Page 100 of It's Complicated

And it was really nice getting to spend some time alone with Isaac outside the apartment.

I enjoyed hanging out with our friends, and I was an extrovert by nature, but I was getting bored with always going to bars or clubs or parties. I still liked doing all those things, but they didn’t have the same appeal as they did a few months ago.

“You know what would be fun?” Isaac asked, putting his empty glass down.

“What?”

“We should check out an open mic night at this bar I used to go to when I was at Rutherford. They host them every weekend. The bar is legendary for being a hotspot for finding new talent, and the acts have to audition to get a time slot. I’m not sure what it’s like now, but they used to have dozens of groups show up every week, hoping to snag one of the spots. The talent was always insanely good.”

“That sounds awesome. Did you go there a lot?”

Isaac didn’t talk about his time at college much. We’d bonded over our shared experience as student athletes, and he’d told me all about playing for the school’s hockey team, but he was tight-lipped about everything else.

I figured it was because of what happened and having to leave school, and hockey, at the end of his second year. It hadto be painful to think about what he’d lost because of the brain injury that had ended his career.

Unlike me, Isaac had the talent to make it to the NHL. I’d gone to school on the East Coast, so we’d played in different conferences, but I’d watched his tapes after we’d met, and I had no doubt he would have been drafted after grad if he’d been able to keep playing.

I was good, and I’d worked my ass off to get a scholarship to a D1 school, but I’d never had any delusions that I was good enough to go pro. I might have had a shot at the AHL if my team hadn’t completely fucked up our championship run in my senior year, but that was about it.

I didn’t blame him for not wanting to talk about such a painful part of his life, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about it.

“All the time,” he said. “My teammate’s girlfriend worked there and would always give us a heads up if the lineup was looking especially good. It was a nice break from the party scene.”

“I used to do that too, take a break from the party scene.” I ran my finger over the rim of my glass. “There was this bar near our practice rink that did comedy nights a few times a week. My buddies and I used to go there after rough games or practices. It’s hard to stay bitter when you’re busting a gut laughing.”

“That’s a good trick. I wished I’d thought of that back in the day. We should see if any clubs do comedy nights around here.”

“Yeah, that would be fun. Have you ever been to a drag show? Those are a blast.”

“A few, but not since I was in school. We should add that to our list too.”

“Definitely.”

The unknown song the band was playing finally ended, and we paused our conversation to clap along with the audience.

Isaac nodded to my glass when the singer started a long-winded introduction to their next song, diving into a story about when he was in high school and how it was the first song he’d ever performed live. “Do you want another drink?”

“Are you having one?” I wasn’t really in the mood to stick around, but I would if Isaac wanted to.

He’d loosened up since we sat down, but he was still distracted by something, and my imagination was running rampant with what-ifs and trying to nail down what was bothering him without directly asking.

If sitting here and listening to music that came out long before we were even born helped him relax, then I’d stay here all night.

He shook his head. “But I can have a soda if you want one.”

“We can head out. The music isn’t really hitting, and I’m not in the mood to drink.”

“I’ll get the check and meet you outside?” he asked.

Normally I would have suggested we split the bill, but my finances were about to take a hit now that my hours had been cut, and I didn’t have a lot of disposable income to begin with, so his offer to pay was appreciated.

While Isaac went to settle our tab, I headed outside and waited for him near the entrance.

It was a nice night, but I was too distracted to enjoy it.

Something was up with him and had been since he came out of his room before we’d left.

It wasn’t anything obvious or even overt, but I knew him well enough to see the signs that something was wrong. His smiles weren’t as bright, he’d lost his train of thought more than once throughout the night, and he couldn’t sit still. He fidgeted like a champ on the best of days, but it was way worse than usual tonight.

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