Page 173 of The Waiting Game

Jonah still hadn’t said a word to him though. Felix snuck a glance at him. “Jo?” he said softly.

“Felix,” Jonah whispered. He rose to his feet and took a hesitant step toward him.

“I didn’t take that drink last night,” Felix said quietly. “I thought about it. I wanted to. But I couldn’t do it. I wanted to, but I made the right choice.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Jonah said thickly. He stepped forward, pulling Felix close. “I would have been here for you either way, but I’m glad you didn’t.”

Felix closed his eyes and hugged Jonah hard, his eyes welling with unshed tears. God, he’d missed the feel of Jonah’s arms around him, the smell of his skin, the sound of his voice. It hadn’t been long but he’d been so afraid he’d lost it for good. And he didn’t ever want to go without it again.

“I shouldn’t have said what I did,” Jonah murmured in his ear. “I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

More of the horrible tension that had been inside Felix since yesterday eased. “Of course I can, you idiot. I love you.”

Jonah just hugged him harder, squeezing Felix until his ribs ached.

“Easy,” Felix gasped. “I’m still a little fucked up from the game.”

“Sorry.” Jonah softened his grip but only pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. “Can we talk later? Really talk. About what I said and how I feel and where we’re going and all that.”

“Yeah,” Felix rasped, heart feeling lighter by the moment. “Of course we can.”

Jonah touched Felix’s cheek, brushing his thumb across it. “I told Grandma the truth.”

Felix blinked, glancing over at her. “How much trouble are we in?” he asked her.

She smirked. “You two are going to do so much weeding this summer.”

Felix groaned and let his forehead gently thunk against Jonah’s. “At least it’s not manure this time?”

“Oh, I didn’t say that,” Grandma Ji-min said with a cackle.

Laughing, Felix and Jonah slipped apart but before they did, Felix grabbed Jonah’s hand and squeezed it. Jonah shot him a soft smile.

Oh thank God.

They had work to do. On themselves, on their relationship, but Felix had hope again. Hope for that future that he saw with Jonah if they could get their shit together.

“So, did you say something about breakfast?” Grandma Ji-min asked brightly. “I’m starving. They brought me food about an hour ago but it was so bland I could hardly eat any of it. I like oatmeal but I don’t know what they did to it. It was like wallpaper paste.”

Felix laughed, remembering the delicious oats she’d made with apple, cinnamon, and maple syrup when they were young. The perfect fuel for a winter morning skate on the neighborhood ice rink. “How does kimbap sound this morning?”

Her face brightened. “Perfect.”

“I got it from that convenience store we used to go to before we left on hockey road trips,” Felix said as he unpacked the bag.

Kimbap looked a bit like sushi, but it was a Korean-style roll of seaweed and rice, filled with a thin omelet of egg, ham, carrots, and chives.

“I got one for each of us,” he said as he passed some over to Grandma Ji-min and Jonah. “Green tea for you, Grandma Ji-min. And I got something special for Jonah.”

He pulled out a box of Timbits and a hot chocolate.

Jonah smiled. “Thanks.”

“Oh, and a cinnamon twist for you, Grandma Ji-min.”

Her eyes lit up. “Ooh, it is just like our road trips.”

Maybe Felix had been feeling overly sentimental this morning. But he’d wanted to show Jonah and Grandma Ji-min how important their shared history was to him.

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