“And you?”
“Fine.”
Mitch snorted. “Bullshit.”
Jamie glared at his hands in his lap.Fucking Mitch.“I’m embarrassed,” he admitted. “I don’t regret what I did, because, Mitchy, the way this guy was treating Tyler was fucking horrifying, and I had to dosomething.”
“I can only imagine, man.”
“I hate that people think I’m like that, though. Like I’m the kind of man who is out in the world starting fights with strangers.”
“You know the team doesn’t think that, right?”
“And the fans?”
Mitch went quiet, giving the question serious thought before responding. “They’re going to see you out on the ice, and they’re going to remember who you are, Sully. That’s all you can control. You’re a good guy. We all know that. And in the meantime, the team has your back.”
“Thanks, man.” Jamie slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
Mitch put a hand on his back. “Make sure Tyler knows you don’t care about this crap. Even when people seem unfazed, all this bullshit can get to them.”
Jamie nodded, shooting his friend a grateful smile. “Do you think it’s going to be okay?” He asked, not trying to hide just how fucking terrified he was that everything was going to fall apart.That just when he had everything he’d ever wanted, it was going to slip through his fingers.
Mitch nodded. “You got this. Both of you.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Tyler said.
His hand was warm, the soft skin of his palm pressed against Jamie’s callouses. Tyler stood next to him, wrapped in his yellow coat and lavender beanie, as they took the elevator up to the team offices.
He still couldn’t quite believe that Tyler was there beside him. It was too easy to imagine a world where they’d never met, or a world where Tyler refused to take a chance on him after their disastrous first meeting.
Everything had changed since then. Jamie was back in the lineup, back with the guys, back on the ice where he belonged. He’d found his game again. He had a man in his life.
Only now he couldn’t quiet the voice in his head that said he’d fucked it all up.
The elevator doors slid open, and Jamie squeezed Tyler’s hand. “Thank you for being here with me,” he managed.
Tyler nudged his shoulder with his head, and Jamie was reminded of how his mom had first described Tyler:a black cat covered in tattoos.
Fuck, Jamie didn’t want to lose him.
A minute later, he and Tyler sat across from Sharon, who’d greeted Tyler with the same detached politeness she used with all the Muskies players.
“So. Thank you both for coming in.” She looked up from her computer with a grim expression on her face.
“Thanks for taking the time,” Jamie said, shifting in his seat.
Sharon surveyed them, and then steepled her fingers on the desk in front of her.
“For now, the team has declined any requests for comments,”she started. “The man in the video is not pressing charges, and given that the footage in its entirety seems to exonerate you, I don’t think we’ll have any issues with law enforcement.”
That’s a small fucking relief.
“My job is to represent the Muskies organization and the players. While I have empathy for you in this situation, Tyler, I need to be clear on what my priorities are moving forward.” Jamie opened his mouth to protest, but she went on. “While there is still a certain amount of buzz claiming Jamie as the aggressor, those arguments are going to lose steam as the full video continues to circulate online. What fans are fixating on now is why their captain, newly returned from injury and on the cusp of an important game for the team and the community, is spending his free time hanging out in strip clubs and getting into fights.”
Jamie clenched his jaw, indignant. “I’m not–”
“My professional advice is that you immediately put some distance between yourselves. Jamie, you deflect any questions about your relationship with Tyler. People are quick to judge, and in this case, the online response has been overwhelmingly negative.”
