Page 56 of Speed

“Is early still. Lightweights,” Stan teased, his thick accent wrapping around the word as he glanced at Noah and me. “Shameful manly ways. It’s only ten o’clock. Back in day, we party until sunrise, then beat Boston seven-one!”

Noah shot him a grin, his curls bouncing as he turned to grab my hand. “Some of us have practice tomorrow at nine,” he said, his voice full of mock seriousness. “Can’t all be retired legends like you, P!”

“Excuses,” Stan muttered, but his smile betrayed the pride in his eyes as he watched Noah pull me toward the stairs.

“Night, everyone!”

The four retired guys sketched waves at us, and I waved back.

“Come on,” Noah murmured, his hand warm and firm around mine. “Let’s get some sleep.”

We climbed the stairs, the sounds of the party growing fainter with every step. My heart was pounding, and it wasn’t from the climb. I knew what I had to say and couldn’t put it off. But the weight of the words made my chest tight, my thoughts swirling with what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.

Noah tugged me into his childhood room. As soon as the door was shut on us, he turned to me, his expression softening as he caught the look on my face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice low and steady.

I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. “I need to say something,” I whispered, the vulnerability in my voice making me cringe.

He nodded, stepping closer and brushing his thumb over my hand. “What’s going on?”

I waited for him to ask if I was okay, but he didn't, which threw me a little. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “I went to the doctor today.”

His brows furrowed, concern flashing in his eyes. “Okay,” he said. “You’re scaring me a little.”

“I don’t mean to,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “The doctor wants to operate. It’s… it’s gotten bigger.”

Noah froze, the weight of my words hanging between us. His hand tightened around mine, his expression shifting from shock to worry. “‘Bigger’?” he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah. It’s not… it’s not an emergency yet, but they don’t want to wait. There are risks if we don’t do it soon, and risks if we do it, and… fuck. So many risks.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his jaw tightening. “What kind of risks are we talking about?”

“The usual,” I said, trying to keep my tone light even as my chest tightened. “Memory, motor skills, speech. You know, stuff you don’t want to mess with.”

“Brody,” he said, his voice breaking on my name. He pulled me into a hug, his arms wrapping around me. I buried my face in his neck, clinging to him as the tension I’d been holding onto for days finally began to ease.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, my voice muffled against his skin. “I didn’t want to ruin tonight, but I promised I'd be honest with you, and I can't keep it from you anymore.”

He held me tighter, stroking the back of my head. “Don’t apologize,” he said. “You don’t have to apologize for this. For any of it.”

“I'm sorry you fell in love with someone who?—”

“Stop right there,” Noah warned, and I buried my face in his neck again. “When?”

“The operation?”

“Yeah.”

“Soon.”

“How soon?”

“As soon as I decide to do it. A week, a month, a year?” I shrugged because it would be less than that if I decided to proceed. There was no point in delaying the inevitable; however much I wanted to stay in this moment with Noah.

“But the doc says you need it, now? Tomorrow? The day after? Is it an emergency? Should we go now?”

“Not tonight, but soon.”

We stood there for what felt like an eternity, the world outside fading away until it was just the two of us. Finally, he pulled back enough to meet my gaze, his hands still on my shoulders.

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