Page 62 of I Blame the Club

Hunter jumps to his feet, running down the aisle to pull Cody into a bro hug. Our old captain laughs, patting his back before pulling away.

“Good to see you too, rookie.” Catching sight of the buzz cut, Cody does a double take, “Where did the rest of your head go?”

Hunter grins, running his hand through the nonexistent strands, “The new missus likes the military look.”

Wes pipes up, “Now that Hunter’s an egg, you might not be the shortest guy on the team anymore!”

Cody laughs, flipping him off, “Low blow, rookie.”

Hunter frowns, “Do I really look like an egg?”

I give him a loving pat on the back, “It’s best if I don’t answer that.”

The bus rumbles to life, forcing everyone to take a seat as we lurch forward. I’m in the seat across from Wes, who is sitting directly behind Cody.

It’s nostalgic, watching my best friend and our old captain catch up like they used to every practice last year. Ellsworth did his best to keep the favouritism to a minimum, but we all knew he had a soft spot for Wes.

“How is life on the other side?”

Cody grins, the tension he used to carry around nowhere to be seen.

“Amazing. Stella made me do stairs the other day and I still can’t feel my legs.”

Hunter coughs, “Whipped.”

Cody ignores him and looks between Wes and me, “How are you liking being co-captains? I heard there’s been some tension with the assistant coach.”

Wes shoots me a glance but I turn and look out the window. Sneaking out of Mo’s room this morning was surprisingly difficult. It took me forever to work up the nerve to slide away from his warm body, and even after my feet hit the carpet, I kept turning back to watch the rise and fall of his chest.

He looked so peaceful. So serene. I’d been half tempted to snap a picture just to have proof that Maurice O’Brien is human like the rest of us.

The silence pulls me back to the rattling of the school bus and I look around to find everyone staring at me.

“You feeling okay?” Wes peers at me with concern while Cody studies me from across the aisle.

Pasting a lazy grin on my face, I do my best to look normal, “Sorry I was just fantasizing about Hunter trying out for the Canadian forces. Would it be the sprints or the psyche test that disqualifies him?”

Laughter fills the bus and the normal chatter resumes. The grin slips from my face as I turn back to the window, my usual desire to join in on the raucous long gone.

I should have said goodbye. Or left a note.

A blonde fauxhawk slides into my peripheral and I turn to see Cody making himself comfortable in the seat in front of me. I sneak a quick glance across the aisle and find my co-captain deep in debate with one of the rookies.

Rubbing his jaw, Cody clears his throat awkwardly, “Stella heard a rumour that you might be into Mo. Given the fact I’ve never seen you so silent, I’m going to go on a whim here and guess it has something to do with him.”

It’s not really a question but I swallow my pride and nod.

He sighs, “The thing is, Mo has never been the relationship type. Not his freshman year and certainly not his senior year.”

I open my mouth to tell him I’m the same, but no words come out. Somewhere between the start of our training camp and last night, that statement no longer rings true.

Once upon a time, I was the king of one-night stands and living my life with no regrets, but now I’m the guy who regrets treating Maurice like a one-night stand.

Catching my gaze, Cody continues, “Mo doesn’t feel things like us. He doesn’t wake up in the morning full of emotion and he doesn’t associate flirting or sex with anything meaningful. He was raised to compartmentalize and when it becomes a choice between thinking or feeling, he will choose the first one every time.”

A faint smile flicks past my lips, “Maurice is a heartbreaker. Got it.”

Cody shakes his head, “That's true but not what I’m trying to say. Since the very first practice, you have managed to sneak under his armour and get a rise out of him. Besides his sister, I have never seen anyone trigger Mo enough to lash out. Until you.”

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