Wistful

Midway through the season, Reid left his unofficial coaching position on the sidelines and joined us on the bench. In marked contrast to Jim's jovial, vocal presence, Reid was quiet and intensely focused on the game, only occasionally calling out advice to players.

He and Sarah joined us for beers regularly after the games, and it was there he slowly began to reveal more facets of his personality. Over the next month, I came to appreciate his dry sense of humour. He still wasn't chatty, but every once in a while he would unleash a zinger that would have the rest of us in stitches.

One evening, in the middle of an intense 0-0 game against a rival team, Reid called me off the field and pulled me aside. "What the hell is going on up front?" He raked a hand through his hair with frustration. "Ainsley can't get within a mile of the net."

"Honestly, I think we need to switch up our formation a bit," I replied. "Here let me show you what I mean."

I took his clipboard and drew out what I was thinking. He listened intently, a slight frown creasing his forehead. When I finished, he nodded brusquely and went over to Jim. They talked quietly for a few minutes before Reid came back over and patted me on the back. "Looks good. Get out there and make the changes."

"Me?" I said, puzzled.

"Yeah, you. It was a great idea. You be the one to take credit."

"Oh." I hesitated. "Can't you just call it? I don't want to look bossy."

"Since when?" He laughed.

"Hey! Rude!" I replied, shoving his shoulder.

He slung an arm around my shoulder and squeezed me close to him once before dropping his arm back to his side. I felt a swoon begin to rise, but I quashed it, taking a step away. "Just get out there and do what you do best," Reid said with a smile.

"Will do." I smiled back, filled with a little bubble of warmth at being the one player he had singled out for advice.

We ended up winning the game, and after that, it became a little ritual for Reid to pull me aside before and during the games to discuss strategy. He would turn that laser like focus on me, and I couldn't help but glow under it. Who doesn't revel in that feeling of being singled out, of being special?

The summer seemed to fly by. One night in early August, we were all enjoying our post-game beers and wings, when Reid turned to me and said, "Next week is going to be a tough game."

"You guys will have to survive without me for that one," I joked. "I'm on vacation for the next two weeks."

He frowned. "What?"

"My summer internship at the firm ends Friday, and my boyfriend and I are going to Greece for two weeks before fall classes start." Gavin and I had been planning this trip for months. It was my last summer as a student, and I knew my final year of law school would be unbelievably stressful. This trip was going to be my last chance to truly relax before being swallowed in the chaos of classes, job applications, and interviews. Gavin was using up most of the vacation time that he got from Hot Off the Press, the apparel printing shop where he worked as a graphic designer. We had a beautiful trip planned, dividing our time between Athens, Corfu, Paros, and Santorini.

"You guys are so adventurous," Rachel sighed enviously. "Derek and I have never been further than Florida. He has, like, an actual phobia of leaving the continental US." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Yeah, you and Gavin are real globe-trotters," Ainsley added.

Sarah was intrigued. "Where else have you gone?"

"Well, one year when I was still getting my my undergrad degree, I took winter semester off and we travelled through Australia and New Zealand for a few months. Then, when I graduated and Gavin got his diploma in graphic design, we took a celebratory trip through South America for six weeks."

"That sounds amazing!" Sarah exclaimed.

"It really was. I wouldn't trade those experiences for the world," I said. "Even though we come close to killing each other at least once each time we take a trip. In Peru we did the Inca trail, and by day three, I was literally fantasizing about ripping Gavin's heart out and offering it as a sacrifice to the Incan gods."

The girls erupted into laughter, and chimed in with their horror stories of travelling with their boyfriends. Jen was in the middle of a story about her boyfriend Dave being peed on by a monkey on their trip to Mexico when Reid turned to me.

"I'm really jealous of you guys. I can't imagine what it would be like to see all of these exotic places."

"You guys should go on a trip! I'd be happy to pass on any of the guidebooks from places we've been."

One side of his mouth quirked up ruefully. "That's not really our style. Sarah gets really freaked out by being somewhere where she doesn't know the language and can't communicate with anybody. I end up having to do all of the talking and navigating and it just becomes incredibly stressful."

"Well, I think that's true for everyone, to an extent. I'm fluent in French and Spanish, and that definitely helps in some places, but certainly not everywhere. Often if you figure out a few crucial phrases beforehand  and don't mind looking slightly ridiculous when you mime everything else out, you do fine. If all else fails, you can go the Ugly American route and just assume you'll find someone who speaks English," I added, teasingly.

"Yeah, I dunno, I just don't see it happening for us," Reid smiled that wistful half-smile again and turned away.

I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I knew how lucky I was to have Gavin, who relished the opportunity to see the world together. So many of my friends, like Rachel, had boyfriends that were so xenophobic that they refused to travel beyond the US and five-star resorts in the Caribbean. I had always pitied them for that, seeing how they were held back by their partners. I would never have expected Sarah to be that way. She was so outgoing and bubble, I'd expect her to be one of those people who can fit in seamlessly everywhere they go.

I guess no couple can be perfectly matched, not even Sarah and Reid, I mused as I sipped my beer.