Page 8 of Full Body Hit: Part 2
Chase nodded. “He didn’t hit me. I was just joking.”
Auston’s burning gaze landed on him, and Chase couldn’t help but freeze-up at being caught in that predator glow.
A second passed. Two. Three.
A violent shiver passed through Auston, and he let Noah go.
“Shit. Sorry. Just…be careful,” he grunted at Noah, skating away as if he hadn’t just freaked out over nothing.
Noah and Chase glanced at each other, Noah wrinkling his nose dramatically. “What the hell was that? Jesus Christ, I’ve never smelt him like that.”
Chase nodded quickly, hoping his obliviousness wasn’t obvious. “Yeah, I have no idea.”
If Chase had more energy, he’d be worried about the way Auston stared at him for the next couple of hours. As it was, it took everything in him to just make it through practice.
Turned out you were supposed to get more than an hour of sleep to function properly as an athlete.
He had to sit in his stall after practice, head hanging, sweat cooling on his skin.
Rest wasn’t in the cards for him, though. A shadow blanketed him.
Chase looked up, not even surprised it was Auston. “What—”
“You shouldn’t be on the ice,” Auston bit out. “Concussions aren’t something you can just walk off. If you’re still having symptoms—”
“Oh my God,” Chase burst out, getting to his feet. “I don’t have any symptoms, Jesus Christ.”
“Yes, you do. You’re all pinched up, you’re exhausted, you—”
Chase’s whole body tensed up, muscles trembling.
Who the hell did Auston think he was? Just because they’d spent a few days together didn’t mean he got to baby him like some overbearing, condescending parent.
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” Chase cut in. “Notbecause I have a concussion. I just have shit going on, okay? Not that I have to explain myself to you. You’re not my coach. You’re not my dad.”
Auston’s face twisted weirdly at the last comment, but Sammy was already there, forcing him to back up.
“Are you done?” Sammy asked sarcastically.
Auston apparently was, walking away in a huff.
Jesus.What a nightmare of a day.
It was pure relief as Chase finally made it home alone, not even having the energy to go to Sammy and Noah’s.
He grabbed Joey from his bed and went straight to his nest, shuffling around restlessly in the blankets until he forced himself to settle.
God, he was so tired.
He clung to Joey with one arm while he slipped his phone out of the mess of soft things. He opened his thread with Aunix, scrolling up to reread the last message two days ago. He wondered if—
“Ah!” Chase yelped as the phone began buzzing, almost flinging the thing away. He peered at the screen as his heart raced, but it was an unknown number.
He hit decline, pushing away the bitter disappointment at it not being Aunix.
A second later, though, the same number lit up the screen. Chase hesitated a beat before answering.
“Hello?”
