Page 57 of Puck Me Back to Life

“I want to get to know you,” he says.

The honesty catches me off guard.

He shrugs. “We're teammates.”

For some reason, that simple statement hits harder than it should.

Such an ordinary thing.

Such an easy thing.

And yet for a long time I've felt like a guest wearing someone else's jersey.

My gaze drifts toward Ash. He's watching me now. Just waiting.

And somehow that makes the decision even harder.

“Fine.”

Dante points at me immediately. “Excellent.”

“You haven't even told me which bar.”

“It's a dive bar.”

“That sounds terrible.”

“It is terrible.”

“Then why are we going?”

“Because terrible bars are the best bars.”

I stare at him.

Dante beams.

I learn absolutely nothing.

The conversation moves on after that. Guys start leaving. Equipment bags disappear over shoulders. The music shifts to a different song. Somebody wins the pineapple pizza argument by sheer volume rather than logic.

Eventually I finish packing my things and head toward the showers.

As I walk away, my gaze catches on Ash one last time.

He's talking to Thomas now.

Laughing at something.

Completely normal.

Completely relaxed.

The sight should make me feel better.

Instead, my mind drifts back to the hotel room.

To his hands.