But I didn’t imagine it. And I’m not the only one who saw it. Leo did too. I know that before he even opens his mouth.
I find him near the tunnel after the game ends. Most of the crowd is already heading toward the exits, and the noise of the arena has dropped from deafening to manageable. It leaves behind the echo of skates being carried across concrete and the low hum of conversations fading into the distance.
He’s leaning against the wall like he’s been waiting for me.
“You saw it,” he says before I even say hello.
It isn’t a question.
“Yeah,” I answer.
He nods once.
“So did I.”
There’s something oddly reassuring about that confirmation, even though I don’t know why yet.
“That wasn’t just the crowd,” I say.
“No,” Leo replies immediately.“It wasn’t.”
“Perth?”
“Yes.”
The word sits heavy between us.
I run a hand through my hair, suddenly restless in a way I can’t quite explain.
“You know something?” I ask him.
Leo doesn’t answer right away.
Instead, he studies me for a second like he’s deciding how much I already understand before he adds anything else.
“I know enough to recognize when someone’s pretending they’re fine,” he says carefully.“And Lisa was pretending.”
She’s very good at pretending. Too good.
“You think Zane knows?” I ask.
Leo shakes his head immediately.
“No.”
“Yeah,” I mutter.“Didn’t think so.”
We step further down the hallway so people stop brushing past us every few seconds. The silence that settles between us after that feels less awkward than expected and more like both of us are trying to decide the same thing at the same time.
“I don’t like him being anywhere near her,” I say finally.
“That makes two of us,” Leo replies.
“Three,” I correct automatically.“Zane would lose his mind if he knew.”
“He will,” Leo says calmly. “Eventually.”
That word hangs there longer than either of us acknowledges out loud.
