Page 67 of Spite Crush

“Anything,” she agreed immediately.

“Can you pick Kellen up from the airport tonight?”

“Ugh.”

“I need someone he knows, someone he trusts, and Sutherland won’t let me leave the house,” I said. “Please?”

“Fine,” she said. “But I want the exclusive when you guys are ready to talk.”

“Who the hell else would I talk to?”

“Text me the flight info.” Then she hung up on me.

That was fair. No one wanted to do an airport run. Well, I actually did want to, but couldn’t.

Kellen texted me his flight information and I forwarded it on to Naomi, with another note of thanks which she didn’t bother responding to. And then I found myself with seven hours to kill and no clue how to fill them.

****

“There’s a ton of press out there,” Kellen said as he dropped his bag in the hall, then moved aside tolet Naomi in behind him. “Have they been bothering you?”

“I didn’t even know they were there,” I admitted. “I haven’t been online at all since Ford’s post went live.”

“Well, I have,” Naomi said. “And most of the response is incredibly positive, so there’s that.”

“And what did Hockey Tonight have to say about it?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I refused to report on it and they fired me.”

“Naomi,” Kellen said softly, turning to give her a hug. “You didn’t have to lose your job to protect us. If you’d told me I would have said something.”

“I didn’t just do it for you,” she said. “I’m not a martyr. I just felt that a reputable station like HT should focus on actual hockey, and not gossip. They disagreed.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Considering she’d been the one to inadvertently cause the original feud between Kellen and I, it would have been easy to argue with her stance.But as a friend, I couldn’t help but be flattered by her support.

“I’m going to get out of here,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll see you guys at the game tomorrow.”

Kellen hugged her again and thanked her for driving him, then walked her to the door, closing it gently behind her then leaning against it and staring at me.

“How was your day, dear?” he asked finally.

“So much fucking better now,” I told him before wrapping my armsaround him and kissing him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “I never wanted to be in the closet in the first place. You’re the one whose life just got turned upside down. And I know you disagree, but it is my fault. I honestly didn’t think Ford would do something that…cruel.”

“Kellen,” I said, gripping his chin in my hand and forcing him to hold my gaze. “It was going to come out eventually.”

“On your terms,” he said firmly.

“Well, that didn’t happen.” I shrugged. “Can we try to focus on the upside here?”

“Sure,” he said. “What’s that?”

“We don’t have to hide anymore,” I reminded him. “No more lies, no more secrets. We can just…be.”

“Well, that is an upside,” he agreed. “But you’re forgetting one thing.”

“What’s that?”

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