NICK
“Look who finally decided to come to guys’ night!” Noah chirps.
“You realize this is the first one we’ve had in months, right?” I tell him, dropping the four large pizzas on the counter in our condo. None of us can ever decide on what we want, so it’s always a pizza each.
Snacks—pretzels, chips, dips, and veggies to round out the night—already sit out in big bowls.
“Because you’ve been so busy.”
“I have not,” I tell him.
Noah drops onto the barstool across from me and pins me with a studying face. I don’t back down from it. I know he’s trying to glean whatever information he can out of me, but he won’t get it.
No one—and I mean no one—can find out about me and Bex. I have no clue how the guys would react if they found out.
Hurt? Angry? Deceived?
It’s not like I want to lie to them, but I can’t tell them the truth. One accidental slipup to the press, and it could blow up our relationship.
“Fine. I’m going to go feed Oreo.” The buzzer sounds from the front of the condo. “You let them in.”
“Got it.”
Noah grabs two carrots from the veggie tray and stalks off to where Oreo’s burrow is.
Buzzing the guys up, I wait with the door open as the elevator beeps at the far end of the hallway.
We’re in one of the newer buildings of Denver. It’s nice because everything still has that new-building shine. Even the smell feels like it’s a new house when you walk inside.
It’s not the biggest of condos. Noah and I each have our own space on either side of the living room and kitchen, with a small nook off the main room for Oreo. We’re lucky we had space for a dining room table when we got this place.
Sure, the two of us could each have afforded our own place, but being this close to the rink and having someone to split the mortgage with isn’t a bad thing. It’s not like either of us are bringing a lot of dates home.
“Glad to see you cleaned up for us,” Troy says, looking around our condo as he walks through the open door.
It’s immaculate—as it always is. Considering how often we’re at the rink for practice, or traveling for away games, we don’t spend that much time here during the season.
The hardest part is cleaning up after Oreo. Who knew that the messiest thing in our apartment would weigh all of six pounds?
“Please. It’s only clean because Nick lives here. If it were only Noah, you wouldn’t see the floor,” Cash tells me, walking by me to put a six-pack in the fridge.
“I take offense to that,” Noah chimes in, coming back into the kitchen. “I’m notthatmessy.”
I snort at that. I keep the communal space clean. Noah’s room? A completely different story.
“Noah, we’ve all seen your locker. It’s okay.” Troy grabs a carrot and bites into it with a loud snap, chomping through a smile at Noah.
“I’m rethinking this guys’ night now,” he grumbles.
“You just don’t want to lose all your money.” I laugh. Opening a box of pizza, I grab a slice of pepperoni and banana peppers and slap it onto my plate before heading to the dining room table.
“Oooh, little Nicky with the trash talk,” Troy chirps, ruffling my hair.
“Get off!” I try to shove him off me, but he wraps an arm around my shoulders and gives me a noogie. Like an annoying older brother would.
“Help!” I cry out, but I’m only met with the laughter of the other guys. Ducking out of his hold, I shove Troy away. “Now I’m really going to take your money.”
“I’ve gotten good.” Troy takes the beer Cash holds out to him, and I grab the other from him, nodding in thanks. “Carter has taught me a thing or two.”
