My eyes were burning. I blinked it away.
“When did you get so wise?” I managed.
“I’ve been hit in the head a lot.” He grinned. “Sometimes things shake loose.”
Then he reached across the counter and squeezed my shoulder—brief and awkward for both of us. “I’m proud of you,” he said. “For what it’s worth.”
“It’s worth a lot, actually.”
He nodded, cleared his throat, and picked up his sandwich again. We ate in silence for a minute, the heaviness settling into something more bearable.
“There’s something else,” I said, before I could talk myself out of it.
Avery looked up, mid-chew. “Yeah?”
“I’m seeing someone.”
His brows shot up. “Oh. Another skater?”
“No.” I pushed the noodles around the plate. “It’s Derek.”
Avery stopped chewing and his jaw went slack. For a long moment he just sat there, mouth full, staring at me like I’d announced I was joining the circus.
Then he swallowed—hard—and set his sandwich down.
“Derek,” he said slowly. “As in Derek Sullivan. My Derek Sullivan.”
“He’s notyourDerek Sullivan.”
“He’s my teammate. My mentor. The guy who—” He broke off, shaking his head like he was trying to rearrange his brain. “Holy shit. Holy shit.Holyshit.”
“You said that already.”
“It’s worth repeating!” He ran both hands through his hair, leaving it sticking up in every direction. “How did I not notice this? I see you guys together all the time!”
I bit back a smile. This was the same man who couldn’t see that Hana was head over heels for him, even when she was literally in his lap watching movies.
“You’re not exactly known for your emotional intelligence,” I said.
“Hey, I have emotional intelligence. I have tons of it.”
“You really, really don’t.”
He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. “Okay, fair. But still—Derek? The guy who’s been like a big brother to me?”
“Please don’t make it weird.”
“It’s already weird!” He paused, his expression shifting into something more serious. “Wait—is he…is he being good to you? This isn’t another secret situation like Nico?”
“It’s not a secret, Avery.” I held his gaze. “We wanted to tell you first. That’s the only reason we’ve been quiet about it. We weren’t ready to deal with everyone else’s opinions before we’d even talked to you.”
He absorbed that, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.
“And it’s nothing like Nico,” I continued. “Derek knows about everything. The rehab. My struggles. The—” I stopped, unsure how much to say. “He knows. And he’s still here.”
Avery studied my face for a long moment. “I want you to be happy. But is this really the best time to jump into something new? You just got back from seeing your ex in the hospital. You’re trying to compete again. That’s a lot.”
“I know.”
