His mouth quirks—it’s not a full smile, but a flicker of it. “I don’t mind the chaos,” he says. “But sometimes, I wish they’d knock.”
I laugh under my breath. “Killian walks into rooms like he—”
“Owns the place?” Adrian’s eyes warm a bit, and he chuckles. “He kinda does.”
The quiet that follows isn’t loaded. My breathing evens out, and the weight that’s been pressing against my ribs since I moved out—since I told them I was moving out—eases just a little.
Adrian sighs, and I notice the way his hands are curled tightly into the sleeves of his hoodie.
“You okay?” I ask, trying to keep my voice gentle.
He glances at me, then away. “Just… rough day.”
Right. He said that before. I wait and give him time. If he wants to talk, he will.
“I let in four goals at practice,” he mutters through gritted teeth. “I didn’t sleep last night. My mind was too loud.”
I nod. “Yeah. I get that. Not the goals thing, I can barely throw a ball, let alone stop one with my face,” I say and Adrian huffs something that might be a laugh. “But the loud mind part I get.”
After a while, I stand and brush off my jeans. I slip my camera bag higher on my shoulder, watching him for a second longer than I probably should. The angle of his jaw, the slope of his shoulders, the way he stares off into the trees like he’s listening to something I can’t hear—it’s grounding. So is the silence. The way neither of us needs to explain why we’re here.
I clear my throat. “Hey,” I say, suddenly unsure, “do you wanna grab coffee or something?”
Adrian’s eyes cut to mine, startled for a second before the soft veil of neutrality settles back in. He doesn’t answer right away, and I brace myself for the awkward rejection. Not that it’s a date or anything. It’s just coffee, a hot beverage between two people who happened to run into each other in a forest like some kind of cliché indie film. Nothing major.
“Sure,” he says after a while. “I could use a coffee.”
“Yeah?” I ask, trying not to sound as relieved as I feel.
“Yeah,” Adrian nods and stands up, brushing pine needles off the back of his jeans. “There’s that place on Ashcroft. It’s quiet. No line.”
I know the one. It’s tucked just outside of campus, mostly frequented by grad students and professors who need a quiet place to pretend their lives aren’t falling apart.
“Alright,” I say with a smile. “Let’s go then.”
As we walk toward the café, I can’t help but feel excited because I realized I just made a friend all by myself.
Damien
Theheatfrompracticestill lingers in my muscles, a low throb echoing beneath my skin. The windows are rolled down a little, letting in the cold air, but even that doesn’t clear the mess in my head.
It’s been a long day. Sprints, drills, weight training, and a meeting with Coach that dragged longer than necessary. All I want is to get home, shower, maybe eat something that isn’t microwaved, and pass out.
My phone buzzes with a notification I ignore. Probably Ryan sending another meme or Killian bitching about someone stealing his protein powder again. I’m not in the mood for either.
I’m around the corner from campus when I see them.
It’s the tail end of a laugh that does it. That sound Noah makes when he’s caught off guard—head tipping back a little, eyes lighting up. It hits me square in the chest before I even fully register who he’s with.
Adrian.
They’re standing just outside the little coffee place one block over from campus. That weird indie one that always smells of cinnamon and burnt espresso beans. Noah’s holding a to-go cup in one hand and his phone in the other, grinning as Adrian says something I can’t hear.
I slow down for a second without meaning to, lucky that no one’s behind me. They don’t notice me, thank fuck, because the last thing I need is to be caught watching like some kind of creep.
Noah steps back, smiling shyly, and Adrian pulls out his phone. Then I watch what seems to be them exchanging numbers. I see the slow flick of Adrian’s thumb, the way Noah glances down at the screen and types something in before they nod at each other and wave goodbye. There’s no hug, and no touch, but the fact that Noah was laughing with another guy has me contemplating murder.
Why the hell am I jealous?
