softly and looks up at him. “I would love to,” he starts, “but …” He trails off and Geno nods.

“Okay,” Geno tells him, “is okay. Don’t have to explain.”

“I feel like I do, though.”

“Sid, I promise, is okay. Is probably not right for me to even ask. I still see you tomorrow, yes? Or am I not allowed to go fly fishing now?”

“No, of course you are,” Sid says. “I’m looking forward to seeing you. I can’t wait, actually, and I really would come inside — but ...”

“Sid.” Geno puts his hands on Sid’s shoulders and squeezes. “Have a good night.”

“Thanks,” Sid tells him. “You, too.”

Sid waits until Geno gets his door open before he turns to leave. Geno watches him go for a moment before he closes the door then immediately realizes he's still wearing Sid's coat. 

He pulls it off his body and opens the door again, prepared to call after Sid. He doesn't get a chance before Sid's there, hands fisting in Geno's shirt as he presses their lips together.

The surprise gives way to acceptance lightning fast and Geno drops the jacket in favor of pulling Sid through the door.

“I can’t stay,” Sid says, tripping over the jacket and falling forward into Geno’s chest. Geno clutches at him to keep him upright and keeps kissing him when Sid doesn’t try to pull away. “I’m serious,” Sid mumbles against Geno’s lips. “I have to go, really.”

“Yes,” Geno replies between kisses. “Me, too.”

Sid laughs and it’s enough for Geno to take a break and take a breath. Sid’s eyes are shining brightly and his cheeks are pink and all Geno wants to do is kiss him again.

“I really should go,” Sid says as he leans down to pick up the jacket. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Bright and early.”

“Bright and early?” Geno repeats quickly. He didn’t agree to anything happening bright and early.

“I’m teasing,” Sid says with a smile. “I’ll see you at breakfast at the normal time.” He takes a step back through the open door and pauses before he starts down the stairs. “Do you happen to have any Tylenol?”

“I think so. Why? You want?”

Sid shakes his head. “No, but it might be a good idea if you take some before you go to sleep.”

“What’s that mean?”

Sid just smiles and backs down the steps. “Have a good night, Geno.”

Geno watches him until Sid steps out from the light of the moon and his silhouette disappears down the path.

Geno wakes up in the morning unable to move.

His legs ache and his abdominal muscles scream each time he shifts.

“Oh, fuck,” he breathes out, because using his normal voice hurts too much. “What the fuck?”

It’s almost ten minutes later when he finally gets his legs off the side of the bed so he can sit up. He remembers Sid telling him to take a Tylenol and he remembers Sid asking if anyone was sore after the trail ride.

Most importantly, he remembers the kiss.

He has to get up and out of bed even if it kills him.

It’s a tortuously slow and painful process but eventually he gets to his feet and gets dressed. He forgoes his usual morning shower, figuring he’ll be standing in a river handling fish all day, and begins the long journey to breakfast.

His muscles loosen slightly during the walk but it’s obvious he’s in pain, walking bow legged and slightly hunched over. As soon as he opens the door to the dining room it’s clear he’s far from the only one feeling the effects of yesterday’s trail ride.

Everyone else who went on the ride is hobbling around and sighing loudly in pain as they slowly lower themselves into their chair.

Sid smiles over the rim of his coffee cup when he sees Geno coming and Geno points a finger at him.

“You,” Geno says. “You do this. You and your horses.”

Sid gives him an innocent look and puts down his coffee. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“Ha ha,” Geno says dryly, wincing as he sits across from Sid. “You know.”

“I warned you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“How this happen? I’m professional athlete.”

“It’s different.”

“I work out every day. I play hockey. I’ve won Cups.”

“It’s different,” Sid says again. “It’s a different set of muscles. But, hey, you’re doing better than I was when I first came here. I couldn’t get out of bed for the entire day. I would’ve quit but the phone was too far away for me to call Mario.”

Geno groans and Sid pushes himself to his feet. He pats Geno on the shoulder, gently. “I’ll get you some breakfast,” he says. “We’ve got a long day out on the river ahead of us.”

They don’t talk about the kiss but they spend the entirety of breakfast with their feet pressed together beneath the table as they grin sheepishly at each other.

They have to walk to the river, a fact that nearly makes Geno rethink the whole thing.

“It’s only ten minutes,” Sid tells him as he pulls on his waders. Geno hasn’t even attempted to put his on yet. “It’ll take you longer to walk back to your cabin.”

“Who says I go back to my cabin? Maybe I just lie down right here.”

“But then no one would be here to help you back up.” Sid clicks the buckles together on the waders and puts his hands on his hips. He looks ridiculous but Geno can’t help but to be into it. “Come on. Walking will be good for you. The best thing you can do is stretch out those muscles.”

“Can think of better ways to do that,” Geno says, letting the innuendo hang between them. He swears he sees Sid’s eyes darken in interest.

“Maybe later,” Sids says and the hint of a promise is enough for Geno to pull on his waders as the rest of the group begins to wander up and their conversation is cut short.

The river is wide and calm and the cold water feels like heaven against Geno’s aching muscles.

He ventures in up to mid-thigh and gets lost in the repetitive motion of casting his reel. It’s peaceful and quiet and he wishes he had some place to unwind like this back home.

Sid moves slowly through the water, giving out pointers and tips to everyone and helping when lines get tangled together. It doesn’t seem all that relaxing for Sid but he still smiles, wide and genuine, when someone catches a fish and shows it off before asking him if they can release it.

Sid lets the fish go before he wades back to shore and finally picks up his own pole.

He stops in the water a few feet behind Geno and Geno backs up to stand in line with him, careful of the slick rocks along the riverbed.

“I love it here,” Sid says. “This is my favorite place. You know, there’s plenty of fishing where I’m from but nothing compares to this.”

“Where are you from?” Geno asks.

“Nova Scotia. A small town.”

“What are you doing here?”

Sid sighs like it’s going to be a long story.

“After I graduated from college I had a little pre-midlife crisis. I was in debt with a history degree that I had no idea what to do with. I mean, what do you even do with that? I felt like I had to decide my entire life in the twelve hours after I took off my cap and gown. It was too much pressure. So, I decided to give myself the summer to figure it out. I was gonna take a road trip, alone, to find myself.” He rolls his eyes and Geno smiles. “I made it all the way to Cranbrook before the car broke down and the money ran out. The waitress at the diner told me there was a cattle ranch a few towns over that was looking for help. I started out mucking stalls, painting barns, cleaning rooms. Mario started to give me more and more responsibilities and by the end of the summer he offered me a full-time job and a place to live. How was I supposed to say no to that? A few years ago Taylor and Nate came out.”

“Is Nate related to you, too?”

Sid laughs. “Not by blood. He grew up a few houses down from us. I guess he’s as close to a brother as I’ll ever get.”

“Do you ever miss it?” Geno asks. “So far from home.”

“Sometimes. We get to go home every Christmas and for Easter. That’s where I spend my vacation time, and my parents come out here every few years. I thought maybe they’d stay, you know, but no. Maybe when my dad retires. What about you? Pittsburgh isn’t exactly driving distance from Russia.”

Geno hums and thinks it over.

“Been in Pittsburgh for so long now. Longer than you’ve been here, even. I go back to Russia for the summer — sometimes — but … don’t know if I really think of it as home anymore. Will always be important and special, you know? Is who I am, but … home? Don’t know.”

“Where do you think you’ll go after you retire?”

Geno’s stomach twists. He hates thinking about it.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I don’t know.”

They get back from the river ten minutes after lunch has started and most of the group hang their waders up to dry then make a break for the dining room.

Geno lingers behind and helps Sid organize the fishing gear.

“What are your plans for the afternoon?” Sid asks as he rearranges the lures in the tackle box so the lid closes.

“Was planning on kissing you,” Geno says without missing a beat.

“Not here.”

“Then where?”

Sid slides the tackle box into place on the shelf and tugs on Geno’s arm.

He leads Geno to the tack room and kisses him against a row of saddles.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Sid asks after a few minutes, and Geno answers by kissing down the side of his neck, nosing his collar out of the way so he can bite at the hidden skin.

“Starving,” he mumbles and Sid laughs.

“I meant for lunch. We were out on the river all morning and I have to lead a cattle-roping class in …” He trails off and raises his arm to check his watch over Geno’s shoulder. “Twenty-five minutes. You want to join in? I can teach you how to rope a calf?”

“Is on horses?”

“Some of it.”

“Then no,” Geno says quickly. He pats Sid’s hips and pulls back. “No horses.”

“No horses ever? You’re gonna hurt Stella’s feelings. I thought you two really had a connection.”

“She should have thought about that before she hurt me. Think maybe I spend some time in the pool. Is too warm out for hot tub right now but, maybe, later tonight when the sun goes down …”

“Is that an invitation?”

Geno shrugs, feigning innocence. “If you want. I’ll be there, hot and wet —.”

Sid bursts out laughing and shoves at Geno’s shoulder. “All right, God. Is that how you flirt? Does it work?”

Geno pecks Sid on the lips. “I guess we see tonight.”

Despite it being a beautiful day the pool is nearly empty. There’s too much going on, too many activities being offered for people to waste it swimming in chlorinated water.

Geno prefers it this way. There’s plenty of room for him to swim laps along the full length of the pool and when he quits halfway there’s no one around to judge him for it.

He stays in the water until his fingers are pruney and he feels waterlogged. Then he collapses on a lounge chair and falls asleep, only waking to turn over and then once again when the dinner bell rings.

He pulls on a T-shirt and slides his feet into his flip flops before heading over.

He doesn’t see Sid but he finds Nate standing at the buffet. He shoves a dinner roll into his mouth so he has more room on his plate for food and he mumbles a hello to Geno.

“Sid here?” Geno asks and Nate shakes his head. Geno follows him over to the table, where Nate sets down his plate and pulls the roll out of his mouth.

“There was some kind of an emergency. I guess a herd of cattle broke through the fence and Sid and a few others had to go round them up.”

Geno looks around the room at the lack of ranchers. Mario isn’t sitting at his table and neither are Nathalie or any of their kids.

“Thought they fixed fence yesterday.”

“Dude, do you know how many miles and miles of fences there are? They can’t fix it all in one afternoon.”

“How long will they be?”

“I don't know. Depends on how fast they can catch all the cows.” He picks up his butter knife. “Are you going to eat or not?”

Geno eats dinner with one eye on the door, waiting for Sid to walk through it. He finishes his dinner and dessert and hangs around with Nate, seeing no point to go back to an empty cabin.

He waits and waits and waits. He watches a volleyball game and is even persuaded to join in, each team wanting to use his height to its advantage.

Around eight o’clock Mario and the kids get back to camp, complaining loudly about cows and how hungry they are.

Mario herds them into the dining room, telling them they’ll see what they can find.

Geno waits but Sid doesn’t follow them.

He has a drink at the bar and waits some more and finally he decides to accept the fact that what he wanted to happen tonight just isn’t going to happen.

He walks himself back to his cabin, pleasantly buzzed and severely disappointed.

At least it’s a beautiful night. He walks with his head tipped back so he can stare at the stars twinkling above him. He might live outside the city in Pittsburgh, far from the lights of downtown, but the stars are never this bright there. The air is never this clean. He’s looking forward to the hot tub, even if he has to use it alone, and he thanks his past self for turning it on to heat when he came back to change into his swim trunks.

He takes a deep breath and looks ahead. He can see the shape of his cabin and the figure of a man sitting on the front porch.

He stumbles to a stop as the man stands and there’s something familiar about the set of his shoulders but the alcohol in Geno’s system slows his response time.

“It’s me,” the man says and Geno relaxes, finally recognizing the voice. “Where have you been?”

“Where have you been?” Geno asks, picking up the pace as he gets closer to the cabin. “I wait for you. You didn’t come back with Mario.”

“I was here,” Sid says, “waiting for you. I thought you’d come back. I thought you’d wait for me here. I was always going to come here.”

“You not say!” Geno yells as he jogs up the stairs. “How I’m supposed to know?”

“I don’t know!” Sid yells back and they stare at each other in the light of the moon and the stars until Sid starts to laugh which sets Geno off into a semi drunk giggle.

“So,” Sid says when the laughter subsides, “I remember you saying something about a hot tub.”

“And champagne.”

“You still have both of them?”

Geno steps away to punch in the key code and open the door. “You make sure hot tub is warm and I’ll get champagne. Deal?”

Sid nods. “Deal.”

Geno stops at the fridge for the champagne while Sid heads straight back for the bedroom. He has his shirt unbuttoned and pulled off his shoulders before he hits the  door and Geno has to stop and watch the way his undershirt pulls across the muscles of his back.

Geno takes a deep breath to calm himself before he opens the fridge. He grabs the bottle and two champagne flutes from the cabinet.

He kicks off his flip flops, not caring where they land, and speed-walks through the bedroom, making a quick stop at the bathroom to grab two towels, and out to the porch.

Sid’s already in the tub, hair wet and arms stretched out along the edge.

“Feel good?” Geno asks and Sid nods then tips his head back, exposing his neck.

“So good. Just what I needed.” He looks at Geno. “Are you coming in?”

Geno sets the champagne and glasses down and pulls his shirt over his head. Sid’s clothes are folded neatly on one of the chairs, underwear on top.

Geno pauses with his hands on his hips, fingers dipping below the top of his swim trunks. “Feel a little overdressed.”

“That’s an easy fix,” Sid says then leans forward to see what Geno’s going to do. When Geno starts to pull the elastic down he leans back.

Geno slides off his trunks and leaves them in a pile on the ground. He pours them each a glass of champagne then hands one to Sid and climbs the stairs into the tub, Sid watching him the whole time. He carefully lowers himself into the tub and sits down. Their feet touch in the middle.

“What we toast to?” Geno asks. He raises his glass as Sid downs his, sets it aside, and slides over into Geno’s space. “Oh,” Geno says as he puts his glass down. “Okay.”

Sid tastes sweet like the champagne when they kiss and Geno swears he can feel the bubbles on his tongue. He cradles Sid’s face in his hands until Sid swings a leg over his lap and straddles him, at which point Geno reaches down and grabs a handful of Sid’s ass.

Sid laughs against Geno’s lips. “How long have you wanted to do that?”

“Since I first see you.” He gives his ass a squeeze. “Is as good as I think.”

“Yeah,” Sid says as he drops a hand between them and wraps his fingers around Geno’s dick. “You want it? You wanna fuck me?”

Geno swallows and nods and Sid smiles and keeps his hand moving in a slow and steady slide, happy to take his time with it.

They kiss and kiss and kiss until Geno is squirming underneath Sid, trying his best to keep himself from coming. Sid bites at his bottom lip and pulls back and Geno blinks until he comes into focus.

Sid’s lips are a deep red, plump and well kissed, and Geno wants to press his mouth to the sweet curve of his shoulder or maybe press the flat of his tongue to his nipples, dark and pebbled from the cool air.

“Let’s go inside,” Sid says softly and he’s up and out of the tub before Geno can nod.

When he turns around Sid’s already securing a towel around his waist and digging through the pocket of his jeans. “Are you coming?” he asks over his shoulder and Geno nearly slips he stands up so fast.

Geno grabs a towel and quickly runs it up and down his limbs as he walks, following close behind Sid.

“I think we should probably take a shower first,” Sid suggests, “just to rinse off.”

Sid drops the towel and finally gives Geno a good look at his ass, full and shapely and pink from the hot water, and Geno growls and grabs him around the waist and pulls him onto the bed.

“Or maybe not,” Sid laughs as Geno climbs on top of him. Sid presses a condom and a couple of packets of lube into his hand and Geno kisses him before sliding down his body.

He kisses the inside of Sid’s knee and tears open one of the packets. Sid watches with dark eyes and he licks his lips as Geno slicks up his fingers.

“C’mon,” Sid urges, “c’mon.”

“Why so hurry?” Geno says as he circles Sid’s hole. “Is good to take time, make it last.” He slowly presses one finger in and Sid inhales sharply. “You okay?”

Sid nods and pushes down on Geno’s finger. “Oh, I’m fine.”

Geno works him open slowly, adding a second and third finger only when Sid begs for it, sweat dotting his brow and his teeth sunk into his bottom lip.

Sid looks beautiful like this, body taut and muscles working to keep himself in control. Geno wants to mess him up and turn him into a blissed-out puddle in the middle of the bed. He’s sure he’ll look just as good that way.

Sid wraps a leg around Geno’s hip. “Where did you go?” he asks. “You look spaced out.”

Geno shakes his head and crooks his fingers, causing Sid to throw his head back and moan. “Was thinking about you.”

“Think about fucking me,” Sid pants. “C’mon, I’m ready.”

“Maybe,” Geno says. He could make Sid come like this, untouched and riding his fingers, or he could lean down and take the sticky head of Sid’s cock in his mouth, hollow his cheeks, and get him off like that.

Sid digs his heel into the small of Geno’s back and pushes him forward.

“Geno, please.”

Geno pulls his fingers out and bends down to kiss Sid’s mouth. “Okay,” he says, “since you ask nice.”

He rolls the condom on and coats it with more lube before holding Sid by the hips.

Sid takes a deep breath as Geno pushes in, eyes fluttering closed and fingernails digging in where his hands are gripping Geno’s shoulders.

“You okay?” Geno asks, holding himself back from thrusting in too sharply.

“I’m fine,” Sid snaps with a roll of his eyes. “I’m fine. Come on, give it to me.”

Geno huffs and laughs and kisses Sid’s lips before kissing his cheek and the side of his neck. “Okay, okay, if you think you can take.”

Sid smiles and wraps his legs around Geno’s hips, giving himself leverage to thrust himself up against him.

Geno gasps, completely unprepared when Sid drops one leg down and puts his foot flat against the bed so he can roll them over until Geno ends up on his back. He curls his hands around Sid’s thighs as Sid sinks down on his dick, slowly, and then all at once, bottoming out with a soft, punched-out noise from deep within his chest.

“So good,” Sid says softly as he spreads his hands across Geno’s chest. “It’s so good.”

Geno opens his mouth to respond but the only sound that comes out is a low moan as Sid begins to ride him.

Geno wants to tell him he looks beautiful silhouetted in moonlight from the window behind him. He wants to tell him he’s so happy he decided to come here and even happier that they met, but all he can do is hold onto Sid’s hips and moan.

Sid arches his back and rolls his hips, thigh muscles jumping beneath Geno’s hands as his cock bobs thick and heavy between them.

“Touch me,” Sid breathes out. He pries one of Geno’s hands free and wraps both their hands around his dick, showing him the speed and the pressure that he likes. Geno takes over and Sid’s eyes flutter closed and his mouth drops open. “Like that,” he sighs, “just like that.”

Sid leans back, hands braced against Geno’s knees so he can grind down on Geno’s cock and Geno’s vision momentarily whites out. His toes curl and he loses the rhythm that Sid set for him so he improvises, twisting his wrist and teasing at the head of Sid’s cock until he throws his head back, moans Geno’s name at the ceiling and comes all over Geno’s hand and chest.

“Oh, fuck,” Sid says, chest heaving and dick twitching as Geno works him through it. He takes a deep breath and looks at Geno through hooded eyes. “You close?” he asks. When Geno nods, Sid nods back and goes back to work.

Sid puts his hand flat on Geno’s chest and fucks himself on Geno’s cock until Geno shouts and shakes apart, Sid moving relentlessly on top of him until it’s too much and Geno rolls them both to the side.

Sid laughs as his body hits the mattress and Geno groans and buries his face in Sid’s damp hair. It smells like chlorine and sweat and Geno closes his eyes and breathes deeply.

“We’re gonna get stuck together,” Sid says and Geno hums. He can think of worse things. “We have to clean up.”

“Sleep,” Geno mumbles. Every inch of him feels wrung out and bone tired. He doesn’t know where Sid gets the strength to form full sentences.

“You can sleep when you’re clean,” Sid says as he untangles himself from Geno’s arms and legs.

Geno complains at the loss but rolls over onto his back so he doesn’t make a mess of the comforter. He watches Sid get up and walk around the bed to the bathroom, an obvious hitch in his step that leaves Geno feeling deeply satisfied.

He hears the shower start. Thirty seconds later it stops and, when Sid comes back out, he’s clean and wet and Geno wants to take him right back to bed and mess him up again.

Sid smiles like he knows what Geno’s thinking as he rubs a warm face cloth across Geno’s stomach. He rolls off the condom and brings everything back into the bathroom. When he returns he stands at the foot of the bed and squeezes Geno’s toes.

“You okay? Still awake? Still alive?”

“Alive, yes, but barely.” He holds his hand out and curls his fingers. “Come sleep.”

Sid hesitates. “Don’t you think I should go?”

“Why? Is dark out? No flashlight here I don’t think. You get lost. Taylor kill me and hide body.”

Sid ducks his head to hide his smile. “I can make it back in the dark. I mean, I know this place like the back of my hand.”

Geno waves his hand again. “Come sleep. Want you here.”

Sid studies him for a moment before he takes his hand. “Okay, but we’re getting under the covers.”

“Oh, you chilly? Is okay, I keep you warm.”

“I’m counting on it.” Sid pulls back the covers and Geno makes a show of moving to slip beneath them. Once they’re both tucked in Geno rolls to his side and wraps his arm securely around Sid’s waist and presses his face to Sid’s neck, lips brushing clean, warm skin.

“You’re clingy,” Sid says softly but he slots his leg between Geno’s, presses a kiss to the top of Geno’s head, and holds him back.

Geno wakes with the early morning sun hitting his face. He groans and pushes his face farther into the pillow, trying to escape it while reaching wildly for Sid.

“Close curtains,” he mumbles to Sid. “Didn’t do last night. Sid.” He pats the space behind him but comes up empty and when he cracks open one eye he can see that Sid’s not there.

He lifts his head off the pillow and looks around the room. His swim trunks are folded on the dresser, certainly not where he left them last night, and the towels they used to dry themselves off after the hot tub are missing from the floor. He rolls out of bed and pushes himself to his feet. The bathroom door is open and the light is off and outside the hot tub is covered and Sid’s clothes aren’t on the chair.

The rest of the cabin is empty, too. The glasses are washed and dried and put back in the cabinet and the champagne bottle on the door of the fridge. Sid’s gone and it looks like he tidied up before he left.

The only trace of him that Geno can find is a hastily scrawled note on the back of the brochure for the ranch.

Last night was fun. See you later.

Geno reads it over and over before he crumples it up and tosses it on the counter.

He grabs the champagne out of the fridge and takes a swig straight from the bottle. It’s a little flat — the bubbles don’t tickle his nose like they should — but it’s the only alcohol in the cabin, it’ll have to do.

He takes it into the shower with him and puts it on the shelf while he soaps up. He dries off and brushes his teeth then heads back to bed, setting the bottle on the nightstand before he crawls under the covers.

He gets comfortable and settles into bed then groans. He never closed the curtains.

He sleeps through breakfast and the start of the morning activity so he knows Sid will be gone.

There’s fruit and beverages available all day in the dining room so he loads up two bowls and tucks a bottle of water under his arm before he goes to the game room and grabs three books off the shelves.

It’s a balancing act to get everything back to the cabin but he makes it, only losing two strawberries and three grapes on the way.

He eats the fruit on the front porch, feet up on the railing, then he finishes off the champagne. He reads a few chapters from each of the books before he loses interest and puts them down.

Lunch comes and goes but he’s not hungry. He’s confused and hurt, not that he’d admit that to anyone, not even himself in his empty cabin.

He leans back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head and takes a deep breath. There’s a rabbit over by the tree line, chewing on a patch of clover. Geno watches it until a twig snaps nearby and it takes off down a path that leads into the woods.

Geno drops his feet from the railing and stretches them out. He could use a walk.

The path is narrow and covered in rocks and moss and he has to climb over a few fallen logs, but it’s nice to get some fresh air. It’ll help him clear his head.

It’s fine that Sid left without waking him to say goodbye. It was a one-time thing anyways, it has to be. Geno’s going back to Pittsburgh in a few days and Sid will stay here.

That’s really all there is to it.

Geno stops walking and looks down. He can’t see the trail in front of him anymore and when he turns around, he can’t see it behind him either. At some point he must have wandered off and not noticed. He takes out his phone and tries to pull up Google Maps but the page won’t load. This far out he doesn’t have any service so he holds it up and spins around like he did in the airport. It gives him nothing and he drops his arms in defeat.

It’s okay, though. He can figure this out. If he just walks back the way he came …

He looks around. He has no idea the direction he came from or the direction he was headed.

“Oh, fuck,” Geno says to himself. “Okay. Is still okay.” According to the time on his phone he was only walking for thirty-five minutes, which means all he needs to do is walk thirty-five minutes back. He just needs to pick a direction and walk and, if it’s the wrong way, he’ll come back here and pick a new one. He grabs a stick and marks an X in the dirt so he knows not to walk past this spot.

He tosses the stick to the side and decides on walking straight ahead. He only gets two steps when he hears something rustle in the brush to his left.

It’s big and noisy and coming straight for him and Geno picks up a rock and cocks his arm back. The brush shakes again and Geno screams and throws the rock.

Thankfully, Sid ducks out of the way just in time.

“Sid!”

“What the hell? You almost took my head off.”

Geno points a finger at him. “You sneak up on me!”

“What are you doing out here?”

“I’m … hiking. What you doing?”

“I’m looking for a lost hiker,” Sid deadpans and Geno clears his throat.

“Hope you find him,” he says and Sid rolls his eyes. “Am fine, not lost. Was following trail.”

“Do you see a trail around here?”

“Am allowed to hike on my own, it says so on brochure.”

“If you stick to the marked trails. These old ones are overgrown and confusing and if you don’t know what you’re doing you could just as easily take a turn down a deer run.”

“Then how you find me?”

“You’re a big guy moving through the forest. You’re easy to track. Now c’mon, let me bring you back to the ranch.”

He turns around and doesn’t wait for Geno to follow before he makes his way through the brush. Geno has to jog to catch up.

“How you know to come find me?” Geno asks as they cross a small stream that Geno definitely did not cross on the way in.

“Nate said he didn’t see you at breakfast and I didn’t see you at lunch so I got a little worried. I decided to come check on you to make sure you were okay. It’s a good thing I did.”

“Didn’t know you care so much.”

Sid turns and Geno nearly slips off one of the slick rocks he was using to keep his feet out of the water.

“Of course I care. You think I don’t care?”

Geno shrugs and looks away and Sid sighs.

“You’re upset that I left this morning, aren’t you?”

“Is fine, Sid. Is not like I expect you to stay. Not even say goodbye.”

“I wanted to. I was going to but …” He trails off and sighs again. “You know this is a working ranch, right? It’s more than a resort. I get up at four in the morning five days a week to work the cattle. They need to be fed and watered and moved. This morning we had to deworm a hundred of them. I do more before seven than most people do all day.”

“I’m know you work,” Geno says. “I get it.”

“But you’re still upset,” Sid says softly. “Why?”

“Is nothing,” Geno mumbles but he knows the lie is a waste of time. It’s not as if he can run from this. He doesn’t know where the hell he is. “I guess I’m just sad that last night was just last night. Won’t happen again. Shouldn’t happen again.”

“Why shouldn’t it?”

“Because I’m leaving,” Geno says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Sunday.”

“Today is Wednesday,” Sid points out.

Geno blinks at him. “So you say you want —.”

“You’re leaving,” Sid interrupts. “And I can’t follow and there’s a very real possibility that we’ll never see each other again. Well, I’ll see you on TV but you might never see me. You probably won’t. That sucks because I like you, but you’re still here now. Why not spend some time together? I have tomorrow off, the whole day. I can take you on a real hike.. I know a good one that I think you’ll like.” He wraps his fingers around Geno’s wrist and looks up at him. “I’ll pack lunch. We’ll make a day of it.”

“That’s how you want to spend your day off? Hiking?”

“I want to spend my day off with you. The hike is extra. And by the way, I did say goodbye to you last night. You were sleeping all spread out on your stomach like a starfish but you had your head turned to the side so I said goodbye and kissed you.” He touches Geno’s temple with his pointer and middle finger. “Right here. Your nose twitched and I wanted to crawl right back into bed with you.”

Geno swallows down the lump of emotion in his throat. He’s never had anyone speak to him like that, that gently.

“Wish you did.”

Sid nods and slowly pulls his hand away. “Tomorrow morning I will.”

Sid gets them back to camp in time for dinner. He drops Geno off at his cabin with the instructions to shower and check himself for ticks.

Geno responds by taking a scalding-hot shower and scrubbing every inch of himself twice.

Dinner is already well underway by the time he makes it to the dining room and he smiles when he sees that Sid has saved a place for him at a table with Nate and Taylor.

“Are you feeling better?” Nate asks and Geno frowns. “Sid said you weren’t feeling well. That’s why you missed lunch.”

It’s a cover story Sid told them so he wouldn’t get teased for getting lost in the woods.

“Much better,” Geno says. “Think maybe is from eating too much rich food …” He trails off and looks down at his plate piled high with steak and potatoes. “Feeling better,” he says then drops his hand to Sid’s knee beneath the table.

Later that night Sid comes by Geno’s cabin, loaded down with two huge backpacks.

“What’s all this?”

“It’s for tomorrow,” Sid says as he sets the packs down.

“All of it?”

“Only if you want food and water and a first-aid kit.”

Geno hums then drags Sid in by the belt loop. “Guess is important. Now come here.”

“I have to put the food in the fridge and the ice packs in the freezer,” Sid says but steps close and wraps his arms around Geno’s neck. “And we should probably go to bed early tonight since I want to get an early start.”

“I hear you say bed,” Geno says. “You say bed?”

Sid rolls his eyes but walks Geno back toward the bedroom.

Sid wakes him before first light the following morning.

Geno groans and rolls over and Sid laughs and pulls him by the shoulder until he’s flat on his back again.

“I have tea in a thermos for you out in the kitchen. The bags are packed and I have your clothes and boots set out.”

“Don’t have boots,” Geno grumbles as he tries to roll away again.

“I rented them for you from the store.”

Geno opens his eyes and scowls. “Used boots?”

“We sanitize them. You didn’t have any good shoes.”

“Have sneakers.”

“Those aren’t good for a hike. Now c’mon.” He pats Geno’s chest. “Get up, I wanna get a move on and I still have to get sunblock and bug spray on you.”

“What sun?” Geno asks.

Sid grins and whistles as he walks out of the room.

Twenty minutes later Geno is dressed in light layers and unfamiliar hiking boots on the front porch, drinking tea like a zombie while Sid covers every exposed inch of his skin in sunscreen then sprays him down with bug spray.

“Okay,” Sid says as he caps the bottle and slides it into the front pocket of one of the backpacks. “I think we’re good. You ready to go?”

Geno grunts and Sid nods.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Here.” He picks up a pack and hands it to Geno. “I’ll give you the lighter one.”

The lighter one is still about ten pounds too heavy in Geno’s opinion, but he swings it onto his back and follows Sid without a complaint.

He’s not sure he’d be able to form the words this early anyways.

Sid leads him down an unmarked path and, when Geno questions him, Sid looks over his shoulder with a grin and says “trust me,” and Geno does.

The sky brightens quickly and the trail widens so they can walk side by side. Sid looks ahead, making sure they’re still going the right way, and Geno keeps looking at Sid.

“What are you looking at?” Sid asks and Geno knocks their shoulders together.

“You. Not used to seeing you dressed like this.”

Sid’s dressed similarly to Geno, shorts and a T-shirt beneath a hoodie with hiking boots and tall hiking socks. A black baseball cap with the Five Rings Ranch logo embroidered on the front completes the outfit.

“Usually you’re dressed like cowboy,” he says and Sid barks a laugh.

“You think I dress like a cowboy?”

“Wear cowboy hat.” He reaches out and tugs the brim of Sid’s cap. “How you think you dress?”

“Like a rancher,” Sid says and Geno shakes his head.

“No, cowboy is much sexier, but this look is good, too. Like hot guy at gym or something. Is very good.”

“Glad you think so,” Sid says as he readjusts the hat. “If I knew you had a cowboy kink I would’ve left the cowboy hat on last night.”

Geno hums and decides to be bold, reaching out to link their fingers together. “Always tonight.”

They begin a steady climb and, even though Geno is a professional athlete, he feels winded only halfway up.

Sid stops to rest before Geno has to ask him to and digs two bottles of water out of his pack.

“Here,” Sid says as he hands one over. “Let’s take a breather.”

Geno raises his bottle in thanks then takes a deep drink, looking out over the ridgeline to their left.

The sun is up and shining over the mountains, painting the sky red. It’s beautiful.

“It’s gonna storm tomorrow,” Sid says as he wipes the back of his hand across his mouth. “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. You can take the boy out of the Maritimes but you can’t take the Maritimes out of the boy.” He recaps his water and drops it back into his pack. “You ready to go or do you need more time?”

Geno nods and gestures up the hill.

The rest of the way up, Geno splits his attention between the rapidly changing sky and the way Sid’s ass looks in the shorts he’s wearing. He decides they’re both natural wonders of the world and he’ll never tire of looking at either.

By the time they make it to the summit, the dramatic colors of the sunrise have burned off, leaving the sky clear and cloudless blue. The air hangs heavy with humidity and they both strip out of their sweatshirts before they unpack lunch.

Geno spreads out a blanket that he finds in his pack and they eat sandwiches and house made kettle chips and chocolate chip cookies — a little under cooked and gooey in the middle — for dessert.

They’re in no rush to leave after they finish. Sid balls up his sweatshirt and uses it as a pillow while Geno takes probably a hundred photos of the view then sits down beside Sid to figure out which Instagram filter to use.

Sid pulls the brim of his hat down low over his face and rubs his hand across Geno’s back until Geno sets the phone down and twists around to kiss him.

“Thank you for taking me here,” he says, “on your day off, too. Could do anything you want but you want to spend time with me. Is nice.”

“It’s not over yet,” Sid says. He squeezes the back of Geno’s neck then gets to his feet. “Come on, there’s still more to do.”

Going down is more difficult than going up. Geno really has to concentrate on each step so he doesn’t accidentally hit a loose patch of rock that’ll send him tumbling end over end.

Eventually the terrain evens out but the hike doesn’t get much easier.

It’s still oppressively humid and the shade from the trees doesn’t do much to cool them off. Geno’s shirt is sticking to his back and he can see the line of sweat darkening Sid’s T-shirt down the middle of his back.

“Hot,” Geno complains as he tugs at the hem of his T-shirt to fan it out.

“I know,” Sid says. “We’re almost there.”

“Almost back to camp?”

“We’re not going back to camp,” Sid answers. “Not yet anyways.”

Geno hears the river before he sees it, the water rushing over rocks and lapping onto the banks.

It looks cool and clean and Geno takes a wayward step toward it before Sid pulls him back.

“Not yet. Almost though.”

“But water is right there and I’m tired,” he whines. “Need a break.”

“Almost,” Sid says again. “This’ll be worth it, I promise.”

They continue upstream, where the sound of the water gets louder and louder until finally the waterfall comes into view.

It’s small and rather unimpressive compared to the ones Geno saw on the month-long Hawaiian vacation he took a few years ago, but beggars can’t be choosers and right now the twenty-foot falls are one of the best things he’s ever seen.

That is until Sid drops his pack on the ground and strips out of his shirt.

“The water is deep enough to jump into from the top,” Sid says as he bends down to unlace his boots. He glances up at Geno as he takes them off. “Are you coming?”

Geno drops his bag and strips, inadvertently turning it into a race with Sid to see who can get undressed and to the top of the falls more quickly.

Sid wins, but just barely, and Geno is sore as hell about it.

“Let you win,” he says as he steps up to the edge of the rock beside Sid. He feels a little dizzy when he looks down at the water below. Twenty feet seems a lot higher from up here.

“Then I’ll let you jump first,” Sid tells him and Geno laughs nervously.

“You scared?”

“No way. I’ve done this dozens of times before. You were the one complaining that you were hot. I was being polite.”

Geno huffs and holds his hand out for Sid to take. “Together then? On three?”

Sid nods and takes his hand and Geno starts to count up.

Sid grins and jumps on two, tugging Geno with him.

The water is freezing and Geno comes up sputtering, water up his nose and clouding his vision. When he finally blinks the moisture away, he can see Sid smiling at him from a few feet away.

“Is not funny!” He yells, but he’s laughing as he says it and, when Sid swims closer and wraps his arms around Geno’s neck, Geno happily takes his weight.

Sid kisses Geno’s shoulder while Geno kicks his legs to keep them afloat. It’s a nice, romantic moment until Sid pulls back and dunks Geno under the water.

The ensuing scuffle leaves them breathless and waterlogged as they pull themselves out of the river and onto the sun soaked rocks.

“Why is this not on brochure?” Geno asks.

“We have to keep some things to ourselves. The guests can’t have all the fun.”

“This what you do for fun? Come out and swim?”

“Don’t make it sound so sad,” Sid says with a laugh.

“Is not sad. It just seems like a big ranch and little town. Not much going on.”

“There are a couple of bars in town and there’s a paintball place about twenty miles east, but besides that …” Sid shrugs and pushes his hair back. “I guess you’re right. There’s not much going on.” He gives Geno a sideways glance. “A little slower than what you’re used to, eh?”

“Little bit,” Geno says. He’s spent years living fast and loose, chasing good times between puck drops and practice drills. He can’t imagine Sid slotting into that life with loud music and strong drinks, men hanging off of him with sweet words and dirty propositions falling from their lips. Sid belongs here in this wide-open space with clear, clean air and the sun shining down on him.

Sid nudges Geno’s thigh with his toes. “You’re staring again.”

Geno shakes his head. “Just thinking. Little bit hungry.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I brought snacks, then.”

Sid pulls sliced apples and peanut butter along with a container of trail mix out of his backpack.

They eat and dry off in the sun and steal kisses between reapplying sunblock and getting dressed. Geno pulls his boots back on slowly as he watches the water tumble over the falls. He doesn’t want to go. He doesn’t want the day or the week to be over. He loves his life, but there’s this sinking feeling he gets in his gut when he thinks about going back to it.

“You okay or do you need a hand?”

Geno looks up to find Sid standing above him, fully dressed right down to the cap on his head.

“Am fine,” Geno says with a quick shake of his head as he laces his boots and stands. “Am ready.”

Sid studies him for a moment before he reaches out and rubs his thumb against Geno’s cheek. “Sunscreen,” Sid says. “All set.” He leaves his thumb there for a moment longer before he drops his hand.

The hike back to camp is a lot easier than the walk out. The trail is clear and shady and they stop several times to watch deer cross their path.

Geno’s exhausted when they get back to the cabin, and he collapses on the front steps and sticks his feet out toward Sid.

“Take boots off, please. Too tired.”

Sid snorts but kneels down and begins to unlace the boots. When he’s done he eases them off Geno’s feet and sets them to the side then wrinkles his nose.

“Your feet are rank,” he says with a laugh as Geno tries to shove his socked feet toward his face.

“You are,” Geno says without much heat behind it. He sighs and holds out his hand so Sid can help him to his feet and he doesn’t let go once he’s standing. “Come shower.”

“I thought you were too tired.”

Geno hums and pulls Sid up the steps. “Feeling a lot better now. Is kind of like second wind.”

Sid nods and follows Geno into the cabin.

They make good use of Geno’s second wind in the shower, where Sid presses him back against the cool tile and kisses him until Geno’s knees feel weak. Then they tumble — still warm and damp— into the bed, where they trade lazy, unhurried kisses as they slowly get each other off.

“I should go back to my place,” Sid tells him while Geno is still in the midst of the afterglow. He’s pretty sure he dozed off for a bit. “I should change and get ready for dinner.”

“Is that late?”

Sid lifts his head off the pillow to look at the clock and nods. “Almost.” He lays a hand on Geno’s chest and Geno covers it with his own. “Did you have a good time today?”

“Best time in a long time,” Geno answers honestly. “Was first time I didn’t think about hockey or playoffs or letting people down.”

“I don’t think you let anyone down.”

Geno gives him a pointed look and Sid laughs and presses a kiss to Geno’s bicep. “Hockey fans are always let down.”

“That sounds like their problem, not yours. You’ve already given them so much.”

“Still want more. Want Cup every year.”

“So does every fan of every other team. People don’t always get what they want.”

Geno looks down at Sid and thinks about how true that is.

“Did I make you feel better?” Sid asks and Geno rolls them so Sid’s laid out beneath him.

“Little bit better,” Geno says and Sid nods.

“Well if there’s something you can think of that’ll help —.”

Geno cuts him off with a kiss and Sid wraps his arms around his neck.

Sid ends up wearing his hiking gear to dinner.

They’re met with raised brows from Nate and an eye roll from Taylor.

“How was your day off?” Nate asks. Before Sid can answer Taylor is gathering her plate and standing.

“I don’t want to hear it,” she says and moves to the Lemieuxs’ table with some of the other ranchers.

“We went for a hike,” Sid said casually and now it’s Nate’s turn to roll his eyes.

“A hike on your day off. You know what I do on my day off? Sleep.”

“Did a little of that too,” Geno says and Nate wordlessly raises his fist for Geno to bump.

They play a round of horseshoes after dinner, but a clap of thunder in the distance drives most people back to their cabins early.

Sid and Geno stand at the crossroads between both their cabins.

“I really should go back to my place,” Sid says. “These clothes are kinda gross and I don’t have a clean change for tomorrow.”

“Sure, sure,” Geno says, trying to hide his disappointment. “Makes sense.”

“But I could come over after if you —.”

“Yes!” Geno shouts before his face colors in embarrassment. “I’m mean, if you want.”

Sid smiles back at him and nods. “Okay. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Sid gets back to Geno’s cabin just as the first rain drops begin to fall. He’s in sweats with an overnight bag over his shoulder and his cowboy hat on his head.

“I thought you might be missing this,” he says as he tips the brim of the hat toward Geno. “You like it?”

“For sure,” Geno says. “Look good. But I'm a little tired.”

“Oh, thank god,” Sid says as he takes off the hat and kicks off his shoes. “I’m exhausted.”

Geno makes them tea and they watch television as the rain starts to pour. They slouch against each other, barely paying attention to the baseball game on the screen.

“M’sleepy,” Geno mumbles and Sid leans forward to grab the remote off the coffee table. He shuts off the TV then stretches.

“I think it’s time to call it a night.”

Geno follows him to the bedroom and climbs into bed while Sid goes to close the curtains.

“Leave them,” Geno says. “Look.”

Outside the thunder rolls and a bolt of lightning the streaks across the sky, illuminating the mountains in the distance.

“Is better than TV. Definitely better than baseball.”

Sid leaves the curtains open and gets into bed beside Geno. It takes them a moment to get comfortable but Sid settles in with his head on Geno’s chest. Together they watch the lightning dance until they fall asleep.

It’s still pouring when Sid wakes him up with a kiss to the temple at four in the morning.

“I have to go to work,” Sid says and Geno grumbles and snuggles down into the pillow.

“In rain?”

Sid pulls the covers up over Geno’s shoulders. “The animals still need to be fed, even if it’s raining. The outdoor activities will probably be canceled today so unless there’s an emergency I’ll have today free, too. I should know by breakfast. Will I see you there?”

Geno grumbles some more. He can’t see himself making the walk to the dining cabin in the rain. Honestly, he’s not sure he’ll even make it out of bed today.

“How about I bring breakfast back here?” Sid asks and Geno tries to make his next grumble sound more positive. “Okay,” Sid says with a laugh, “it’s a plan.”

A car honks outside and Sid stands. “That’s Nate. I asked him to come pick me up.” Nate honks again. “I guess he’s impatient this morning.” He starts backing toward the door. “I’ll be back with breakfast.”

“Code for front door is in folder on counter. Let yourself in.”

“Thanks,” Sid calls. “Go back to sleep.”

Geno doesn’t need to be told twice. He waits until he hears the front door close then rolls over and falls back to sleep.

Geno wakes to the sound of movement in the kitchen. He knows immediately that it’s Sid and he lies there and listens until Sid pokes his head into the bedroom.

“Oh,” he says, “you’re up. Have you been up this whole time? You could’ve been helping unpack breakfast.”

Geno yawns and stretches. “Just woke up,” he fibs. “You been back long?”

Sid opens the door wider but doesn’t step through. “Not too long. C’mon, come eat.”

Geno gets himself out of bed and follows the smell of bacon out into the main room.

Sid has the TV set to The Weather Channel where thick bands of dark green cover the radar map.

Sid has breakfast spread out on the coffee table, paper containers filled with a little bit of everything and then some.

“Breakfast in bed seems like the popular option today. Only half the guests were at breakfast and most of them were asking for take-out containers. Sit,” Sid says as he gestures to the couch. “I made you tea.”

Geno sits down on the couch and stares at the food. “You sure you got enough?”

“It’s supposed to rain all day, so I got extra in case you didn’t feel like going out for lunch.”

Geno takes a sip of his tea. It’s a little sweet but so was the gesture. “So … you have today off?”

Sid smiles and takes a bite of his pancakes. “All outdoor activities have been canceled due to inclement weather,” Sid says, sounding very official. “There will be indoor activities offered in the game room and they’re going to be showing a movie on a pull-down projector screen in the dining room for anyone who wants to get out of their cabin. I have to help set some things up but, for the most part, I’m free all day.” He picks up a piece of bacon and takes a bite. “Got any ideas on how to spend a rainy day?”

Geno takes another sip of tea. He certainly has a few.

Geno finds a deck of playing cards in the cabinet beneath the TV along with Monopoly, Risk, and UNO.

“You know how to play poker?” Geno asks as he shuffles the deck.

“I’m all right,” Sid says as he sits down on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. “Probably not as good as you.”

Geno pauses and looks over at Sid. “Not sure if you telling truth or lying so you can hustle me.”

Sid shrugs and Geno laughs and deals the cards. “I guess you’ll find out. What are we playing for?”

Now it’s Geno’s turn to shrug. “Guess you’ll find out.”

Sid loses the first hand rather ungracefully but his scowl fades to a smile when Geno asks for his shirt.

Geno loses the next hand but wins the two after that and, by the time they’re both down to their underwear and socks, the game is forgotten and Geno is pushing aside the coffee table so he can get to Sid.

The resulting rug burn is more than worth it.

They bring the cards into the bedroom with them and play Go Fish between rounds of sex and conversations about everything and nothing.

Sid straddles Geno’s back and gives him a massage, the heels of his hands pushing into the muscle as he tells him everything he wanted to be when he was younger.

“Fireman was the big one,” Sid says. “Hockey player, like most Canadian kids; hairdresser for a little bit.”

Geno hums. “Tell me more about that one.”

Sid laughs. “I used to beg my mom to let me do her hair. She taught me how to do different kinds of braids. I used to do Taylor’s all the time.”

“Used to?”

“French braids are really hard to do on yourself,” Sid explains as Geno laughs beneath him. “And I can do a pretty good fishtail, too. It’s a gift.”

“Good hands,” Geno says as Sid pushes in along his spine with his thumbs. “Best.”

Geno decides then that he’s gone long enough without kissing Sid, so he picks himself up and rolls to the side, dislodging Sid from across his back.

Sid lands on the bed next to him and Geno immediately seeks him out, hands on the side of his face so he can pull him in for a kiss as he tangles their legs together.

Yesterday had been fun; getting out in the fresh air and exploring nature in a way he hasn’t in ages, if ever.

But this — spending a quiet day with no responsibilities, in bed with the person you love —.

Geno’s breath catches in his lungs as he replays the thought and he pulls away from Sid, body suddenly flushed and overwhelmed.

“Hey,” Sid says as he strokes up Geno’s arms to his shoulder. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Sid’s fingers press lightly against the back of his neck and Geno closes his eyes, drops his forehead to Sid’s shoulder, and breathes deeply.

He can’t believe he let this happen. He can’t pinpoint when or how or why, but it’s here, living in his chest and vibrating out through his skin. It’s in every touch and every word and every breath, and when Geno opens his eyes he’ll have to come face to face with it.

“G,” Sid says, “what’s the matter?”

Geno finally lifts his head and opens his eyes and finds Sid looking back at him with concern.

Geno loves him. That’s all there is to it.

“Where’d you go?” Sid asks and Geno shakes his head.

“Nowhere,” Geno says softly. “I’m here.”

He presses against Sid until Sid’s lying fully on his back and he kneels between Sid’s open thighs.

He kisses Sid’s cheek, then his forehead and then his nose, until Sid laughs and shoves him playfully.

Geno smiles down at him and moves on to press a kiss to the side of his neck then the curve of his shoulder. He works his way down Sid’s body, peppering kisses over his chest and heart, feeling it beat steadily against his lips before he scoots down the bed and scrapes his teeth against the cut of his hip bone.

Above him Sid sighs and pets a hand through Geno’s hair. He rolls his hips up and stretches out his legs as Geno kisses the inside of each thigh.

“Geno,” Sid whimpers, fingers tugging at Geno’s hair. “C’mon.”

Geno hums and moves up to nip at the soft skin beneath Sid’s bellybutton, his stubble brushing against the underside of Sid’s cock.

He’s not in a hurry. He’s leaving the day after tomorrow, but right now he’s going to take his time and commit every inch of Sid’s body, every sound he makes in sweet frustration, to memory. He’s going to take it with him when he goes.

Sid seems to catch on to the fact that Geno’s not going to be rushed and he trades the sharp tugs for gentle pets.

He takes a deep breath and holds it when Geno finally takes the head of his cock into his mouth and Geno rubs his hands across his thighs, a gentle reminder to breathe and let it go.

Sid exhales a sigh and moves his hands from Geno’s hair to cradle his jaw, fingertips pressing at the hinge of it, silently asking for more.

Geno hums and gives Sid’s thighs a quick squeeze before he relaxes his jaw, taking more of Sid’s length into his mouth.

He works him over, pulling off all the way one moment and deep-throating him the next.

Sid swears softly and Geno flicks his eyes up to look at him. They make eye contact as Geno swallows around him and Sid throws his head back and comes down Geno’s throat.

Geno pulls off and rests his forehead against Sid’s stomach as he wraps his hand around himself but Sid pulls him up so they’re face to face and kisses him, hot and thorough, tongue sweeping into Geno’s mouth so he can taste himself.

He bats Geno’s hand away and takes over, grip tight and pace quick. He swallows down Geno’s moans and twists his wrist and Geno spills over Sid’s hand. He pants against Sid’s mouth as Sid works him through it and grunts when the sensation becomes too much for him to handle.

Sid’s kisses turn syrupy sweet and slow as Geno trembles against him and, when he pulls away, he presses his lips to Geno’s sweat-soaked brow.

“Are you okay?” Sid asks softly and Geno has to laugh. He has no idea how he is or what he’s feeling, torn between basking in the love he feels now and the heartache that awaits him.

He finds his voice eventually and tells Sid that he’s fine as he rolls to the side.

They catch their breath as the rain pitter-patters against the window.

“Anyone ever told you you’re really good at that?” Sid asks.

“Never have any complaints,” Geno says and Sid huffs a laugh before he pushes himself up and over Geno, straddling his hips and kissing him, knocking the breath out of his lungs again.

“I bet not,” Sid says against Geno’s lips. He pulls back to look at the clock on the bedside table then drops his head to Geno’s shoulder. “Fuck, it’s late. I said I’d help set up that movie.”

“Have to go then go,” Geno says softly and Sid pecks his lips and climbs off him.

“I have a few chores to take care of in the barn, tidying up before I take a group on a trail ride tomorrow, so I’ll probably see you again at dinner. Do you think you can brave the rain for some food?”

Geno nods and rolls on his side so he can admire the view as Sid disappears into the bathroom. He hears the water run and a moment later Sid comes back out with a damp face cloth that he uses to wipe down Geno’s stomach and chest.

He tosses the cloth back into the bathroom then leaves to gather up his clothes from the living room.

He dresses then presses his hand over Geno’s heart and holds it there.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You seem kinda quiet.”

Geno covers Sid’s hand with his own. “I’m fine. Just tired. Think maybe the week is finally catching up to me.”

Sid looks skeptical but he doesn’t push it. “Set your alarm for dinner and nap until then. You don’t want to be sick on your last day here.”

Geno nods and Sid flips his hand over so their fingers are clasped together. He brings their joined hands to his lips and kisses Geno’s knuckles.

Geno’s heart skips a beat in his chest.

Geno sets his alarm for five but gets very little sleep before it goes off.

He spends most of the time staring at the ceiling and flipping his phone over and over in his hands, trying to decide if he should send a panicked text to Tanger or Flower asking for advice.

He decides against it, knowing exactly what he’d get back from each of them.

Tanger would call him crazy and tell him that he’s known Sid for less than a week.

Flower would tell him some frankly flowery bullshit about how he needs to follow his heart.

Neither of those things will help him. It has been less than a week but Geno feels more for Sid than he has for most of the people he’s seriously dated, and how is he supposed to follow his heart when his heart is here on this ranch but his life is all the way back in Pittsburgh?

It’s barely drizzling by the time he gets up, gets dressed, and gets out the door, but the road to the main cabin is slick and muddy.

His sneakers are soaked through by the time he gets to the bar and he orders himself a strong drink to help himself feel better.

The bar is crowded and so is the game room so Geno takes his drink out to the deck. Most of the chairs are damp from the rain that blew in on the wind but he sits down anyways, happy to find a bit of quiet.

He’s nearly finished with his drink when Taylor steps out onto the deck with a bottle of beer in her hand.

“You finally emerged from your cabin,” she says as she sits down in the chair beside him. “We were getting a little worried. You missed breakfast and lunch.”

“Sid brought food back,” Geno tells her and she hums and nods, picking at the label on the bottle before she takes a sip. “You know,” he starts, “I never actually answer your question. You ask me if I liked your brother and I never really say anything.”

“I think I figured it out pretty quickly.”

“I like him a lot,” Geno says and Taylor sighs. “A lot, a lot. Probably more than I think I could, and I know that’s crazy and dumb because is so quick and I’m leaving but …” He trails off and shrugs. “Don’t think he feels the same way though.”

Taylor stares at him for a long moment before she speaks. “You know, none of us knew that he was having, like, a total crisis about what he was going to do after college. My parents got a phone call from him saying that he was outside of Ottawa and was headed west. That’s it. He packed up his car and took off. He didn’t want anyone to know that something was out of his control. He acted like everything was fine.” She reaches over and puts her hand on Geno’s arm. “He’s going to miss you more than he lets on. He cares about you. A lot. A lot, a lot,” She says and Geno ducks his head to hide the smile on his face and the tears in his eyes. “I know Sid. He doesn’t get close to people that easily. He doesn’t waste his time getting to know guys. He’s not like that. So the fact that he’s spent all this time with you and that your name has been brought up in every conversation I’ve had with him since you got here really means something. He doesn’t lose his mind that easily.”

“What do I do?”

Taylor snorts and sits back in her chair. “Bud, I don’t know. You’ve really worked yourself into a corner on this one.” She glances over at him. “What? I didn’t say I had all the answers!”

Geno laughs and shakes his head.

“What’s funny?”

Geno looks up as Sid climbs the stairs in front of them. His boots are muddy and there’s water dripping from the edge of his hat but he’s still one of the best things Geno’s ever seen.

“Your sister is funny,” Geno says.

“Looking,” Sid fires back, grinning when Taylor flips him off. “You left the barn a complete mess. How hard is it to hang the helmets back up?”

“Why would I bother hanging the helmets up if people are just going to take them down again?” “Because it looks neat and orderly.”

“It’s a barn, Sid. Animals live there.”

“Yeah but —.”

“Ugh,” Taylor cuts him off with a groan and pushes herself to her feet. “I need another drink if I’m gonna do this with you.”

She heads back inside the bar and Sid takes her seat, grinning.

“She gave up more easily than I thought she would.”

They have a quiet dinner. Without any activities during the day, there’s not much to talk about.

“Any plans for your last day?” Nate asks Geno, sopping up the last of his chili with a piece of cornbread.

Geno shakes his head and glances at Sid. “Don’t know. Haven’t really thought about it.”

Nate perks up. “You should come with me. I’m heading up an ATV tour and it’s gonna be sick. Everything’s gonna be so muddy.”

“And that’s fun?”

Nate scoffs. “Yeah, man. It’s the best. Some people might even get stuck. It’s all part of the experience.”

“Don’t know,” Geno says.

“Aww, c’mon, man. What else are you gonna do?”

Geno glances back to Sid who shrugs. “I’m going on a trail ride and you’ve sworn off horses so ...”

Geno doesn’t miss the way Taylor frowns at Sid or the way that Sid pretends he doesn’t see it.

“Guess I’ll go with you,” Geno tells Nate and Nate lights up.

By the time they finish dinner and decide to head in for the night the clouds have thinned and the moon lights their way.

Halfway back to Geno’s cabin Geno works up the nerve to reach for Sid’s hand.

“Can come back?” Geno asks, tilting his head in the direction of his cabin.

“I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Don’t care.”

“You’re not sick of me yet?”

Geno steps in close and answers his question with a kiss.

They take their shoes off outside so they don’t track mud through the cabin.

“Do you mind if we just sleep?” Sid asks, hand rubbing at the back of his neck like he’s embarrassed. “It’s not that I don’t want to do anything else but honestly, I had more sex this afternoon than I’ve had in the past year and I’m kinda wiped.”

Geno laughs but not unkindly. “Is okay. I’m tired, too.”

They shower together but keep things as innocent as possible and climb beneath the covers. Sid tucks himself against Geno, his back to Geno’s chest and Geno wraps an arm around his waist. He kisses the back of Sid’s neck and takes a deep breath. Sid smells like the eucalyptus body wash provided by the ranch, clean and calm, and Geno holds him tighter.

Now would be a good time to tell him, he could whisper the three words into the sweet curve of Sid’s shoulder and hope for the best.

If the worst should happen, he can’t think of a gentler way to be let down than tucked into bed, safe and warm.

He drifts off before he can say anything and dreams of clean mountain air and cool, clear streams. He’s sure he’s still dreaming when he feels lips brush against his temple but when he cracks open his eyes he sees Sid standing there, fully dressed and ready to go.

“Sorry,” Sid whispers, “I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you later.”

Geno closes his eyes and rolls over so he doesn’t have to watch him leave.

He doesn’t see Sid at breakfast but he tries not to read too much into it. Taylor and a few other ranchers he usually sees aren’t there either. Clearly they’re still working on whatever chore they had to do around the property this morning.

Nate is there, however, bouncing from table to table trying to drum up interest in his ATV tour. When he finally sits down opposite Geno he has a long list of names on his sign-up sheet.

“It’s gonna be an awesome day,” he says. “Are you excited? I’m so excited. Are you wearing clothes you don’t care about or are you going to go change? You’re gonna get muddy. Hey, what are you doing this afternoon? You should come on the hike with me. It’s not too difficult, not that I think you’d have a problem with that, I mean, you are a professional athlete, but it’s a nice, easy hike with a good view at the summit. What do you think?”

Geno blinks at him, impressed that Nate got through all that without taking a breath. He doesn’t have any other plans and it feels rude to brush Nate off in case something better comes along.

“Hike sounds like fun,” he tells Nate and beams at him.

As it turns out, Nate’s enthusiasm for the ATV tour is legitimate.

Geno’s surprised at how much fun he has whipping around the trails, mud flying, not at all caring how dirty he gets.

He gets stuck in a deceptively deep mud puddle once and Nate is quick to hop off his vehicle and wade into the dirty water with a rope that he ties to the front of Geno’s ATV.

“When I tell you to,” Nate says, “gun it.”

He hops back on his vehicle then raises his arm. When he drops it Geno punches the gas and the ATV flies out of the puddle.

Everyone is a mess when they get back to camp, mud caked on their jeans and speckled up and down their arms. They’re all in desperate need of a shower and a washing machine but no one can stop smiling. “You were right,” Geno tells Nate after he takes off his helmet and goggles. “Was a lot of fun.”

Nate grins at him, teeth startling white against his grimy face.

Geno takes at shower back at his cabin and dresses for the afternoon hike. Then he rinses out his dirty jeans and T-shirt using shampoo as detergent until the water runs clear. He can’t pack muddy clothing in his suitcase. He hangs them over the porch railing to dry then heads back out for lunch.

There are horses hitched outside the barn, some with saddles and some without, and Geno stops to watch Taylor and Sid come out of the barn. Geno’s too far to hear but she’s talking with her hands and Sid’s shaking his head as he begins to untack one of the horses. Taylor talks the whole time while Sid focuses solely on the task at hand until he looks up and spots Geno watching.

Geno waves but, with the saddle draped over his arms, Sid can only nod back before he slips into the barn.

Taylor throws her head back and her hands up before she follows him inside.

Geno decides he should keep moving.

Taylor seems agitated when she sits down for lunch and that only grows when Nate asks her where Sid is.

“Busy,” she says sharply.

“Busy? I didn’t see him for breakfast either? It’s not like Sid to miss a meal.”

She shakes her head. “Yeah, well, he’s busy. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll decide to grace us with his presence for dinner.”

“What’s he doing?”

“I don’t know,” Taylor snaps. “He’s just …” She trails off with a heavy sigh, like she’s torn between covering for her brother and telling the truth about why he’s not here.

Geno can hazard a guess. It seems obvious that Sid is avoiding him.He ducks his head, pretending to focus on his lunch even as his appetite vanishes.

“I hope he shows up,” Nate says, oblivious to Geno’s inner turmoil. “Bonfire and barbecue nights are my favorite.”

Geno rents the same pair of hiking boots from the camp store that he wore on his hike with Sid.

He sticks to the front of the pack, easily keeping pace with Nate while the rest of the guests fall in behind them, followed by an additional guide to make sure they don’t lose anyone.

Geno keeps his attention on the path in front of him but he still notices Nate repeatedly glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Have something on my face?”

Nate blinks at him. “What?”

“Keep looking.”

“Oh, no, it’s just …” He looks away like he’s embarrassed.

“Can say,” Geno tells him. Nate has been nothing but a good friend to him since he got here.

“It’s nothing,” Nate says, “it’s just … okay so, I know you said you didn’t want to talk about hockey but I’m a huge fan. It’s not like people around here don’t care about hockey, it’s Canada you know, but the closest team here is what, the Flames?” He blows out a breath. “Who cares?”

Geno snorts.

“Anyways,” Nate continues, “I just wanted you to know that.”

“Thank you,” Geno tells him, always humbled when someone tells him that they’re a fan. “Said I didn’t want to talk about playoffs. Can still talk about hockey.”

They talk about Geno’s rookie year and how hard it was adjusting to being away from his family in a country where he didn’t speak the language. They talk about Gonch and Kuni and Flower and Tanger and how when you lift the Cup above your head for the first, second and third time, those thirty-four and a half pounds feel like nothing at all.

They talk until they reach the summit and Nate splits off to check in on the other guests, making sure they’re staying hydrated and reapplying sunscreen and bug spray if they need it.

Geno sits down a safe distance from the ledge, pulls his water bottle out of his bag and looks out at the view.

They’re not too far from the ranch so he can make out buildings and fences in the distance, along with cattle and horses dotting the fields.

He takes a long drink of water and is about to get himself to his feet when he notices a couple standing a few yards away. They’re holding hands and the woman is smiling warmly as he talks quietly.

Suddenly he drops down to one knee, ring in hand. They’ve drawn the attention of the other guests and when, after a few tense moments, she nods and he slips the ring on her finger, they’re surrounded with people congratulating them.

That could have been him and Alyona. He had planned on proposing on a mountaintop just like this. They could have been swarmed by well wishers while she showed off her ring and he shook their hands.

It could have been the start of the next chapter of his life but he knows now that it would have been a huge mistake.

Geno waits for the crowd to thin out before he gets up and goes over to offer his congratulations.

The buzz of the engagement follows them back down the path and into the ranch, where there’s a flurry of activity taking place in front of the main cabin.

There are picnic tables and oversized Adirondack chairs being arranged around rows of grills and the fire pit that’s already filled with stacked logs, ready to be ignited.

“Thanks for spending the afternoon with me,” Nate tells the group as they gather around the front steps of the lodge. “And again, congrats to the happy couple. If you’d like I can have champagne sent to your cabin, courtesy of the ranch, of course.”

“Take the champagne!” Someone yells and the group laughs as the couple accepts the gift.

Geno wanders off to return his boots and he’s just pulling on his sneakers when Taylor comes through the door, hair falling loose from her braid and face red and sweaty.

“Don’t worry,” she tells him. “I told Sid he was being an asshole.”

Geno blinks at her. “What?”

“He’s doing exactly what I thought he would do, avoiding you so he doesn’t have to talk about his feelings, but he can’t get away with being a dick to you.”

“If he’s busy then he’s busy,” Geno says even though he knows it’s not true.

“There’s busy and then there’s this. I said some things to him … harsh things, but they were all true. So now he has to think about it. Hopefully he comes to the right conclusion.”

“Why you even care?” Geno asks. “Beginning of the week you are trying to protect him. Now he’s an asshole.”

“He’s my brother, I love him, and I’m always allowed to call him an asshole, even if he’s not actually being an asshole.”

Geno laughs. He understands that. It’s the same way with his own brother and, to an even greater extent, his teammates.

“At the beginning of the week I thought I was protecting Sid from you. I thought you were this famous hockey player who was going to come in here and mess with his head and then take off at the end of the week like he meant nothing to you. But now I know that you really care about him and he cares about you, too, and I think you both deserve something better.”

“You’re a good sister,” Geno tells her, “and a good friend.”

Taylor grins. “Oh, so now we’re friends, eh? How about this, friend, next time you guys play the Flames hook me up with some tickets. Good seats.”

Geno laughs and ties his shoe. “See what I can do.”

Geno kills the time before dinner by packing up his things back at the cabin.

He makes a sweep of each room, making sure there’s nothing he might forget before he checks out tomorrow morning.

He starts out folding his clothes, nice and neat like his mama had taught him, then gives up halfway through, opting to cram everything inside his suitcase as fast as possible. He’ll deal with the wrinkles later.

He leaves out a pair of sweats to sleep in tonight and an outfit for tomorrow then sits down on the edge of the bed.

It’s only been a week since he first stepped foot on the ranch but he knows the memories he’s made here will last for much longer.

As soon as Geno steps out the front door he can smell the barbecue cooking and by the time he gets to the green in front of the main cabin the rest of the guests and ranchers have already begun to gather.

He makes his way to the crowd, smiling and nodding to the familiar faces he’s come to know during the week, until he bumps into Nate, who is dumping huge bags of ice into large galvanized buckets. Beside them are cases of beer, water, soda, and hard lemonade.

“Hey, buddy,” Nate says as the ice rattles against the sides of the bucket. “Long time, no see.”

“Need help?”

“Nah, I got it,” Nate says, grunting as he lifts the second bag of ice.

“Can help, is no problem.”

“I know but …” Nate trails off and looks over Geno’s shoulder. When Geno turns around he spots Mario by the grill talking to one of the chefs.

Geno has to laugh. “Sid put me to work before. Have me help take saddles off horses.”

“Yeah, well,” Nate says as he opens a case of Diet Coke and nestles the cans in the ice. “That’s Sid. He’d have to work pretty hard to get in trouble with Mario. I’m still the lowest rung on the ladder here. This is a sweet gig. I’m not taking any chances.”

Geno hums and looks around. “You see Sid around?” he asks nonchalantly. Nate frowns and thinks.

“Uh, yeah. Somewhere around here. He’s gotta be. He wouldn’t miss this meal. I’ve seen him pack away two racks of ribs no problem. He’s around. Here.”

Geno looks back to Nate, who is holding out a can of Labattt Blue. “First come, first served.”

Geno takes it and cracks it open.

He’s halfway through the beer when he finally sees Sid stepping out of the dining cabin carrying a wooden box.

Geno watches him go from table to table, pulling color-coded squeeze bottles filled with barbecue sauce from the box.

Sid gives him a tight smile when Geno approaches but doesn’t pause what he’s doing.

“Hey,” Sid says, “sorry I haven’t seen you today. It’s been crazy.” He sets down another bottle and moves on to the next table. Geno follows.

“Start to think you avoid me.”

Sid pauses, bottle of sauce halfway to the table. “Have you been talking to Taylor?”

Geno shrugs. He doesn’t want to lie but he also doesn’t want to throw Taylor under the bus.

“It’s just that Saturday’s are hectic. They always are. Between the barbecue and the bonfire and the day’s activities on top of last-minute chores that have to be done before the new guests check in tomorrow … plus you’ve been hanging with Nate all day, right?”

Geno nods.

“We’ll have dinner together,” Sid says, “and we’ll hang out by the fire. We’ll talk. Okay?”

Geno nods again and lets Sid continue on alone.

True to his word, Sid sits down across from him at dinner.

The food, as always, is amazing, and the conversation flows easily, Nate taking the lead.

Sid stays quiet, for the most part, laughing at whatever Nate is saying and ignoring the sharp elbow he keeps digging into his side.

After dinner Mario says a few words. He hopes everyone has enjoyed their stay and that they’ll come back again. Then he asks the couple that got engaged on the hike to light the fire. Everyone claps as the wood catches, flames quickly dancing upward. Geno can feel the heat from a few yards back and gets warmer still when Sid steps close beside him, pressing their shoulders together.

“Should talk,” Geno says at the same time Sid says, “Do you want a drink?”

“I’m going to get us something to drink,” Sid says quickly. “I’ll be back, okay? Why don’t you find us somewhere to sit and then we’ll talk.”

Geno takes a deep breath and nods. “Fine,” he says on the exhale. “Is fine. I’ll find chairs.”

Sid smiles and squeezes Geno’s shoulder before he steps out of the light of the fire and disappears.

Geno gets lucky and finds two chairs together close enough to the fire to feel the heat.

He holds his hands out to warm them and tries to find Sid through the crowd. He’s been gone for a while now, certainly long enough to grab a drink from the cooler.

He finally spots him on the other side of the fire pit. He’s talking to Taylor, or, Taylor is talking and Sid is staring down at his shoes, two bottles of beer in his hands.

She looks angry, hands flying, pointing at Sid and then flinging them upward. She points in Geno’s direction then pinches the underside of Sid’s arm. Sid shrugs her off and covers the spot she pinched with one of the bottles.

He says something and Taylor puts her hands on her hips and nods as Sid turns around and makes his way back to Geno.

“Sorry it took me so long,” Sid says as he hands over the beer. “I got a little caught up.”

Geno hums and twists off the top.

“So,” Sid starts, “I know Taylor talked to you and I know what she said to you and maybe she was right. Maybe I was avoiding you.”

Geno takes a sip of beer. “You think?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Sid says and Geno gives him a disbelieving look. “I didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just that I hate goodbyes, you know? I hate saying them and I hate hearing them and I try really hard to keep myself from having to experience either of those things, but with you it’s kind of inevitable. I guess I was trying to put it off for as long as I could because I don’t want …” He trails off and takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to have to say it.”

Geno picks at the label of his beer. “You know, almost didn’t come here. My friends had to force me. Thought I was going to spend the whole week bored and alone, thinking about playoffs and ex … thought I was going to be lonely. Never think I was going to fall in love.”

Sid takes a sharp breath and Geno rests his beer on the arm of his chair. He does the same to Sid’s then takes both of Sid’s hands in his own.

“Don’t have to say goodbye,” Geno tells Sid, his thumbs rubbing against the back of Sid’s hands. “At least not forever. Not if you feel the same way.”

Sid squeezes Geno’s hands and nods and the relief Geno feels nearly brings him to tears.

“I love you,” Sid says. “I love you, but how are we supposed to do this? I can’t go to Pittsburgh and you can’t leave it.”

“No,” Geno says as he brings Sid’s hands to his lips so he can kiss his knuckles. “Not yet.”

Five Years Later

Geno feels ready to vibrate out of his skin with excitement by the time the plane touches down.

He has to grip the armrest until his knuckles turn white to stop himself from unbuckling his seatbelt before the light goes off.

It feels foolish to be acting like this. It’s been a while since he’s been here, bye week at the end of January, but he last saw Sid less than a week ago at the Cup parade, still buzzed off beer and champagne, cheeks tinged pink from the alcohol and the sun.

Sid had spent the finals in Pittsburgh, cheering from the stands for games one and two and meeting Geno at center ice after Game 5, sliding toward him for a celebratory kiss as cameras flashed around them.

It was the perfect way to end his career.

Retiring and turning down the job at the front office had been one of the hardest decisions he’s ever had to make. Fans and beat writers didn’t understand how he could walk away from the city that’s been his home for nearly two decades for a cattle ranch in the middle of rural Canada. Although, he suspected that it clicked for some when he began to post photos of the ranch and Sid.

It’s not goodbye, he had written near the end of his Players’ Tribune article. I hate goodbyes. I hate saying them and I hate hearing them, but I have to go where I know I’ll be the happiest. That’s out west at a ranch nestled amid the Canadian Rockies with a man who made it all so easy to love.

They put in a lot of work to make it work. Patience and kindness and understanding. They both had their own lives and jobs and responsibilities but they ran on Skype calls and text messages, bye weeks and summer vacations. Holidays spent in Nova Scotia getting to know Sid’s family and playoff runs in Pittsburgh, where Sid fit in seamlessly with Geno’s parents and teammates.

They’ve always been looking forward to this moment, when Geno would get off the plane with the intent to stay.

Finally the seatbelt sign clicks off and the flight attendant begins directing passengers up and out of the plane.

Geno taps his foot and drums his fingers, waiting impatiently for his turn to stand and grab his carry-on from the overhead bin. He’ll have two suitcases waiting for him at baggage claim and the rest should arrive later in the week via a moving company.

He wrote step-by-step directions for them, noting every sharp turn and bump in the road. The last thing he wants is to unpack boxes filled with broken picture frames and tea cups.

He supposes he’ll need to do the same for the Keeper of the Cup when he makes his journey late next month with his own precious cargo. Like the movers, Geno will tell him to look for the cabin on the left with the Pens flag flying out front. That’s where he’ll be.

It’ll be fun to bring the Cup around the ranch, to show it off. Maybe they’ll let Sam get a few apples and carrots out of it before they take it to the waterfall, if it’s okay with Sid.

Maybe they’ll bring it up to the top and get a few pictures taken before Geno gets down on one knee and ask Sid the question that’s been on the tip of his tongue for a while now.

But that’s just one scenario. Geno has plenty of others that he plays out in his mind. On the walk to dinner with the summer sun filtering through the trees; on a trail ride with the mountains in the distance; tucked into their bed, still sleepy and warm and happy.

He has options and it all comes down to what feels right at the time.

When it’s Geno’s turn to exit the plane, he stands, grabs his bag and squeezes his way down the aisle, ducking his head and apologizing for stepping on the heels of the woman in front of him.

He thanks the flight attendant and the pilot then bypasses the woman he accidentally flat tired and jogs down the jet bridge, weaving through other passengers and shouting apologies over his shoulder.

He has somewhere to be and someone to meet and he can’t stand to be away for one second longer. He sidesteps an older couple and steps out into the lobby. It doesn’t take him long to spot Sid, standing back and out of the way in clean jeans and dusty boots, holding his hat in his hand.

He nods politely as people pass by him and, when he locks eyes with Geno, he smiles, soft and quiet, the way he always presents himself in public but Geno knows him well enough to know that he’s absolutely glowing on the inside.

Geno feels like dropping his carry-on right there, wanting to shed the excess weight so he can get to Sid faster. Instead, he tightens his grip and walks straight through the crowd, not caring who he cuts off.

It’s been less than a week but he’s missed Sid and he can tell that Sid feels the same.

Geno stops in front of him, too overwhelmed with the fact that they’re both here, now, and there’s no timeline or red mark on the calendar noting his departure.

This is the rest of his life and Geno feels tears sting his eyes as Sid drops the hat onto Geno’s head and wraps his arms around his neck.

“Hey, cowboy,” Sid says softly. “Welcome home.”