Page 22 of Scoring Position

It was a simple matter to set up an appointment for Nico the next day at ten. After a game like tonight’s, Barb must have been expecting a call fromsomeone. It took less than a minute. Then Ryan hung up and looked back to Nico, who was still slumped over but at least not fidgeting.

“Barb says she’ll send you some information, so first step is done.”

“First step?”

Ryan wasn’t sure if Nico’s expression was trepidation at the idea of completing more steps or some mixed desire for a to-do list. “I mean, there’s whatever Barb’s going to talk to you about tomorrow. But there’s also a couple other things.”

Nico raised his eyes to meet Ryan’s for the first time all conversation.Progress.

“One… you’re going to have to apologize to Chenner.”

Nico blew out a breath, then firmed his shoulders. “Okay. I can do that. I know I need to do that. What’s two?”

Ryan snorted a little as he realized the irony in what he was about to say. “Obviously this is going to come off awkward and self-serving, given what Rees wanted from us, and believe me I am definitely cringing at the idea that he was right, but… think about making friends.”

Nico made a quiet involuntary sound that might’ve been a laugh. Such a small noise shouldn’t have filled Ryan with such a sense of achievement, but it did. After a night like tonight, he would celebrate every minor victory.

But he wasn’t going to rub Nico’s face in it. “It doesn’thaveto be me. I know I’m an acquired taste, but Chenner looks up to you. I bet if you asked him to hang out as a peace offering, he’d say yes.”

Nico looked dubious, but he didn’t argue. “I’ll think about it.”

That was as much as Ryan could hope for. He’d been prepared for a screaming match or a total shutdown, but Nico seemed… well, maybe not eager to please, but eager not to disappoint anyone further.

And that made Ryan want to push his luck. He and Nico might have gotten off to a rocky start, but that didn’t mean Ryan liked seeing him miserable.

“Okay. Good.” Nico loosened up a little more, and Ryan figured that was as good a sign as any. “I want to ask you one more thing, okay? Don’t get mad. I’m just asking, without judgment.”

Now Nico gave him a very slight side-eye. “That kinda makes it sound like it’s gonna be judgy.”

Ryan huffed a laugh. He’d figured that Nico had a sense of humor buried in there somewhere. But still, itwaskind of a judgy question… and one firmly rooted in Ryan’s burning curiosity. “Why don’t you join the cellies?” He desperately needed to know.

He could tell by the way Nico’s expression froze and then reddened that the question caught him off guard. Had he expected Ryan not to notice?

When he didn’t answer, Ryan prodded. “I mean, some people just don’t like to be touched. If that’s it, though, I think you should tell the guys. They’d respect that.”

As he’d hoped, Nico took the bait. “No, that’s—that’s not it.” He grimaced. “It’s embarrassing.”

“You don’t have to tell me. But if there’s a reason you don’t want to do it, you should think about telling the team.” He needed to word this next part carefully. He didn’t want Nico to feel any worse. “Because if they don’t know why you won’t, they think you’re not happy your teammates scored.” Read,They think you don’t like them, when I’m pretty sure you’re just mad at yourself for not contributing more.Nico was all kinds of tied up in his own head.

Ryan really needed to work on his mental phrasing.

Nico paled. “Oh.”

Poor kid. He’d said touching wasn’t the problem, so Ryan patted his thigh in comfort. “On the other hand, if you’d like to pretend that never happened, there’s a whole room full of guys who are allergic to talking about feelings.” Of which Ryan was generally a member. He felt like he should be reaching for an EpiPen. Rees so owed him hazard pay for this. “If you just started joining in, nobody would say anything.”

“Oh,” Nico repeated, nodding. The color had flooded rapidly back to his face, and now he was staring at his leg.

At Ryan’s hand on his leg.

Ryan removed it, all the more quickly because he didn’t wantto. “All right, that’s it. Good talk. You want a ride home?”

Nico blinked at him. “I drove myself in.”

Well, yeah. Duh, Ryan.“Yeah, I figured. But I don’t like driving when I’m…” God, he was going to have to admit to having emotions now? Tonight was the worst. “… not feeling my sharpest, mentally.”

He mentally congratulated himself on his excellent compromise.

He’d pushed a lot already. He didn’t want Nico to hit the emotional low that could come after a night like this, but the guy looked beat. He was probably just going to go home and go to bed. He didn’t need—

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