Over a month has passed since Moss visited Colorado to watch his brothers play in their first regular season NHL game together.
Over a month has passed since either of them have spoken to him outside of the family group chat.
Over a month has passed since Tye Martel has made himself a constant in Moss' life.
The latter observation may be the most peculiar yet welcomed one of them all that he's picked up on. Whether it be a FaceTime, phone call or text- Tye makes sure to reach out basically every day.
Moss didn't want to be a bother at first, but has since given up on that line of thinking. He now texts Tye his thoughts on anything and everything throughout the day. He figures that he hasn't scared the defenseman away yet, so he must be doing something right.
(And yes, he did update Tye's contact name.... don't look into that.)
Tye>:)
Rise and shine MoMo! **sunshine emoji**
To: Tye>:)
Morning Snorlax **sleeping face emoji**
Did you sleep through your alarm today?
It's the week of Thanksgiving, so management has graciously allowed everyone to work from home Monday through Wednesday. Thursday is a holiday so nobody will be working, but the accounting and finance departments are required to be in the office on Friday due to it falling on month end. Consequently, Moss is part of the unlucky group of people who will begrudgingly make their way to downtown Detroit after the holiday celebrations to help close out the billings.
**incoming call: Tye>:)**
Moss smiles as he answers the call, "Yes, my refrigerator is running. I'm gonna catch it any second now."
Tye's laughter erupts through the speakers on his phone.
"I'll try to make this quick so you can continue your hunt," Tye finally spits out. "I was wondering if you're going to be in town for Thanksgiving this week."
"I have Thursday off, but they need us in the office on Friday, so I'm not able to fly into Denver for Thanksgiving," he explains dejectedly.
"What are you doing on Thursday then? Do you have family or friends in Detroit to spend the day with?" Tye questions.
Oh boy, he is not going to like the answer to this one.
"My parents and grandparents are flying into Denver to be with Shane and Eli this year. It's a bit difficult to make friends as an adult outside of school, so I won't be having a Friendsgiving either," he supplies in a deadpan tone.
"MoMo...."
"Tye...." he mimics Tye's exasperated voice and sigh.
"I'll be fine, I promise. And if I'm not, for whatever reason, I'll just bug you about it."
"I can call you during dinner. My family won't mind," Tye offers lightly.
Sighing for the umpteenth time, Moss replies, "My mom said that she'll give me a call when they're cutting the turkey. Don't worry that little hockey brain of yours."
"Alright.... I'm serious though. Give me a call if you need to on Thursday. We both know how your family can be a bit-" Tye cuts himself off looking for a non-offensive word to use to describe the Kettler's.
"-flakey?" Moss finishes Tye's sentence for him knowing that it's the adjective he most likely wanted to use.
"I promise you can be my dinner understudy on Thursday in case my family forgets that I exist again. I appreciate the insurance," Moss smiles at his friend's protective complex.
"Thank you."
"Anyways- tell me about how you managed to let Tampa Bay walk all over you in last nights game."
"Okay, first of all, fuck you-"
-
On Thursday, Moss puts on a nice gray button up and styles his wavy dark brown hair so it looks acceptable for a FaceTime call where his grandmother will see him. He's still wearing his black sweatpants and purple fuzzy socks but no one needs to know those details.
It is 7:36 PM in Detroit which means it is 5:36 PM in Denver. Moss has managed to avoid eating the mini Thanksgiving meal that he prepared for himself. The apartment has smelled delectable all day with the small turkey in the oven and the apple pie cooling off on his limited counter space.
His mom has always been proud of him for his cooking abilities and she will surely be elated to see what he whipped together for his Thanksgiving dinner for one.
He gives her a call at the agreed upon time, 7:45 PM, but it rings and rings with no answer.
No worries- it's a hectic day with a lot of cooking that needs to be done in an unfamiliar environment. They're probably just behind schedule.
Moss gives them until 8:15 PM before he tries his mom's phone again. Again- no answer.
His heart races as he thinks back on his conversation with Tye. Surely his family won't actually forget about him on Thanksgiving- a holiday all about food and being thankful for the loved ones in your life.
He calls his dad next, but he is almost never near his phone during family events like this.
No answer.
Getting sent to Eli's voicemail is where he starts to feel dizzy with despair.
What pushes him over the edge is Shane hitting the decline call button after it rings for less than a second, sending him straight to voicemail.
The Team
To: The Team
I'm ready to eat when you are:)
His fingers shake as he adds the smiley face emoji, hoping to come across as calm and happy to his busy family.
At 9:27 PM he finally gets a response.
The Team
mom<3
Sorry honey, we decided to eat on the rooftop of your brothers' apartment and left our phones behind while carrying the food upstairs. We completely lost track of time but had a great meal.
Happy Thanksgiving! **turkey emoji**
dad-man
**liked Happy Thanksgiving!**
elly-boy
**emphazied Happy Thanksgiving!**
shaney-boy
**liked Happy Thanksgiving!**
shaney-boy
**image of Kettler family around a patio table on the rooftop of Shane and Eli's apartment**
mom<3
**loved the image**
Moss mutes the conversation with his family.
Looking at his plate in the microwave waiting to be heated, he considers putting it in a container and calling it a night.
"MoMo...." he picks up after two rings.
"Please, no pity. Can you just tell me about something funny or happy that happened to you today?" Moss asks softly.
Tye pauses for a moment before jumping into a story from earlier in the day, "My sister caught the marshmallow yams on fire while they were in the oven with the turkey."
He goes on to explain that even though they celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, American Thanksgiving still feels sacred (or at least the food does) and his sister should be kicked out of the country for committing such blasphemy.
Moss laughs along as Tye tells him stories of past Thanksgivings. He manages to finish his plate of food by the end of one of Tye's holiday anecdotes involving his aunt blacking out and yelling at his grandpa before they even ate dinner.
"Hey, Tye?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I want to visit Denver soon."
"...."
"Let me know a time and day and I'll get your flight booked."