Page 72 of Ethan

But he didn’t know if he should. Ethan wouldn’t push him away, that much was obvious, but if he did, what would this be? Ethan had ordered Chipotle, and it was hardly the cute little Italian place with its candlelight and house Chianti that Dom had recommended. But it would mean something. Maybe even more than it already did.

Hank wanted that—wanted that so bad he felt kind of sick about it—but he also didn’t want to do it right before he left.

But alsonotdoing it, that sucked too.

He’d just about decided that he didn’t care if this was the shittiest half-assed date ever, he was going to kiss Ethan again, because they clearly both wanted it, when a noise interrupted them.

“Shit,” Ethan said, and sure enough, unlike what Ethan had just declared, Charlie walked right into his kitchen.

He stopped, looking from Ethan to Hank, a Chipotle bag in his hand. “What’s going on?” he asked. “I thought you were going out?”

Hank internally cursed his fair complexion as he flushed. Caught fucking red-handed.

At least they hadn’t been kissing in Charlie’s kitchen. Or worse, Charlie could’ve come in half an hour ago and found them drowsy and satisfied on his couch.

“Uh, change of plans?” Ethan said. He looked right at Hank, like he was asking if it was okay if Charlie knew—but Charlie wore an A for the Bandits. He probablyalreadyknew. Because Max definitely would’ve known. Max was probably Inverness’ next call, the moment he’d hung up with Hank.

“Change of plans?” But Charlie looked confused, and Hank realized that Max hadn’t told him.

It made him like Max more, honestly. Even if he was weirdly close to Charlie, in a way that didnotfeel like they were just friends, there were clearly some lines he wasn’t willing to cross.

“Uh, yeah,” Hank spoke up. Charlie was going to know, sooner rather than later, and he might as well bite the bullet. Admit it. “I’m going to Syracuse in the morning.”

Charlie’s expression morphed into sympathy, and to Hank’s surprise it didn’t gall as much as he thought it might’ve, an hour ago.

“Shit,” Charlie said, setting the Chipotle bag on the counter. “That really sucks, Tuck. I thought Inverness would—well, he should’ve. That’s all I’ll say about it.”

It was more than he’d expected out of Barney, to be honest, but then Barney knew just how hot and cold Niko could be. He was hot now but would he be hot when it counted? He hadn’t been last year.

“Thanks,” Hank said. “So yeah, we ended up not going out.”

“Yeah,” Ethan agreed, like the plan had been more deliberate and not just,Hank had a meltdown and then we kissed and then we had sex. On your couch. Sorry.He went for the Chipotle bag, ripping it open and rifling through the contents. “Here’s yours, Hank. You get steak, right?”

“Adorable. You already memorized his Chipper order,” Charlie said with amusement.

Ethan shot his brother a look as he handed Hank his bowl. Grabbed forks out of a drawer and, after picking up his own bowl, headed to the row of barstools, settling on one. Hank followed, digging into his food. Hewashungry, actually. Maybe it was his regular metabolism or maybe it had been the sex. Or both.

“Like you haven’t had every single takeout order of Max’s memorized foryears,” Ethan pointed out.

“Fair,” Charlie said. He looked a little flushed himself, under the high collar of his sweatshirt.

“Exactly,” Ethan said.

Hank didn’t add his two cents in, because he’d been learning, over the last year over so many conversations with Ethan, and even more during the last few weeks of camp and preseason, that when the brothers needled each other, it was always better—safer, even—to not get involved.

They could say things to each other that they’d never tolerate from anybody else.

“The concierge said that the regular delivery guy was sick and the replacement was unsure,” Charlie said. “So he called me. And I was like, I didn’t order Chipotle. Knew you were supposed to be going out. So I came to investigate.”

That actually sounded very Charlie-esque, but Ethan let it go. Didn’t give him shit.

“You could’ve texted me,” Ethan said.

“Well, I’m glad I came, so I could see Tuck, too,” Charlie said casually. “You’re gonna be back up before you know it. I’m sure of it.”

Hank swallowed a bite of his dinner. Watched as Ethan dipped a chip into the bowl in front of him. “Thanks.”

“Now that this is all figured out, I’m going back to Max’s,” Charlie said, a little pointedly, and Hank wasn’t going to flush about that. No way.