Theo paused at the door, the humor gone from his voice. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Tired.”
He nodded and followed the others to the elevator.
I straightened the couch cushions and went to the kitchen to sort out dinner. The visit had left me uneasy. They were myclosest friends, and they meant well. Still, all I could think about was tomorrow. I wasn’t sure what scared me more, Packy asking me to stay at his place or telling me to go back to the team hotel.
21/
packy
Morning skate mademe wonder if I’d landed in an alternate universe. In one reality, it was a normal game day, with stretching, light drills, and a free skate-and-shoot. In the other, the hockey faded into the background while smirks, private jokes, and low-grade chirping followed me around the rink.
Logan passed me the puck and asked, “You like trending, Packy?”
Harpy laughed so hard he nearly wiped out.
“Don’t worry,” Edwards called out, “your other half will be here soon.”
I told them all to fuck off and kept skating, but the laughter stuck with me, buzzing in the background like static.
They weren’t being mean. It was the kind of teasing hockey players turn into an art, but something about it felt off. We were about to play the Condors, and Nico was their captain. The fact that no one made a big deal of it only made me feel more out of place.
After Criswell dismissed us, I stayed behind on the ice. The lights hummed overhead as my breath fogged. Trying to focus, I almost convinced myself the online chaos didn’t matter. Edits,weird comments, and groundless speculation were the price of being a professional athlete.
Back in the locker room, most of the guys were already gone. Blunt said hi and disappeared into the trainer’s room, and Mason threw up a hand as he walked out. I’d just finished getting dressed when my phone buzzed.
NICO: Wheels down at the airport. Try not to score on me too hard tonight
Of course he’d used the winking emoji. I read the message again, and part of me wanted to laugh. Another part wanted to throw my phone into the cold tub.
Why the hell could I picture him sending it? He’d still been on the plane, suit jacket open, earbuds in. He was sure to be wearing the crooked grin that always made him look like he was up to something. My heart kicked me in the ribs.
I typed, “Can’t promise anything,” then deleted it. “Behave yourself” was too stiff, and “See you” sounded cold.Shit.I shoved the phone back in my pocket.
What the hell are we doing?
The question stayed with me all the way home. One text message and my body was thrumming with excitement. Nico was supposed to be a friend again, but we’d already moved past that.
Fuck. Straight guys aren’t supposed to feel like this.
As I merged onto the highway toward Williamsville, I tried to remember the last time I’d slept with a woman. My ex and I hadn’t touched each other for over six months before she left, so it had been nearly two years. I hadn’t even dated in all that time, not because I wasn’t horny, but because no one had interested me enough.
So why the fuck had I been so quick to jump into bed with Nix? The answer was easy: because Iwasinterested inhim. If I needed evidence, I’d spent half of last night awake, wondering if he’d stay over, in my bed, wrapped around me.
Tears burned my eyes, and I pulled onto the shoulder. I’d carried this ache for years. The way our friendship collapsed, the resentment, how I’d tried to erase him from my mind and failed every time. I’d convinced myself I hated him when… Fuck, I’d hated myself for never trying to fix things.
We’d been circling something since the day we met, but we never talked about it except that night in the cold when I’d said, “I’m straight. You know that, right?”
Now I didn’t know what I was. And for the first time, I wasn’t sure labels mattered.
I gripped the wheel. “Whatever my life was before, I want Nix.”
Saying it out loud made it real.
The big question was whathewanted. Was this only sex for him, or did he want something that could be real?
I pulled back onto the road and decided to invite him over to talk after the game. Talking wasn’t dangerous; it was responsible. We needed to be on the same page about whatever this was.
