Page 27 of The Boyfriend Zone

Zach was quiet for so long I thought he might not answer. Then he laughed humorlessly. "You know how sometimes you meet someone and it's like... instant dislike? But also instant something else?"

I nodded, thinking of my complicated feelings for Sean.

"That was me and Nate, at this house party for the arts department. He was taking photos for some project, being all serious and professional. I was there with some friends." Zach traced the rim of his cup with his finger. "I said something stupid about his camera, he called me an 'uncultured hockey goon,' and somehow we ended up sitting on the back porch arguing about photography for hours."

"Arguing," I repeated skeptically. "Just arguing?"

"At first, yeah." A small smile played at Zach's lips. "But then? I don't know. It shifted. He showed me some of his photos on his camera, and they were incredible. He's got this eye for capturing moments, emotions. And when he talks about photography, he gets so passionate, so alive. I couldn't look away."

The raw honesty in Zach's voice caught me off guard. This vulnerable side was so different from his cocky on-ice persona.

"So what happened?" I prompted when he fell silent again.

"I kissed him," Zach admitted simply. "Right there on the porch, under the stars, and suddenly more clear-headed than I'd ever been. And he kissed me back." He shook his head, as if still disbelieving. "I'd never felt anything like that before. With anyone."

"And then you ghosted him," I filled in the blank.

"Yeah." Zach looked ashamed. "I freaked out. I'd never been attracted to a guy before. Never even considered the possibility. And suddenly I'm sitting there having this moment with someone who's not only a guy, but who had spent the last two hours telling me exactly how shallow and clueless I am."

"So you ran."

"So I ran," he confirmed. "Didn't text, didn't call, avoided him on campus. Like the mature adult I clearly am." The self-deprecation in his tone was painful to hear.

"And now?" I asked.

"And now I can't stop thinking about him. About that night. About how stupid I was to run away from the one real connection I've felt in... maybe ever." Zach looked at me directly. "I've made a complete mess of things, haven't I?"

"Not complete," I assured him. "Nate's hurt, but he's not unforgiving. Give him some time to process."

"That's pretty much what you told Sean too, isn't it?" Zach asked unexpectedly.

I blinked, thrown by the sudden shift. "What?"

"About his shoulder. You know he's injured, but you haven't pushed or gone public with it. You're giving him space to come to you."

I stared at him, stunned. "How did you—"

"He's my best friend," Zach said simply. "And I have eyes. I've seen how he favors that side, how he grimaces when he thinks no one's looking. And I've seen how you watch him, concerned but not calling him out."

"I—" I didn't know how to respond. "It's not my place to—"

"It's exactly your place," Zach interrupted. "You're a reporter. It's literally your job to report on things like star players hiding injuries."

I flushed, uncomfortable with having my professional dilemma laid so bare by someone I barely knew. "It's more complicated than that."

"Because you care about him," Zach nodded. "I get it. More than you know."

We sat in silence for a moment, two people united by our concern for others who weren't making it easy to care about them.

"He likes you too, you know," Zach said finally. "Sean. He tries to hide it, but I can tell. The way he looks at you when he thinks no one's watching... I've never seen him look at anyone like that."

Something warm unfurled in my chest at his words, a fragile hope I'd been trying to suppress. "Has he said anything? About us?"

"Not directly. Sean's not big on talking about feelings." Zach smiled wryly. "But he doesn't need to. It's in the way he checks his phone constantly, the way he perks up whenever your name comes up. The way he shuts down when his dad calls right after talking to you, like he's trying to keep those two parts of his life separate."

That explained the abrupt mood shift at Hat Trick's, after Sean's phone call. I filed the observation away for later reflection.

"Thanks for telling me," I said. "And for what it's worth, I think you should try again with Nate. Maybe give him a little space first, but don't give up."

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