Page 32 of Full Body Hit: Part 2
“A few months. Feels like forever, though. He’s…special. It’s more the situation that’s complicated.”
“Right. Has he been to games? Does he like hockey?”
Auston snorted—of course Chase’s brain always ended up at hockey. “He hasn’t watched a game yet, but he loves it. A big Sammy fan, actually.”
Chase sat up straighter, smile spreading across his face. “Seriously?Sammy.”
“Can’t account for taste.”
“Hey!” Chase admonished.
Auston laughed, raising up a placating hand. “Joking.”
Chase hummed doubtfully. “So you’re dating a hockey fan, but he’s not even a fan ofyou?”
“I’m working on it,” Auston promised.
Chase laughed—not a tinkle or a giggle but a tough, honking noise.
Fuck, Auston wanted to kiss him.
He pressed the thought away.
“Talking about Sammy, I’ve been meaning to ask—those bone things you got him a few months ago. He like ’em?”
“Oh, yeah. Scares Noah with them all the time.”
Auston huffed and rolled his eyes.
“Hey—you were pretty scared in that shop, mister. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
“Excuse me, I wasn’tscared. That place was fucking creepy.”
“Sure…”
“I’m not scared of anything,” Auston proclaimed.
Now it was Chase’s turn to roll his eyes. “That’s not very smart. You should be scared ofsomethings.”
“Oh, yeah? Give me some pointers, then. What are you scared of?”
Just like that, Chase’s smile dimmed. “Well…yeah, I guess it’s not stuff you have to worry about. You’ve done all the things I’m scared I’ll never be able to do.” He gave Auston a cracked laugh. “It has to be nice to look back on your career and know you’ve achieved so much.”
“Sure. But it’s also nice to look forward and know you have all the awesome things you still get to experience. To have that much fucking potential.”
Chase opened his mouth. Closed it. The frown cleared from his face as he nodded slowly. “Yeah. I guess it is.”
Silence fell. Auston had to eventually break it. “Actually, I do have one fear.”
Chase raised his eyebrows. Auston leaned in to share the secret, Chase following suit.
“Slugs kind of freak me out,” he whispered.
Chase’s laughter cracked the moment open, and Auston wanted to make that happen a million times. Wanted to thread his atoms with the sound, with the expression on Chase’s face, his squinted eyes and wide lips.
It struck him suddenly—he’d done what he set out to achieve. He’d befriended Chase. Closed the gap between himself and Aunix.
Chase liked him. Trusted him, to a certain point.
