“And he didn’t want to ruin it? We see how that worked out for him. I mean, imagine how she feels? First, the guy you’re seeing takes another girl to the sexy time banquet and doesn’t even tell you. Then you find out he’s been keeping this huge secret from you. And to make matters even worse, you have to move back in with the brother who’s been ignoring you since Valentine’s Day.”
“The problem is, she doesn’t know the full story.” He pulls on his T-shirt. “From what she said at the party, it makes Declan look like a horrible guy, but from what he told us, it’s not like that.”
“How do you know he’s not just telling you guys what he thinks will mend the situation?”
“Declan isn’t that kind of guy. Stewart, if you saw him, you’d understand. I’ve never seen Declan so broken.”
“It makes sense. You told me you’ve never seen him love the way he loves her.”
He flops back onto the bed.
“This sucks. Two of my best friends are hurting, and there’s nothing I can do.”
“But there is.” I sit up on my hands and knees, hovering over him. “Go talk to her. You have nothing to lose by trying to open up her eyes to the truth. And if she hears you out and still wants nothing to do with him, at least you can say you tried.”
“I just want our friend group to go back to how it was,” he groans.
I straddle him, grabbing his hands to help sit him up.
“Go. Talk. To. Ember.” My eyes soften as they meet his. “If you don’t talk to her, you’ll regret it. Especially if you don’t go see her before the game tomorrow. You said it yourself; Declan’s hockey has seriously suffered without her.”
“Yeah…”
“So, we’re on the same page!” I jump off the bed. “You should go now.”
“Could I get a little sexy time before I go?” He pats the bed. “You know, to give me some courage.”
“No.” I pause, swinging open my bedroom door. “You actually won’t get any sexy time until you go talk to her.”
I give him a soft peck on the cheek and then head into the bathroom.
“Make sure to lock the door on your way out!”
This feels so different than going to his home games. It feels so committal driving over state lines to support your boyfriend in his hockey game.
“So, what happens if they win this game?” Jay throws popcorn into his mouth.
“If they win this game, they’ll go to the championship game,” I respond. “And according to Zeke, they’re winning this game.”
Jay took off work to drive down to this game with me. Ember offered to give me a ride; she said she was riding down with her friend Brinley and would make up an excuse about how we kneweach other. But it didn’t seem like the right way to meet the rest of Zeke’s friends.
“Your boyfriend is quite the optimist.”
“I’d argue that he’s cocky, but I guess it’s all the same.” I laugh.
“Are you meeting his friends tonight?”
“I don’t know,” I continue. “Obviously,whenthe team wins this game, I want to celebrate with Zeke, but I also don’t want to take away from their win.”
“What about that one girl, the friend you’ve already met,” he begins. “How do you know she didn’t tell any of them?”
“Trust me, if Zeke’s friends knew, he’d know. He’d never hear the end of it.”
“Because the player finally settled down?” Jay pops an eyebrow.
“Something like that.”
“Have you heard from your mom?” He eats another handful of popcorn. He already knows the answer.