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Josie loves tennis. She does. But honestly, and this sounds so bratty, she prefers to watch it at home on TV, with the benefit of replays, slow motion, cutting commentary, and most of all, privacy. She wants to shout and jump to her feet, which isn’t always considered princess behavior. It’s a drag when her enthusiasm earns her side eye from her mother.
At least her parents relented about her bringing her girlfriend. Josie was never exactly in the closet but her sexuality has been public knowledge since university. No scandal, no sex tape leak. A few photos of her holding hands with girlfriends, an appearance at her first Stockholm pride parade, and people just read the room and moved on. She's lucky, she knows that.
Stef looks hot, of course. She had slept with socks looped through her hair. Apparently heatless curls are a trend, but first you look like an idiot wearing footwear on your head. The result was sexy loose waves that didn't even look sticky, despite the heat. Josie took care her to tie her own hair into a neat bun. Even thinking about the feeling of her hair becoming wet with the sweat from her neck made her want to take a shower. Stef’s dress showed off her curves but was still appropriate™️ for a royal’s girlfriend. And, of course, they were color-coordinated today, Stef in purple and pink floral with green-leaf accents and Josie in solid green. Coordinated but never matching. That’s too sweet.
This year they were seated next to one of the top hockey players in the world. Josie didn’t even know Shane Hollander liked tennis, and maybe he doesn’t. She hasn’t seen him at other events. He’s a professional athlete, how much time would he even have? Maybe he is a fan but mostly watches on TV, like she prefers.
Introductions were easy, once she assured him Swedish royals are basically as normal as NHL stars, no bowing or curtsies required.
He raised an eyebrow when she introduced Stef as her girlfriend, although he quickly schooled his face. Oh God, is he homophobic? Even if he is, he’s Canadian, so he’s too polite to actually ruin this day. Right?
Why is she like this? She can’t help herself. But it’s better to know now and feign politeness than accidentally befriend a bigot. When Stef goes to the bathroom, Josie goes for it:
“I hope you don’t have a problem with girls dating girls.”
His face instantly showed panic and he reddened. Did blood actually move beneath the surface that quickly? Who knew?
“Oh my God. My stupid face. I’m sorry. No, it’s actually funny..”
“My sexuality is funny?”
“No, Jesus, no. I mean, my mom tried to lure me to Wimbledon by telling me we’d be seated near a Swedish princess.”
Josie snorted. “Wow. Sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I am taken and you are not my type.”
Shane laughed. “And you’re not mine. I mean, no offense. But don’t tell my mom.”
Josie glanced over at what must be his parents, chatting amiably with people she'd consider real grown ups. Even at 22, she felt so incredibly young. “None taken, I think. And I won’t.”
Stef returns, and Josie tells her, loud enough for just the three of them, “Shane here doesn’t have a problem with the gays, but his mom was hoping he’d fall for me and he’d become my new prince.”
Shane looks a little embarrassed, but shakes it off. “It was never in the cards. I’m pretty particular.”
Stef’s lips quirk into a half smile. “So you must not have an issue with Scott Hunter.”
“You watch hockey?” He sounds surprised.
The girls laughed. “Uh no, not really,” Stef explained, “but I watched the clip of him kissing his boyfriend about 100 times.” Josie nodded. “Have you seen the edit set to that Wolf Parade song? I cried. Why is that video 3 hours long?”
Shane had NOT seen that edit but made a mental note to search for it later, using his incognito tab of course. He cleared his throat. “What Hunter did was so brave. I…it changed things for a lot of people, I think. It meant a lot. To me.” His big brown doe-eyes were getting shiny.
The girls glanced at each other. Josie gave Shane’s arm a quick squeeze. What does one say when a world famous athlete who is definitely in the closet reveals to a Swedish princess and her girlfriend that he’s gay? No one has come out to her before. What’s the angle here- supportive, excited, neutral…
Stef jumps in.“Does this mean we are your elder gay mentors?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m older than you.”
“Minor detail! Are you seeing anyone?”
Shane clamps his mouth shut, but he's smiling. “Not happening.”
“What Scott Hunter your gay awakening?”
Shane takes too long to answer and the girls absolutely lose it. Shane shakes his head but it’s not worth correcting, and after all, it’s not completely untrue.
This is not how Josie (or Stef) imagined the day going, but it's a pleasant surprise. They don't discuss keeping his secret; they don't need to. It's a given. And even though Stef and Josie ultimately break up, they stay friends with each other and both keep in light (respectful) touch with Shane, mainly on Instagram. He’s not a big social media user but they respond to his PR-approved stories and once in a while it prompts him into a DM conversation. When he announces the Irina Foundation (with Ilya Rozanov?!) Josie makes a sizable donation, and Shane sends her a personalized email response.
When she sees the FanMail video, Josie's first thought is Fuck Brad. Her next thought is that it’s been four years since Shane's quiet disclosure at Wimbledon 2017. She shudders imagining the weight of keeping a secret, so many secrets, for so many years. So yes, fuck Brad to the moon, but maybe that weight she’s imagining will ultimately be lifted. An extremely fucked up silver lining. Josie is an optimist but even she knows hockey isn’t exactly inclusive, and she hopes Shane is feeling more love than hate.
When he and Rozanov eventually post matching statements to their accounts, she comments from her public account.
PrincessJosie: Proud of you! 🇸🇪💗🌈🇸🇪💗🌈🇸🇪💗🌈🇸🇪💗🌈🇸🇪💗🌈
↪SteffiDoesStuff: we r so proud, our baby all grown up
↪ShaneHollanderHockeyPlayer: Once again, I am older than you both, but thanks for your support.
↪Shilyalover: why are Sweden’s princess and her ex girlfriend here…
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