Chapter 471: Modo XXVI—First Dates

Modano arrived at Wynkoops ten minutes early, he hated to seem overeager to a date but even more, he hated arriving somewhere late. He didn’t go straight to the pool tables but ordered lemon water instead. Drinking too early seemed cheap to him, and he didn’t want to look like he’d been waiting long either. And his wait did not go unoccupied either. More than a few people recognized him at the bar, young, fun, vibrant men and women. The attention flattered him and he basked in it for a spell, but still he didn’t give anyone a straight answer on his contract situation.

After more than a few conversations, and watching couples and parties occupy the pool tables, Modano realized that it was closer to four thirty, and there’d been no sign of Phil. His stomach began to burn, and he felt a nervous sweat on his neck under his collar and spreading over his torso. Well, people did run late, it happened, in fact some made a habit of things like that.

He became a little quieter, only briefly acknowledging people who greeted him, giving a nod, a quick hello, by four forty five he ordered a drink. By five o’clock he ordered a drink, and at five fifteen he stopped acknowledging people, and at five thirty he ordered another. When he’d finished his drink, he paid for the alcohol and sighed. “Forget it,” he muttered and he made for the doorway.

Stood me up! Modano couldn’t believe it. With all the luck he’d been having, it had spread to the failure of making even a simple date with someone, not even a date, just a meeting, a late afternoon of companionship to spend a day off. He couldn’t even have that? Not even that!

Modano rubbed his hands together and shoved them into the pockets of his coat. The amount of embarrassment he felt just could not be shared with anyone, his throat hurt, his body felt warm and sticky, and quite simply he felt robbed, just robbed! Stupid, insensitive…

“Hey there you are!”

A voice warm and deep, so much richer than on the television or the phone in person, and completely laced with cheerful innocence, besides his better judgment, Modano felt his willpower hypnotized. He turned and saw the tardy Phil Keating in a long dark coat, red cheeks and nose, a snow cap pulled down over his ears, and a smile so big and boyish and gleaming white, and eyes so sparkling that he actually felt his palms and knees tremble. He cleared his throat. “Didn’t think I’d see you.”

“Yeah,” Phil said, his smile enormous, “Yeah I spent a half hour over at Rock Bottom before remembering you’d said Wynkoops, sorry about that.”

Modano sniffed. It would be deadly now to relay his attraction. “Oh don’t apologize, I mean Alex said you’re a flake, so…”

Keating laughed and sniffed, pinching the tip of his nose. “Sure, you’ve been forewarned then, no hard feelings?”

“No I guess not,” Modano said cautiously.

“Good,” Phil replied and he turned back towards the building, he gave him a little wave, “Come on then, let’s play some pool.”

Modano’s stomach growled and he laughed. “It’s full, Phil, want to get something to eat instead?”

Phil raised his eyebrows. “Sounds good too, I see we’re already getting serious.”

Modano rolled his eyes, “I think there’s a profound difference in eating and sex.”

“Jeez,” Phil retorted, “What kind of boring ass sex life have you been raised with?”

Oh God please no, Modano’s mind screamed, not on the first date, not on the first date! Do not give in on the first date.

His will power and sanity drained considerably at their restaurant of choice when Phil took off his coat. Scent, the all important inducement for all kinds of emotions poured off Phil’s body, warm and slightly damp from the coat. He smelled light cologne, a powdery sweetness, faint sweat, and the musty odor of a coat that had seen a season of snow and drying damp in closets. These were smells that stuck in his nostrils that imprinted onto his brain and would haunt him late into the night as he lay alone in bed.

But he didn’t have to lie alone in bed did he? He could have this man right there with him, heated and delivering to him the full power of scent and touch and raw energy. That wouldn’t be wise, however. He’d already done that, he’d already been hurt. Not twice, he wouldn’t do it that quickly twice in a row.

“So how are you liking Denver so far?” Phil asked after drinks and appetizer were ordered, he skimmed over the menu with his finger.

“It’s alright, kind of small, but I guess it’s fine,” Mike replied.

“Don’t think of it that way,” Phil said, and at that point Mike noticed that he wore an earring in his left ear, a small gold hoop. On a face that refined, it distracted but it also flagged to him the promise of a free spirit, someone gleeful and unfettered. “Think of Denver in terms of a home port to the other things in this state.”

“Hm,” Modano said and he looked at his own menu, at the promise of the best pulled pork barbeque sandwich in the county. “What other things?”

“The mountains!” Phil declared, “Skiing, coffee in the lodge, snow boarding, night clubs, night life, it can get pretty wild.”

“Oh I’m not that wild,” Modano said in one of those moments where he wished he could just suck the words back in. “I mean…” How the hell could he just advertise himself as completely boring?

An awkward silence commenced and they ordered dinner, Phil a hamburger and Modano the pulled pork sandwich. “You,” Phil finally said, “Are still trying to get over something, a broken heart?”

Stung, Modano felt his throat close and flinch, “How did… what has Alex told you?” But did Alex even know about Hull? Did Alex know about Peter? He couldn’t imagine Alex knowing about Peter and staying quiet about that, regardless of his promise to Mike.

“He hasn’t told me much at all,” Phil replied asides from the obvious, most important truth about ya. But I can see a broken heart when its there. Hey don’t feel self conscious about it, I just came off a relationship myself, it’s tough. The hardest part is we can’t let it take us out of action for long. We get rusty otherwise.”

Phil’s voice, if he closed his eyes Modano knew that he could accept the serious timbre of it, listen to the voice of a lecturer, a purveyor of profound knowledge, a soothsayer. But the face! Phil’s boyish eyes, and grin, a permanent grin it seemed, and that earring just didn’t match and it pleased Mike more than anything. Now this was someone different!

“So who broke your heart?”

Phil nodded and scrunched his lips a little, “Yeah I think I broke the heart really, rather than the other way around. Candi was her name, or Casey, or Carly, or… something. Shoulda known it was doomed when I couldn’t get the name straight.”

Her? Could it be possible to suffer an even greater disappointment tonight than the one he’d received earlier when he thought he’d been stood up? “Oh how long ago?” And he couldn’t believe his tight and angry throat could say that much.

Phil shrugged. “Like days ago. Longer than Peter Forsberg had her, and that’s pretty sad I think. Poor girl needs to hunt different grounds.”

“Oh,” Modano said and he stared at the table cloth, what else could he say?

“Something wrong?” Phil asked.

Modano looked at him, well better not stew on it. “Well, you said her, I mean, I thought… well Alex led me to believe that you were…”

Beautiful heart melting smile. “Well I am!” Phil said and he leaned forward and winked, “I’m just not that good at restricting myself to just one side.”

Well that was… unexpected. Modano swallowed. “Oh…”

“Is that a problem?” Phil asked.

“Well, that’s just being greedy.” Modano said not quite believing he said it.

Phil only laughed.