Page 126 of The Waiting Game

“Oh fuck you,” Felix said with a laugh.

Matty grinned smugly and Nico cackled.

“We didn’t want you guys to get dehydrated,” Nico teased. “Hydration is important!”

“Jonah and I are professionals,” Felix said with a feigned scowl, though there was nothing he loved more than being included in the team pranks. It made him feel like he belonged here. The guys he’d played with in Vancouver were great but they weren’t as tight-knit of a group as the Fisher Cats.

“We do know how to take care of ourselves, you know,” he continued.

A moment later, Coach Casey and Kate Foster walked in the room. Casey took one look at the balloons and shook his head. “Look, I can guess what that’s about but I don’t want to know, guys.”

Kate just sighed and made a beeline for the coffee station, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, “I don’t get paid enough to deal with this shit.”

“Hey!” Matty protested. “You should know we restrained ourselves. Nico wanted to get penis balloons but I told him eggplants were more appropriate.”

“Neither of you would know appropriate if it hit you over the head!” Kate called out.

The room erupted with laughter just as Jonah walked in the room. He raised an eyebrow and looked around. “Uhh, what did I miss?”

Felix pointed at the balloons, then down at the sports drinks. “The boys think we might be a little dehydrated this morning.”

Jonah scoffed. “We are professionals, thank you. We know how to stay hydrated.”

“That’s what he said,” Matty chirped, jerking his thumb in Felix’s direction. “But our captain was supposed to be a pro as well and we all know how that worked out for him once he and Charlie were together.”

“One time,” Dustin muttered. “You show up to practice a little worse for wear because you overdid it with your husband one time and this is the kind of shit you get.”

Felix pursed his lips. “I think you guys are assuming a lot of things. I really did call my sponsor yesterday.”

“And we did take a nap!” Jonah said.

Colton snorted. “Yeah, but I heard you going at it at least twice. This hotel is nice but either they didn’t invest in soundproofing or you two are fucking loud.”

Jonah sputtered but Dominic walked past him and flicked the spot where his jaw and neck met. “Besides, nice hickey, dude. Good work there, Haler.”

Jonah’s sputtering grew louder and Felix snuck a peek at Jonah and winced. Oops. He’d gone a little overboard.

It wasn’t a huge mark or anything but it was definitely there. On the ice, people would maybe assume it was from his helmet’s chin strap or something but right now it was pretty obvious it was a hickey.

“Sorry,” Felix mouthed to Jonah, who just shrugged.

“Boys!” Coach Casey called out. “I am glad you’re all feeling so relaxed about tonight. But I’d like all of us to focus on staying hydrated and conserving energy for the game. We’re heading to the practice facility for tape review in thirty. Eat up and get your asses down to the bus!”

The team more or less settled down after that, shoveling their breakfast in as quickly as possible.

Felix and Jonah carried the cases of sports drinks to their rooms but after they’d set them on the dresser, Felix stopped him. “Hey. You okay with this?” He skimmed his thumb across the mark on Jonah’s neck.

Jonah shivered. “Yeah, it’s okay. I—I don’t think anyone is going to believe this engagement is fake anymore but whatever. They’ll figure it out eventually.”

Felix wanted to blurt out that it didn’t have to be fake but he bit his tongue. Could he imagine marrying Jonah someday?

Oh yeah.

The things he’d wanted in a partner—loyalty, respect, support, love—were things Jonah had already shown him. In the decades of their friendship, Jonah had more than proven his worth.

Their sexual chemistry was clearly not going to be a problem either.

But until Felix was sure he had his addiction under control, how could he promise Jonah the kind of future he deserved? How could he be sure he’d be able to be there for Jonah the way he needed?

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