“I didn’t want anyone to think poorly of you. You don’t deserve it.”
His eyes go tender. “Let’s get out of here.”
Axel hurries us out of the press room. The bus is waiting for us at the arena, and we pile in. Axel sits beside me, and Finn and Evan smirk.
We drive to the hotel. Tomorrow we play Anaheim.
Axel stays beside me as we exit the bus, and he stays beside as we get our hotel keycards, and he stays beside me as we go up to our hotel room.
We pile onto the elevator, crushed behind other hockey players and tourists who stare at us blankly—probably trying to figure out if we’re professional athletes, spies, or exceedingly healthy businessmen from Silicon Valley.
Axel glances at my keycard. We’re on separate floors.
“Maybe we should go to my room to, um, talk about Luca.”
“Luca’s in bed,” I say. “It’s late on the East Coast.”
Axel frowns, and Finn stifles a laugh.
“I think you should go, Enzo,” Finn says. “Kids are important.”
“Okay,” I say. “Did you hear from Patricia? Did something happen?”
“Everything is fine. We FaceTimed with Luca this afternoon, before the game, remember?”
I nod. “Then why…”
Color climbs his neck. He looks away, suddenly fascinated by the elevator buttons.
Does Axel just want to hang out with me? Hang out with me like we do in Boston? When I sleep in his bed?
God… That’s probably a sign, right? Do straight men really invite their gay friends into their beds, then give them handjobs and blow them so they can fall asleep?
I don’t think that’s a thing.
I hope it’s not a thing.
Because maybe…
Hope surges through me, dizzying and dangerous, moving faster than the zoom of the elevator. I should probably smother the hope growing in my chest. But maybe I don’t need to do so.
“Okay.”
Finn winks. “Have fun with your... toddler discussion.”
Noah elbows him. “Be nice.”
“I’m being very nice. I’m not saying anything about?—”
The elevator pings. Noah grabs Finn’s hand and practically drags him out before finishing the sentence.
The elevator pings again. This time we’re on Axel’s floor, and this time I exit with him. We walk side by side over the thick carpet. Axel swipes his keycard against the door, and when the light flashes green, I follow him inside.
The door clicks behind us.
We are alone.
We stand there, watching each other.
