Page 91 of Goaltender Interference

He couldn’t do this.

He couldn’t.

Aiden ran back to Matt’s apartment, didn’t bother showering.

Packed his bag with only the things he couldn’t afford to leave behind.

Left the spare key.

Bought a one-way flight to New York.

Called a cab.

After he landed, he texted Pears,I’m home.

Oh, buddy, what the fuck did you DO?

Everyone’s better off if I just ended it now. I couldn’t wait around for things to end. I couldn’t wait around until I dragged him down to my level.

Oh, Soup...

No playlist?

I don’t have one for shit like this, Soupy. You sure did that.

Aiden didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t answer.

Aiden knew exactly when Matt made it back to the condo because his phone rang.

It was slightly after two in the morning, and Aiden sat on his roof, nursing a glass of whiskey that he had been refilling for the last hour or so and looking out at the skyline and the half-moon over it. He contemplated not answering the call, but after more rings than he probably should have let it go, he did anyway.

He took a deep breath. “Hi.”

“Aiden, what thehell? Where are you? Are you okay?”

“New York. I’m fine.”

“I—you—New York?What?”

“I’m doing you a favor. It’s not going to work out, I—just pulled the Band-Aid off for both of us, you’re better off without having to—”

“Can you letmedecide that?”

“No, because you’re clearly too fucking nice to admit you’d be happier without me and let me go. Look, you said yourself, you can’t fix me, and I’m not... I can’t stay at home waiting for you, I’m losing my fuckingmind—”

“Aiden,” Matt said, quiet and very, very careful. “You couldn’t have just tried talking to me about it?”

Aiden said, “I’m sorry, Matty, you deserve a hell of a lot better than what I can give you right now,” and hung up before Matt could argue with him.

Matt set his cell phone down on the table.

It was almost three o’clock in the morning and the reality of what had just happened to him was really starting to sink in. Matt got up from the couch and stood there in the living room of his condo, empty for the first time in months, and took a deep breath.

Aiden was gone.

Aiden had left him again.

Aiden had—

---