Page 71 of Off Season

“Jake…” Alex sighs.

“Please don’t tell Blaine,” I quickly add.

He blinks, his mouth gaping open. “You want me to lie to him?”

“No, I just… I don’t want him to know. I don’t want to drive a wedge between them because they play together. There’s no need to involve anyone else because it was a vacation fling.” The words burn my stomach like acid at the admission. “It’s done. Ethan said it would only be while we were there. A summer romance, just like Blaine suggested.”

Alex frowns. “From what you told me, it was more than that. Have you heard from him since?”

“No,” I say as I shake my head.

He runs a hand through his hair before placing it back on the counter and tapping his finger against the smooth surface. “Maybe I could speak to him.”

“Please, Alex. Just…let it go.”

Done with this conversation, I turn and begin unloading the empty trays from the counter and carrying them into the kitchen for cleaning. Alex is right behind me.

“No, Jake. I’m not gonna justlet it go. Is it scary to put yourself out there and hope they feel the same? Abso-fucking-lutely, but you know what’s worth it? When they do, and Ethan?” He points at the door, even though there’s nobody there, the tone of his voice becoming more frustrated with each word. “Ethan has looked at you like you’re special for months. I’ve seen it every time you two were together in a room. I saw it the day he came in here and made that deal with you. He looks at you the same way Dad looks at Mom in all the photos. Like you’re his favorite person in the world. Isn’t that worth the initial fear of laying your heart out there?”

A tear rolls down my cheek. I sniff, glancing up at the ceiling as I blink, trying to ward off a waterfall.

Alex’s hand lands on my shoulder, spinning me around. He gives me a reassuring smile. “Jacob, you deserve so fucking much. You deserve more than this world can give you, but Ethan…I think he’d do a pretty good job at trying. Talk to him. Let him know what your heart is telling you. If he doesn’t feel the same, we’ll deal with it, but he might be just as afraid as you are.”

My throat goes thick. “What if he says no?”

“Then I might have to kick his ass.” Alex grins.

I snort a laugh.

“Okay, maybe not me, but Blaine would. Elliot, too, probably. Although he’d probably just slap him like a turtle.” He bats his hands in the air in quick succession.

I let out a small laugh.

“There’s another reason why I don’t want you to tell Blaine. Ethan, he…” I sigh. “I think he’s got some things he wants to work on with the guys, and I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“I get that. I won’t. But if, for some crazy reason, Ethan doesn’t want to give things a shot, then that’s okay because you’ve got us. We love you, and you’ll find your someone.”

The following day, I spend the day hiding away in the kitchen working on custom creations while Alex and Daniel man the front.

I was so emotionally drained last night when I got home that I had a little cry into a glass of wine before I passed out on the couch while watching an old Hallmark movie.

Despite Ethan’s behavior on the flight and at the airport, there’s still this part of me that thinks…what if hedoesfeel the way I do but is just afraid of putting himself out there?

It’s kind of funny. I harped on about taking chances, and loving loudly, and I did the opposite. I didn’t tell him how I feel because I was afraid of getting my heart hurt when I should have taken my own advice. I could have spent the night wrapped up in his arms instead of crying pathetically into a glass of rosé.

When I walk out after closing, they’re sitting in a booth, scribbling something on a notepad.

“Hey,” Alex says when he spots me. “Would you like a coffee?”

“No, I’m good, thanks.” I shake my head, taking a seat next to him. “What are you working on?”

“I’m planning a small get-together next week for Blaine and Elliot’s birthday,” Alex replies. “Just some of the guys from the team and their partners. I was going to invite Nate, too. Obviously, you two are invited.”

Daniel holds his hand up for a high five.

I forgot it was the twins’ birthday next week.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask.

---