Page 26 of Trade Deadline

Then I quickly send a text toAlex.

Blaine

Hey.

Blaine

I stopped by to see you, I’m sad that I missed you.

Blaine

I’m not stalking you, btw.

Blaine

I mean, I had to go because Zach wanted donuts, and I don’t wanna say no to the big guy because he can get a lil scary when he’s hungry.

Blaine

Anyway, I would love to see you tonight at my game. I’ve left two tickets for you at will call. Hope I see you later *kissing emoji*

Later,my pre-game nap is unsettled by anxious thoughts gnawing at me. Why do I want to see this guy so bad? Why is it bothering me the way it is? Why do I want him so badly?

I have no fucking idea. I can’t quite put my finger on why Alex gets to me.

I haven’t felt this off-center since the NHL draft, but I have to try and push him to the back of my mind because we’ve got a hockey game to win.

Eight

Alex

I’m prettysure today is one of those days where the world is trying to fuck me over.

When we ran out of eggs this morning, I went to the store to find all of the shelves empty. After going to three different places, I finally struck gold at the fourth store, but at that point, I was already annoyed. Thinking my day couldn’t possibly get any worse, I returned to my car to find it had a flat tire.

But what took the fucking cake? A fucking bird shat on me as I finished changing the tire.

Today can go fuck itself with a rusty spoon.

I push the door open to the shop and my frustration rockets at the bell chiming above my head.

“Ugh!” I grunt, throwing a glare at the object.

“What took you so long?” Jacob asks from behind the counter.

“There weren’t any eggs anywhere,” I reply, taking the bags into the kitchen.

“Wow, that’s something I never thought would happen.”

I set the bags on the counter with an irritated huff. “Me neither, but here we are.”

I unpack the eggs, placing them carefully into the storage containers before disposing of the cartons in the recycling. “Then I had a flat tire.”

“Ugh, you’re kidding,” he groans. “Really?”

“Yeah. Luckily, I managed to fit the spare, but I don’t know how long it’ll last. I’ll ask Nate if his friend can look at it.”

He rubs his hand over his face. Exhaustion is etched across his face, from his pale skin to the dark circles under his eyes. I know he’s thinking the same as me—how are we going to be able to afford a new tire? But that’s a problem for future Alex to figure out.

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