Page 58 of Ethan

“See?” Charlie grinned. “Tuck agrees with me.”

“Tuck’s an asshole,” Ethan muttered, but that wasn’t who he was thinking was an asshole. When he and Charlie got back tohis apartment, he was going to yell at him for interrupting at the most important moment.

Now, Hank wouldn’t ever agree and the moment would flutter away, like it had never happened. Kind of like that heart-stopping second the night before their first game, when Ethan was sure that Hank had beenthis closeto kissing him.

Charlie hadn’t exactly interrupted then, because Hank had already begun to pull away, but he sure as hell hadtonight.

“You guys need anything else?” Charlie asked. “Max was just about to close the tab.”

“Oh,” Hank said and shoved his hand into his pocket to pull out his wallet, but Charlie stopped him with a soft touch to his arm.

“Don’t worry about it,” Charlie said, “it’s on him.”

“Thanks,” Hank said, and Charlie ducked his head before giving Ethan a look that said, without words,we’re leaving soon.

The thing was, Ethan had come to camp this year totally okay with however this thing between them developed. Okay, nottotallyokay, but willing to be patient, even though patience was not typically something in Ethan’s regular vocabulary. He’d thought they’d have so much opportunity, this time around.

But from the way things were going, that wasn’t going to happen at all. Not yet, anyway. A wild desire to just grab Hank’s hand and drag him off and take what they both pretty obviously wanted surged through him.

At the last second, before Ethan just gave in and let the desire take him, he pushed it away. He didn’t need to freak Hank out. Even if itwasmutual.

“You good?” Hank asked, nudging him.

“Um, yeah,” Ethan said. Even though he wasn’t. How could he be, when this was so fucking frustrating?

It wasn’t even Hank’s fault, not really. If Niko hadn’t been having a dynamite preseason, it probably wouldn’t havemattered how off Hank had been. Niko would’ve gone back to Finland for the season, and Hank would’ve made the final roster, right alongside Ethan.

But Ethan couldn’t blame Niko either. It felt like at least a dozen factors out of their control, and hedidwant to rage against how shitty fate could be.

The problem was that wouldn’t change anything. Wouldn’t make either of them feel any better.

“I think Charlie wants to go,” Ethan said.

“Yeah,” Hank said, standing up and stretching his long frame. Ethan couldn’t help but look at the strip of skin, tantalizingly visible for a moment, as Hank’s T-shirt rode up.

God, he was so tired of wanting with no end in sight. The worst was that he didn’t think it wasonlyhim, from the way Hank’s gaze sometimes stuck on his mouth or on his bare chest or even on his face.

“You got this,” Ethan told him, nudging his hand with his fist. He didn’t bring up the bet again, even though it was hard. Hewantedto.

But maybe even the vague shape of it would be enough to distract Hank.

“Sure,” Hank retorted, not sounding exactly confident about it.

But the grin he shot Ethan right before he went to find Charlie had some of his regular fire behind it, and Ethan had to believe he was telling the truth.

Hankdidhave this.

The next morning at skate, Hank was quiet, and Ethan kept to the forwards’ side of the locker room, not wandering over towards the d-men’s side, barely even letting his eyes go where his feet wanted to.

He was being good; he was being focused. And, he was going to fucking score.

Ethan had known it this morning when he’d woken up, sitting big and inescapable and certain inside his chest.

Hewasgoing to score, and he was going to bring Hank breakfast. In bed, maybe.

They’d started sharing lunch after skate or practice, but today, Charlie cornered Ethan in his stall as he finished getting dressed. “Hey,” he said, “sibling call this afternoon, before the game. V and I finally got our schedules aligned with Livvy’s.”

“Oh yeah?” Ethan was excited, even though he felt a frisson of disappointment at missing out on lunch. “What are we gonna eat?”