Page 19 of Two for Charging

Chris grimaced. Tom wouldn’t ever say anything, but road trips with the team meant a lot of shared meals. When people ordered things with too much dairy or sugar, Tom got the exact same expression as his dog Artemis when Tom didn’t give her treats.

“I thought, for our last free night, we could do something special?”

Pleasure and excitement thrummed through Chris’s veins. “Really? The two of us?”

Luca gave him a sardonic look. “Do I have any other roommates?”

Luca hanging out with Chris for lack of better offers wasn’t precisely what Chris wanted. But his ideal scenario where Luca told him he appreciated Chris’s friendship and asked for a hug or maybe even a full-blown cuddle didn’t seem likely, so Chris would take it.

“Okay, what are we doing?” he asked. “Are we going somewhere? Should I get changed?”

“Oh,” Luca said. “That would have been— No, I thought we would spend time here. I got— Look, stay where you are, and I will take care of everything.”

Chris relaxed into the couch and pulled out his phone to check Instagram and TikTok. Nothing new on the team accounts since he’d last checked, and the official NHL account was posting about other teams today. Luca went to the kitchen and rummaged in his bag. After a moment, Chris heard the clatter of plates and silverware. Food, then. His stomach rumbled happily. This was much better than having to hide out in his room while Luca romanced some girl. He couldn’t tell if the relief at not having to watch his roommate with someone else outweighed his pure unfiltered joy that Luca actually wanted to spend time with him. He shouldn’t mind the idea of Luca dating seriously. Luca would be such a good boyfriend, steady and funny and handsome. But Chris enjoyed having all his attention and, selfishly, wanted him to stay single. Ever conscientious about doing his homework, he got his list out again and added, Number Three: Luca will get tired of me and move out.

After about ten minutes, Luca emerged from the kitchen. He carried two plates balanced on a tray, both of them piled high with food. He set the tray down on the coffee table and asked, “Have you ever had burrata?”

“No, what is it? Sounds Italian.”

A little smirk graced Luca’s face. “How important is the meal plan to you?”

Chris shrugged. It wasn’t unimportant, but he didn’t live and die by it.

“Burrata is a soft mozzarella with heavy cream in the center.”

Chris’s mouth dropped open on a groan.

“I also got us an heirloom tomato salad, some fresh focaccia, and some real Parma ham.”

“My mouth is watering, dude. Where did you get all this shit?”

“There is a cheese store in Berkeley with good reviews,” Luca said nonchalantly. “They also sell fresh bread.”

Chris stared at him. “You went to Berkeley?”

“Yes?” Luca looked at him as if this was a totally normal thing to do on a day off.

“There are cheese stores this side of the Bay. How did you even get there?”

“I took BART. I wanted to get the right cheese.” Luca reached for a plate and shoved it into Chris’s hands as if he hadn’t admitted to taking a forty-plus-minute ride on public transit to buy cheese. “Here.”

He grabbed his own plate and turned on the TV. The Sports Network showed a recap of last night’s soccer game, but Luca switched to Netflix and toggled to the romantic comedy section. “Pick something.”

“You hate these movies.”

“I don’t hate them,” Luca protested.

Chris studied him. He didn’t look like he had a concussion, but you couldn’t always tell.

With a frustrated sigh, Luca scrolled for a while and then picked a film at random. It took all of three minutes into the movie for him to start critiquing everything, from the leading man’s fashion sense to the leading lady’s common sense.

Finally, normal Luca behavior.

Chris dug into his meal as he ignored the movie. The food tasted so good it deserved his whole attention. The cheese melted soft and creamy on his tongue; the salad Luca had set it atop burst into rich, acidic mouthfuls; and the bread was fantastic, crisp and crunchy on the outside, and soft and airy within.

Usually, Chris ate fast. He’d gotten into the habit early. Matty hated to wait, but Dad wouldn’t let him leave the table until everyone finished. They would both sit there watching him eat, and it made Chris feel self-conscious, especially when he was younger and had a thick layer of puppy fat. This meal, though, he had to savor.

He arranged a slice of ham on the bread for a perfect bite and let his eyes close as he enjoyed it. He wouldn’t miss anything in the movie. The lead was still trying to navigate her high-pressure city job and her clingy rural family. The love interest hadn’t even told her he’d been secretly in love with her for years yet. Next, Chris took a forkful of tomato salad with a little bit of creamy cheese and held it on his tongue before he chewed. He sighed in satisfaction as he went for more bread.