Kulti(100)

“You should look into doing some milk commercials. You’ve got some strong bones on you, Sal,” he joked around, scribbling something into my file. “I recommend you take a week off to be on the safe side—“



I choked.



“—but at least four days if you choose to be stubborn and get back.” He looked up with a smile.



Yeah, that wasn’t much better.



“I’ll get you a note if you need one, or else just have someone shoot me a call or an email if they want to speak to me,” the doctor said. “You don’t want to make it any worse. Your body needs the rest.”



Four days off would really be five because I’d miss the game and have Sunday off by default.



Handing my file to his assistant, the older man smiled. “My wife and I went to your season opener,” he noted. “You’ve got a real talent, kiddo. I haven’t seen anyone move like you since La Culebra. You’ve heard of him, haven’t you?”



I only barely caught my smile before it fell off my face. “Yes, I have. That’s very nice of you to say.” I cleared my throat and ignored the weirdness I felt at the mention of the Latin American star. “Thanks for going to the game, by the way. I can probably get you a set of comp tickets for another one if you’d like to go again.”



“That’d be great. Any game would be fine.”



I made a mental note to see who I could con some tickets out of.



“So, ah, what’s it like working with Kulti?” The doctor’s cheeks were pink at the apples.



I was suddenly thankful the German hadn’t followed me into the exam room. I could only imagine how much the doctor would flip out if he knew Reiner ‘The King’ Kulti had been sitting in his waiting room. “It’s… great. He’s tough, but he knows what he’s talking about.”



The doctor got this dreamy look in his eyes. “I bet. I’ve always wanted to meet him. ”



So. Not. Obvious.



“I was pretty nervous around him at first.” That was the truth. “But he’s just like everyone else,” I said as I slid off the exam table as gently as possible, not exactly believing the words coming out of my mouth. Kulti wasn’t really like everyone else. Not totally. Edging toward the door, I told him, “I’ll email you the tickets once I get them.”



If he was disappointed that I didn’t make an offer to introduce him to the German, he didn’t show it. The medical assistant passed me my file and instructed me on how to take care of my co-pay. Thanking the doctor and his assistant once more, I opened the door and found Kulti leaning on the wall next to it.



“You scared me,” I said, glancing back to make sure the doctor was still in the room. I gestured toward the exit where the receptionist sat. “Come on.”



I made my payment as quickly as possible, trying to get the heck out of there before the doctor saw my friend. My friend who didn’t say a single word as we took the elevator down to the lobby, and the same friend that stayed quiet as we got into the car his driver had brought us to the doctor in. His jaw was hard, his shoulders even harder, and I didn’t miss the way his hands were fisted as he stared out the window the entire ride back to my place.



I swallowed and looked out the opposite window, not sure what to say to make the situation better. Honestly, I didn’t even want to ask what he’d found out. While I was pretty sure he considered me a friend, I didn’t fool myself into thinking that he was going to spill his troubles to me. Considering there were things I still would rather he not know either, I figured I wasn’t in a position to be a hypocrite and ask.



When the car pulled into the driveway that led to my garage apartment, I hesitated. The German was still looking out the window; apparently he wasn’t getting out, I guessed. “Hey.”



He didn’t turn to look at me completely, but his jaw flexed. He was like a little freaking kid that was pissed off. Avoiding eye contact and not speaking.



All right. “You know your reputation is just what everyone else thinks of you, your character is what you really are.”



I knew from the moment he licked his bottom lip that he wasn’t yearning for my support. But knowing I was about to get it wasn’t enough warning. “If I needed your inspirational bullshit, I would ask for it.”



Well, all right.



Bottling up my aggravation, I tried to put myself into his shoes. I would hate it if my personal life went public and everyone started talking about it. He was right to be frustrated, but I really was just trying to help. So, okay. Patience. Sure he had experience with being under a worldwide microscope, but that didn’t mean it would get easier to deal with over time, right?