5. Xander

Xander

The seats on the plane were assigned on our flight to Winnipeg for our series against the Wolves. I found myself next to Bennett, who was gazing out the window with a furrowed brow. The hum of the passengers and the low rumble of the engine filled the air, creating a tense atmosphere. I fidgeted slightly in my seat, nervous about the prospect of rooming with him for the upcoming games.

Determined to break the ice, I cleared my throat and said, "Ever been to Winnipeg before?" What a stupid question! Of course Bennett has been to the Gateway to the West. We all have.

"A few times," he grunted in response, not taking his eyes off the window. "Not my favorite place."

I smiled at that. At least he didn"t seem to think I was a complete fool. "I heard the cold keeps the mosquitoes away. Maybe that's a plus?"

He cracked a small smile at that. "Yeah, if you like frostbite."

I leaned back in my seat as the plane shuddered slightly during its ascent. My mind raced, trying to think of something else to say.

"Got any favorite movies to watch during flights?"

"Not really." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Usually just sleep or listen to music."

"What kind of music are you into?"

His shoulders lifted and fell in another shrug. "Depends. Mostly 90s rock." He wasn't looking at the window anymore.

I nodded appreciatively at that. "Nice, can't go wrong with the classics. Got a favorite band?"

"Orion Skye."

"Oh cool. I"ve heard of them. "Heaven In You," right?"

"Yeah, that"s one of their hits."

"I'm more into newer stuff, like Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots."

Bennett smirked. "You mean the modern classics?"

"Guess so. Different eras, same love for music."

"Exactly."

A silence falls between us for a moment. I shift in my seat, determined to keep the conversation going.

"Ever read any good books on these trips?"

"Not much of a reader."

"What about TV shows? Binge anything lately?"

"Watched The King of Queens reruns."

"Nice choice. Doug and Carrie always crack me up."

Bennett just nodded, staring out the window again.

I pulled a deck of cards from my bag. "Wanna play a game? We could play something simple like War or Crazy Eights."

Bennett glanced at the cards, then at me. He sighed, but I caught a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Alright, fine. Let's play Crazy Eights."

I shuffled the cards and started the game, and I kept the mood light with small talk.

"What about hobbies? Besides hockey, of course."

"I like fishing. It's peaceful."

"Fishing, huh? Never pegged you for an outdoorsy guy."

He smirked. "Don't let the grumpy face fool you."

We laughed together and I felt a sense of accomplishment as Bennett started to open up, even if just a little.

"Got any big plans for the offseason?"

"Probably head to my folks' place at Maple Valley. What about you?"

"Not sure yet. Might visit my cousin West in Tennessee. We haven't seen each other in ages."

"Sounds like a solid plan. Family time is always good."

Our conversation flowed naturally after that, punctuated by rounds of our card game and stories about life outside hockey.

By the time we started our descent into Winnipeg, I thought I'd made some progress with Bennett.

"Hey," I said before we disembarked, "thanks for humoring me with the game. Made the flight go by faster."

He nodded, and for once his smile seemed genuine. "Yeah, wasn't too bad."

Bennett and I were roommates at the hotel – no surprise there. I'd stayed at this hotel when I played with the Giants. The moment we entered the room, Bennett motioned for me to choose which of the two queen beds I wanted. I rolled my luggage toward one of them, while he went toward the other.

The room was a standard double, furnished with the essentials: dresser, desk with a chair, bedside tables, and a television. There was an en suite bathroom with a shower. Basically neutral colors and minimal frills.

Across from me, Bennett was methodical as he stowed away his gear, his gaze occasionally straying over to me.

"So, captain, any pre-game rituals I should know about?"

"Yeah. Meditate on not messing up."

I laughed at that, but he didn"t crack a smile. His face remained serious, though there was an unmistakable glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Come on," I prodded him further. "You must have some superstition or routine. Like, do you always put your left skate on first or something?"

"I just focus on the game."

Undeterred by his no-nonsense demeanor, I stretched out on the bed and grinned at him.

We spent the next few moments in comfortable silence, each lost in our thoughts.

He broke the silence after a while. "Alright," he said with an air of authority. "Time to hit the sack. Big game tomorrow."

"Got it, captain," I responded cheerfully. "Sweet dreams."

"You too, rookie," he replied as he turned off the lights.

Maybe sharing a room with Bennett wasn"t going to be so bad after all.

Not surprisingly, the arena was mostly packed with Winnipeg's fans. My pulse quickened as I sat on the bench, eyes glued to the ice. We were tied at one apiece in the third period, still anyone"s game.

Bennett and I had been in sync all night, weaving through the Wolves" defense. They were relentless, but we held our ground.

Midway through the third period, disaster struck. One of our forwards, Landon, took a hard hit into the boards and went down, clutching his knee. The arena fell silent for a moment. Winnipeg's fans started booing as the referee signaled for a stoppage in play.

The trainers rushed onto the ice, carefully lifting Landon onto a stretcher. The crowd's booing grew louder, but we focused on our teammate, hoping he was okay.

Coach shouted, "Bennett, Harrison, you're up! We need a play!"

I glanced at Bennett, who nodded sharply. We took the ice, determination in our strides. The puck dropped, and the game was on again. Bennett shouted, "On your left!" as he passed the puck to me, deftly dodging a defenseman. I took off, heart pounding, eyes locked on the goaltender.

The Wolves" fans booed every time we touched the puck, their jeers a constant reminder of the hostile territory we were in. Yet, it only fueled our determination.

"Watch the right!" Bennett called out, blocking another defender. I skated hard, feeling the burn in my legs. The Wolves" defense closed in, but Bennett was there, taking a hit to clear my path. I faked a shot, then slipped the puck past the goaltender. The red light flashed.

Goal.

The bench erupted. As we skated back, I gave Bennett a nod. He returned it with a subtle tilt of his head.

And something shifted between us. Hell if I knew what it was.

Back on the bench, Coach clapped us both on the back. "Good job, boys," he said gruffly. The game continued, but the intensity never let up. We faced penalties, players in the sin bin, and even a few fisticuffs, but we held our ground.

And won.

Because we had practice and then another game the next day, the team opted to retreat to our hotel rooms.

The door to our room clicked shut behind us. I threw myself onto the bed, my heart still pounding from the thrill of the game. Bennett, always one for order, started to meticulously sort his gear.

"Man, what a game!" I let out a laugh. "Did you see the look on Coach"s face when we scored the winning goal?"

"Yeah," Bennett grumbled a response. "Probably thinking we should've done that sooner."

Despite his gruff exterior, Bennett had a way of making me chuckle. "For such a grump, you sure do know how to make a play."

He paused at that and shot back a slight smirk. "Just doing my job."

"Well, it was pretty awesome." With an appreciative nod, I propped myself up on my elbows. "You know, we make a pretty good team."

"We do, don"t we?" After his words hung in the air for a moment, silence settled between us.

I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through messages, not bothering to call my parents. They wouldn't be interested in whether the Grizzlies won or lost or how I'd played anyway. A thought crossed my mind then and I looked up at Bennett. "Gonna call the fam about the game?"

"Planned on it."

"I"ll give you some privacy then..." I started to rise but was stopped by Bennett"s dismissive wave.

"No need… they"d love to meet you."

"Meet me? Over the phone?"

"Yeah," he said with an indifferent shrug. "My sister Chloe"s a fan."

A grin spread across my face at that news. "Alright then..."

As Bennett dialed and put the call on speakerphone, anticipation bubbled inside me like soda pop. The sound of a bright voice filled our room after just three rings.

"Ry! Did you guys win?"

"Yeah," Bennett replied. "Close game, but we pulled through."

"That"s awesome! Oh, is Xander with you?"

"Yes, LoLo," he said dryly, shaking his head. "He's my roommate."

A squeal pierced the air from Bennett's phone.

"Can I say hi?"

Bennett motioned for me to come closer. Leaning into the phone, I had a huge smile on my face.

Another squeal.

"Oh my god, Ry. It's really him." Bennett's sister grinned broadly, her face lighting up the screen with infectious enthusiasm. "Hi, Xander, I'm Chloe, but everyone calls me LoLo. I'm such a fan!"

I chuckled, waving at the screen. "Hi, LoLo, nice to meet you."

"You're even cuter on video!" she blurted out, then quickly covered her mouth, blushing.

Bennett smirked. "Careful, LoLo. You're embarrassing the guy."

I laughed. "Don't worry about it. It's nice to meet a fan." Glancing at Bennett, I continued, "Your brother's been showing me the ropes. Couldn"t have done it without him."

Bennett rolled his eyes at my comment but I caught a hint of a smile on his face.

"Ry, you"re so lucky to have Xander as your roommate. He"s amazing!"

"Yeah. He's alright."

"Just alright, huh?" I nudged Bennett playfully and he grunted in response.

"Xander," Chloe piped up again. "You should totally come visit us in Maple Valley sometime."

"I'd love that," I said. "Thanks for the invite."

"Hey, ConAir!" Bennett called out suddenly, and the screen shifted to show a grinning teenager about Chloe's age. "Say hi to Xander."

"Hey Xander, I'm Connor. But to Ry, I'm ConAir, ConDuit… or whatever, depending on his mood."

"Hi, Connor," I said, chuckling. "Nice to meet you."

"Connor's my twin," LoLo interjected proudly. "But you probably figured that out."

"Yep, we're the dynamic duo," Connor added with a laugh.

"Are Mom and Dad home?"

"They went for a walk," Chloe replied.

Connor added, "Yeah, they"re doing great, though."

The siblings continued talking, catching up on each other"s lives. Bennett's laughter filled the room, a sound that made me smile without thinking. It made me feel like his smile – his laughter – was the goal I should aim for every day. Seeing him so relaxed and happy with his family made the grumpiness he often showed seem like a distant memory.

"Alright, ConCave, LoLo, we've got a big day tomorrow," he said, still chuckling. "Say goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ry. Goodnight, Xander," they chorused, their voices full of warmth.

"Goodnight, LoLo, Connor," I said, waving as Bennett ended the call.

Bennett turned to me, a small smile playing on his lips. "They're a handful, but they mean well."

"They seem great," I said. "You're lucky to have a supportive family."

"Yeah, they keep me grounded."

We continued talking about the highlights of the game we played, but my mind wandered back to LoLo and Connor's vibrant personalities and Bennett's interaction with them. It had been like observing a different person altogether – not grumpy or serious but light-hearted and warm. It was as if he"d made a 180-degree turn when it came to his family.