“He loves you.” I snapped my gaze to him. He had to see it, the way Milo looked at him, the way he looked at Milo. It was obvious to me now. “As a friend, you know, he loves you.” I nodded. I’d tone it back a touch. “Your friendship is really important to him. He said it’s what got him through a lot of shit in his life.”
He nodded. “Yeah, like his dad cheating on his mom while she was working in a NICU as a nurse.” He clenched his jaw. “It almost wrecked him. His dad’s a douche.”
“See? He never even told me about that. He won’t talk about his dad with me.” I faced him, then propped my head in my hand. I’d just throw it out there. “Maybe you two should be dating?” I arched a brow.
“What?” Milo stepped between us, grabbed Ryder’s beer, and took a sip. “Damn, I’m parched. Playing a gig is a workout.”
I ticked my chin at Ryder’s beer. “See? He drank your beer, not mine.” It was an obvious tell. Yeah, these two needed to be together.
“What does that mean?” Milo planted a hand on his bare hip and edged into Ryder’s side.
With a coy grin, I said, “It means you two are very, very close.” I snapped my brows up, then drank my beer.Dudes, get a clue already.
“Yeah, I told you that.” Milo glanced at me, then focused on Ryder. “What have you two been talking about?”
“You.” I hooked an arm around Milo’s waist and hauled him between my open legs, resting my cheek on his shoulder beside Milo’s head. “How hot you are tonight. How great your band is. You’re the full package, Milo.” I kissed Milo’s cheek. I wanted him to feel good about himself, then maybe he’d come clean with Ryder.
Milo’s face flushed. “Yeah? Thanks.” Wrinkling his brow, his gaze crept to Ryder’s.
“I need to take a piss. Here, keep my seat for me.” Ryder hopped off his barstool and strode through the crowd, bumping people along the way.
Milo turned to me, furrowing his brows. “What were you really talking about?”
“Nothing, just…” I swirled the beer in my glass. “He’s a great guy, Milo and he thinks very highly of you.” I’d leave it at that. I was cool with it and there wasn’t much more for me to say.
CHAPTER FOUR
Almost a week later, we’d had our first practice of drills, readying for the coming hockey season and now I was freshly showered and ready to dress into my shorts and t-shirt. Standing in front of my stall in the locker room, I skimmed my boxer briefs and shorts up my legs. My head hadn’t been in it today. Probably because I hadn’t heard from Milo and wasn’t sure where we stood after ditching me after his show.
“So, you hear from Milo at all?” Jonah stepped next to me, already dressed, and planted his sneakered foot on my bench.
Of course, he would ask. Maybe he saw something was wrong in my lackluster performance on the ice today. I perused the locker room, everyone minding their own business and probably thinking about the skills Coach wanted us each to learn. It was a new team, and line-ups were yet to be confirmed. “No, I haven’t.” I hadn’t said much to anyone about mydate that wasn’twith Milo. Frankly, I was afraid to text him. I had an idea it was over. I pulled my team t-shirt over my head.
“What happened?” He wrinkled his brows. “I know we’ve been busy this week, but you’ve been all up in your head.”
With a sigh, I faced him. “Look, it was weird. I think something’s up with Milo and his best friend. I came home alonethat night because…” I blew out a breath. “Because he was too tired to hookup after his gig.” There, I’d said it out loud. I knew how it sounded.
He winced. “Are you serious? So, you two didn’t hook up at all that night?”
“We did not.” Planting my hands on my hips, I glanced around me.
A few of the guys looked my way.
They didn’t need to hear about my love life, or lack thereof. Some of these guys I barely knew. “Come on, let’s talk about this outside.” I patted Jonah’s shoulder, then grabbed my duffle.
“Yeah, sure.” He picked up his duffle and followed me out the long hallway, leading into an open area in front of the doors to the outside. “So, what happened?”
“Some old friend of Milo’s came back to town and Milo invited him out, too.” I glanced out at the sunny afternoon. It was going to be hot as fuck when we went out there. “It was a little weird. The friend said he was straight, but I got some queer vibes off him.”
“What do you mean?” Eyeing me, he shifted his weight.
“The friend, Ryder, seemed jealous, overprotective. And Milo, he wasn’t the same.” I raked my fingers through my bangs, exhaling. “I’ve been waiting to see if he’d text me.”
With a sly grin, he said, “So, you’re testing him.”
“No.” I twisted my lips. “Yeah, maybe.” Fuck, I was being childish and dramatic.
“Text him.” He pushed on my chest. “Right now. Text him and see what he says.”