Page 22 of No Take Backs

I huffed out a breath, wondering that despite the years of disconnect, he could still read me so well. “Yeah.” I wasn’t ready to bare my soul to the guy. Maybe when I visited, I’d make a move and finally say the words aloud for the first time, and that included to myself. “Enough about me. How was your night?”

He hesitated a moment, probably debating whether to push. I was relieved when he gave me a break and answered with “Pretty fucking awesome, if I’m being honest.”

My grin was immediate after hearing the smile in his voice. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. The acts were amazing, and the atmosphere… shit, it was good fun, mate.”

“So definitely a place for you to take me when I visit?” My earlier warnings to myself flashed on red alert, but this wasn’t the first I’d hinted. Perhaps I was a coward, but I kinda wanted Nate to just come out and ask. The thought of him doing so exhilarated me as much as made me want to shit my jocks.

“Yeah,” he said, his tone changing, dipping quieter, lower. “There’s nothing quite like a place where you feel safe, feel like you can be yourself.”

I swallowed hard and forced myself to pay attention to the road before me. What it would be like to simply live authentically… one day. “Yeah, one day,” I murmured, fully aware I was sharing my thoughts and giving him so much.

“What time are you heading out tomorrow?” he asked, changing the subject, allowing me the reprieve I needed to shake off the emotion and longing riding me.

“Training in the morning, then we’re heading out for the next game, I think early afternoon.”

“That’s with the Tigers, right?”

Warmth unfurled in my chest that he knew the roster. “Yeah. It’ll be a tough game, but we’ll do all right.”

“I’ve no doubt. Just keep that ankle strapped, and don’t let a fucking loser push you around again.”

I laughed. “I’ll try my best. You know,” I continued before I could stop myself or think clearly, “my last game is in LA, the closest state to Australia. If you want, you could, you know, come on out and visit.” The words and the idea were out there and took shape immediately. Longing slammed into me. It had been so long since Nate had been courtside, the thought of him being so again sent a rightness through me, a desperate need to make it happen.

Two quiet beats passed before he cleared his throat. “You want me to watch you?”

“More than anything,” I admitted. “My flight to Brissie is the week after, so, you know, we could make it a thing, a break for the two of us; let me show the sights, obviously back here where my team is. But we can then head home together for my trip.” My words were a rush, and any chance of holding back my eagerness to make it happen was dissolved with the added, “Please.”

“Let me think about it.”

“Obviously I’ll pay for your flight and—”

“Ryan,” he cut in, “it’s not about the flight or the money. Just let me have a think, okay?”

I nodded, despite being by myself, my eyes wide, wishing upon everything that he’d say yes. “Okay, I can let you think about it.” I hesitated a moment, the next words dancing in my mind, ones that were at the core of our friendship.No take backs, remember?Before I’d left Australia, I’d thrown out our “unbreakable” promise to each other with the naiveite of a teenager. Back then, it had been about him heading to the States to watch me play.

The thing was, he would have done it in a heartbeat had I given him the chance. We talked about it that first year of college, but I’d thrown a spanner in the works by distancing myself and destroying our friendship.

I swallowed down the words instead, not wanting to push this with him right now.

“Listen, I’ve gotta go. My folks are expecting me for lunch.”

“Sure. Say hi for me, yeah?”

“Absolutely.” And imagining Nate’s grin with that one word, I smiled again, some of the adrenaline pumping through me evening out. “Get home safe and look after that ankle.”

I chuckled. “Will do. Talk soon.”

“Talk soon.”

When the phone cut off, I stretched out my neck, relieved my turn was coming up. Asking Nate to come out and visit may have been an impromptu request, but fuck if I didn’t want it to happen.

CHAPTER7

NATE

Any expectationsI had about the drag night were blown out the water, and some. It had been forever since I’d laughed so much or had been hit on that much either. The night was a heck of an ego boost, something I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.

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