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Can u sympathize for one minute

I need to go out and look Jed in the face

And he guessed

I freaked out

So he probably thinks I AM hung up on Mike

Lil

Be honest, r u pining

Cuz Mike’s not worth it

Also…

It’s JED is it??????

Remy

Shut up

It sucks to be ghosted

Why didn’t Mike text me if he actually cared how I was doing

Lily

Big bro

Why r u like this

Go hang out with the hot goalie

U can thank me later

Well, that wasn’t helpful. He wished Lily could take his feelings about whatever he’d had with Mike seriously. Even if she hadn’t approved, she maybe could’ve understood how lonely he’d been last year, finally called up for a decent stretch with no one to talk to about it except his former coach, who lived two hours away and cared about him enough to suggest they meet up for a pep talk. Who could share Remy’s excitement about moving up and understood how much it also scared him.

Who was also confident and attractive and treated Remy differently now that he was playing in the NHL, and who turned out to be good enough at sex that Remy could lose himself in it—not that he’d ever told Lily about that—even if he knew Mike was never going to be what he really wanted. Someone who’d be there day in, day out. Who needed Remy back, at least once in a while.

Damn it, he wished he could just turn off his feelings about Mike. And he didn’t understand how he could still feel so much hurt about Mike treating him like he was just another former player, and at the same time give so many fucks about what Jed might be thinking right now.

There was no way in hell he could go back out and sit down next to Jed. He’d do what he should have done in the first place and find a seat in the back of the plane for the rest of the ride, and let himself be distracted by Petey and McBride and whatever mindless card game they might be playing. If he was lucky, Jed would figure out that he wanted to pretend this whole freak-out never happened, and they’d never have to talk about Mike again.

Jed left him alone for the rest of the plane ride. And they didn’t cross paths the next morning, either, during their workouts or in the locker room. That was good, because Remy wasn’t quite ready to face him yet, knowing that Jed knew about him and Mike. And knowing that Jed had been with Mike.

Because if he got too close to the idea of Jed and Mike together, his mind started going down paths it shouldn’t. Like, what had Jed meant when he said he and Mike weren’t compatible? It could mean so many things—like, that Jed and Remy would be compatible, which Remy absolutely could not afford to think about.

Despite everything floating around in his head, Remy skated well during practice, connecting better during the scrimmage than he had during any of the games on the road. And as always, playing decent hockey settled him and reminded him that he could do this. He could dig in and step it up during tomorrow’s game, he knew. He just had to stay focused on what mattered.

So when Petey asked him if he wanted to hang out that night, maybe get takeout and play video games, he said yes. Remy still found him and McBride somewhat overwhelming together, but they succeeded in keeping his mind off things he shouldn’t be dwelling on. And while their apartment was almost as bland as Remy’s hotel room—they clearly hadn’t prioritized decorating or buying any furniture that wasn’t absolutely necessary for sleeping and playing video games—it felt homier. Like a dorm room, but with a fancier couch and a much larger TV.

“So what d’you think of the team so far?” Petey asked after they’d settled in and he’d started the game.

“The team’s great. I just, I don’t know. Wish it wasn’t taking me so long to adjust.”

“I think you’re getting there,” McBride said. “Why’re you worried?”