Page 45 of Full Body Hit: Part 2
His gaze was pulled to the table he knew Auston was at.
The world was muffled as their eyes locked—Auston was staring, caught in a moment of disinhibition.
The breath in Chase’s chest locked up at the expression on Auston’s face—the open hurt that creased his eyes, the dip of his mouth. It was desperate. Longing.
It vanished a second later, Auston turning away, but it was too late—Chase had seen it. It had already punched him in the stomach, a bruise that would take time to heal.
“Right?” the Alpha beside Chase said.
Chase refocused on the conversation. “Right.”
Nausea made his gut roil.
This wasn’t where he belonged. He didn’t want to do this—sit at the bar and talk to some strange guy about nothing.
He wanted to be in the nest built with the things Auston had given him. That Chase had made because Auston had convinced him it was okay to want that—the comfort and peace of self-soothing.
He wanted to be taken care of. To take care of someone in return.
He tried to slip out of the conversation as soon as he could, but it took him almost ten minutes to make it to where the team was sitting.
Auston was gone.
“Hey, I’m gonna head back to the hotel,” he said to the table. He gave Sammy a hug and waved to everybody else, hurrying out to catch a rideshare.
He knew Auston’s room number—a lot of the guys were on the same floor, and he’d seen Auston unlock his door when they’d first arrived.
Chase stood in the hallway, staring at that same door, pulse in his head, his throat.
He didn’t know if this was the right thing to do. The shock of the revelation of who Aunix was—of the fact that Auston had known forweeks—it was supposed to last longer. Surely, Chase should be angrier. More betrayed. He should fight and claw and demand Auston prove himself again and again for Chase to eventhinkof taking him back.
He just…didn’t want to.
Fuck, he just didn’t want to.
He knocked, hand shaking as he retrieved it. A second passed. Another. Another.
Maybe this wasn’t—
“Oh.” Auston blinked at Chase, mouth a perfect ‘O’ before flattening out. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
Chase’s heart clenched. How was Auston’s first instinct to worry about him,still. “No. I was just wondering if we could talk? Sorry, I know it’s late, I can—”
“No! I mean—that’s fine.” He stepped aside, and Chase followed his lead, trailing into the room.
He looked around, but nothing went into his brain, hyperaware of Auston behind him.
“You wanna sit?” Auston offered, gesturing to the only chair in the room. Chase didn’t, actually, was too jittery to hold still, but he did anyway, knee bouncing immediately.
Auston watched him from a few feet away, silent and still, face betraying nothing.
Chase clenched his hands, trying to calm his heart, to find words, but all he managed to blurt was, “Sorry.”
Auston twitched. “Sorry for what?”
For talking to that Alpha. For ignoring you. For wanting you so badly.“I don’t know,” Chase whispered.
“Chase…are you okay?” Auston asked.
