“Exactly like hockey sticks.”
The joke lands softly between us, but underneath it, I can still hear the question neither of us wants to ask out loud yet.
Will he play again? Will things go back to normal? Will this change everything?
“Tell me something you want,” Blake asks, and I tilt my head.
“Like what?” I ask, confused.
“Do you want to go bungee jumping? Travel and see the world? Go to a psychic and get a reading?” he suggests.
“That all sounds good,” I laugh.
“You can only pick one thing. What’s next for you?” Blake asks again, and I think about it.
“I know what I want,” I smile as it hits me. “I want to get my tattoo,” I tell Blake, and his eyes widen.
“You think you’re ready for it?” he asks, and I nod.
“Definitely,” I tell him. “There is one more thing I want, though,” I say nervously, and Blake looks concerned.“I want to tell Zane,” I say after a moment, because the thought has been sitting in my chest since last night and refusing to leave.
Blake looks at me immediately.
“Yeah,” he says quietly.
“He’s coming this morning,” I continue.“He said he wanted to check on you again.”
“That makes sense.”
“He doesn’t know yet,” I add, even though he already knows that part.
“I figured.”
“I don’t want him finding out from someone else,” I say.“Or guessing. Or hearing it from Leo. Or Coach. Or anyone except us.”
Blake nods slowly.
“I don’t want him thinking I hid it from him because I didn’t trust him,” I continue, my voice softer now.“I just didn’t want it to feel complicated.”
“It was complicated,” Blake says gently.
“It still is,” I admit.
He studies me for a second longer than usual.
“You nervous?” he asks.
“Yes,” I answer immediately.
“About him?”
“Yes.”
“About us?”
I hesitate. Then…
“No.”
