Campbell's eyes opened and he was relieved that Maya was still sleeping in his arms and that the night before has not just been a dream that he had had so many times before. He rolled over, careful not to wake Maya and got out of bed, grabbing his boxers and pulling them on. His pants were by the door so he stumbled towards them, stretching his arms behind his head. Maya's twin sized bed was much too small for two people and Cam's joints ached but he certainly did not regret it. When he reached his pants that had been haphazardly thrown on the floor, he grabbed his cell phone, pressing the lock button. "Shit!" He yelled, pulling his pants on rapidly.
Maya jolted awaked and sat up, rubbing her eyes, "What is it?"
Cam swallowed hard, his eyes beginning to turn red and watery. "I have five missed calls from my coach, two from the captain, and a very long text message. I was supposed to be back at the hotel at 9. Guess what time it is."
Maya bit her lip and looked out the window. It was still dark so at least they had not slept through the whole night. "Babe, come here, calm down." Maya had seen Campbell have many anxiety attacks and they scared her every single time. She worried that one day he would try to kill himself again, like he had in grade 10. Every time they fought or he called in tears or he got benched Maya became restless and was distraught. It was easier to keep an eye on him when he lived in Toronto, but now that he was across the country she had to trust he wouldn't make the same mistake.
"It's 4:45 Maya. I am so fucking late. I am going to be bench and I played so badly last game. I might as well just quit the team. Fuck." Campbell sobbed as he paced back and forth.
Maya stood and walked towards her boyfriend, who was now crying. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck from behind. "Campbell," She whispered sweetly, "It is okay. I'll come with you to the hotel. I'll drive Katie's car. You don't need to quit the team. Your coach will understand. This isn't the first time a pro athlete has missed curfew."
Campbell nodded, turning around and kissing Maya softly. She let go of him and they began putting on their remaining clothes. After he had his old Ice Hounds shirt on, the two of them walked towards the garage silently, but hand in hand. Maya drove Katie's old Toyota Corolla, not letting go of Campbell's shaking hand the entire way. The hotel was downtown and about a twenty minute drive from Maya's house, but in the interest of her boyfriend's sanity, Maya sped, not worrying about the speeding tickets she was sure to get. Luckily due to the early hour, there were no cops patrolling the roads and the two arrived at the hotel with fifteen minutes.
Campbell raced through the doors, towards the front desk, and choked out, "I…am with the…Oilers. What room am I in?"
The hotel clerk, a short redhead, smiled at Cam. "Ah, yes. You must be Campbell Saunders?" He nodded. "You are in room 227. Your coach, however, asked me to tell you to go to his room first, regardless of the hour. He is in 211. I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr. Saunders."
Campbell thanked her, half heartedly, knowing that he would certainly not be enjoying his stay. He dreaded going up to his coach's room. After scanning the room for Maya, who had gone to find a parking spot, Campbell could not wait any longer. Each minute that went by, the more severe his punishment would be. He checked the time on his phone again and 5:09 flashed on the screen. "Great," he mumbled under his breath, "Only 8 hours late."
Campbell's coach invited him into his room. He was wearing an open hotel robe, with only boxers underneath. Campbell rarely saw his coach without a suit or skates on and was shock at his casualness. He didn't know whether to speak first or let his coach scream at him. Though as soon as the heavy, hotel door closed, his coach began talking, "Sit down, Saunders."
Campbell did as he was told, sitting in an armchair by the window. It was an ugly paisley design, uncomfortable and itchy. "Cam, do you know why I set curfews?"
"I think so, Coach. It's so we aren't tired before games and so we can watch game footage," Campbell mumbled, looking sheepishly at his feet, doing everything in his power not to make eye contact with the large man in front of him.
His coach tied his robe and crossed his arms over his large chest, "Yeah, but it's for your own good. I get that you are young and want to have fun but your team needs you and you need the team. When you weren't at the meeting, your line mates were worried. I am pissed, don't get me wrong, but I care about you and all of your teammates."
"I know, sir, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep. I didn't mean for this to happen. I understand if you want to bench me."
"Bench you? No, I'm not benching you. You will be fined $5000 and your curfew will now be 8 pm. We need you to play hard tonight and I don't want you moping around before the game. Apologize to the boys, especially your line mates. Now go to bed, we are having breakfast at 9:30."
Campbell nodded, shaking his coach's outstretched hand. He could not believe he was still playing tonight, let alone on the team. Relief overwhelmed him and as he walked out of the room he almost forgot he had to pay the fine. Smiling from ear to ear, he passed out as soon as he got to his hotel room.