Page 135 of Ethan

Well. Actually. That wasn’t true. But hecouldn’tbe that, no matter what anyone thought.

“You still going out with your sister for coffee?” Hank asked.

Ethan nodded.

“I was thinking . . . maybe we could do lunch or dinner after? I also heard the aquarium’s pretty good,” Hank suggested. He was flushed a little brighter pink than normal, and Ethan felt his heart melt.

“Like a date?”

Hank nodded.

“I’d like that. Livvy’s got to take off, they’ve got practice and a travel day after, so yeah, coffee in the morning’s the best we can do, all four of us.” Ethan made a face.

“Sucks,” Hank said.

“I can stay with Charlie tonight if you don’t want me to wake you up tomorrow—”

But Ethan didn’t even get the whole sentence out before Hank was shaking his head emphatically. “No, you’re staying with me,” Hank insisted. Then he paused. “That is, if youwantto. Like, if you want the space . . .”

“No, no space wanted or needed,” Ethan said softly and let his head tip onto Hank’s shoulder. He tried not to do this too much in team spaces, but it was late, he was tired, and it had been a frustrating game. If only he’d made that fucking shot.

He let out a heavy sigh.

“Don’t,” Hank murmured. “Keep being Ethan, okay?”

He didn’t have to say,don’t turn into Charlie, or even Avery. Overthinking everything. Trying to be everyone’s fucking savior, even if nobody asked you to be. Especially if nobody asked you to be.

“If you’ll keep being Hank,” Ethan retorted fondly.

“You’d have to stop me.” Hank shot him a sweet smile and then slung an arm around him, pulling him in more firmly. “Come on. Get a few minutes of rest, now. You’ve earned it.”

Like Ethan had actuallymadethe shot.

And maybe, Ethan thought as he drifted off, maybe to Hank it really didn’t matter that he hadn’t.

“Whose ass do I need to kick first?” Livvy asked when the four of them were finally settled around the coffee shop table with their orders in front of them.

Avery had dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. Jet lag was probably fucking with him, Ethan thought, or maybe it was everything else.

Yeah. Probably everything else. Ethan reached out and put an arm around his shoulders, tugging him into a quick half hug, and Avery shot him a small smile.

Charlie didn’t look much better, beanie pulled down low over his forehead like he didn’t want to be recognized.

Ethan didn’t say anything about how stupid he was, because he was trying to be a good brother.

And Livvy, clearly, was trying to be a good sister, so he’d help her out.

“Well,Idon’t needmyass kicked,” Ethan said. He took it as a win that his statement only came out a tiny bit smug.

Avery made a face and Charlie groaned in the back of his throat.

“What?” Ethan said. “Iwentto Max’s line. Everyone should be celebrating that I did it and I didn’t even whine about it too much.”

“We should be celebratingthat, for sure,” Avery retorted dryly. “Only alittlebit of whining.”

“That’s unfair,” Ethan argued.

Livvy rounded on Charlie first. “We’re gonna start with you, ’cause Avery gets like half a free pass, since his entire life just got uprooted.”