Page 6 of Full Body Hit: Part 2
It would be better for Chase in the long run. Even if he rejected Auston at the end of it all, it wouldn’t be with the belief that Auston had never loved him.
He had to make it up to Chase.
And, maybe, give them an opportunity to survive.
CHAPTER TWO
CHASE
Chase tapped the screen of his phone and watched as it timed out into darkness. He woke it up again. Stared as it went to sleep.
For the last five days, Aunix had barely spoken to him.
Chase tried to strangle the thoughts that slithered through him—how Aunix was finally sick of him, how it had never been real to begin with. It was a shitty thing to believe after everything Aunix had done, how kind he’d been since the beginning.
And yet…Chase couldn’t fucking help it.
The thing was, Aunix had an explanation for the radio silence. He had a big project at work he had to concentrate on—he’d barely have time for anything more than sleep, he’d explained.
It was perfectly reasonable.
Chase didn’t believe him.
He’d thought it over a million times in the past three days, and he still couldn’t quite identifywhy. Was it the lack of details? The abruptness? There was just something so uncharacteristicabout the way Aunix was handling the situation—how he hadn’t even responded to Chase’s good-night texts. There was no good morning, no pictures, no nothing.
As much as Chase wanted to convince himself that Aunix truly was just working, something felt off.
At least he was home and away from Auston, who was a whole other kind of weird. Chase was still trying to process seeing him so vulnerable and open and…nice. It hadn’t been unpleasant, obviously, but it had made Chase feel raw somehow, skin scraped red, sensitive to the touch.
Sammy’s return had been a relief. He’d stayed at Chase’s for almost a week until Chase had been cleared for no-contact practice.
Sammy still insisted on driving him to the arena, though, dragging Noah along and booting him to the back seat as soon as they picked Chase up.
“You really don’t have to,” Chase protested, but Sammy waved him away, pointing to the front seat sternly.
Chase slid inside with an apologetic shrug at Noah. Noah just shrugged back.
He sighed as he clipped the seat belt, and Sammy jumped on it immediately.
“What’s wrong? Are you having symptoms again?”
Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. “No. Just didn’t sleep last night.”
Sammy narrowed his eyes, car still parked. “That can be a concussion sym—”
“It’s not. I’ve just been…Aunix is busy at work and hasn’t really been…we haven’t really talked in a few days.” Chase waved vaguely, a weak attempt at brushing it off.
Sammy saw right through him. “Oh, babe. If he’s busy—”
“I know.” Chase cut him off, not wanting to listen to a pep talk. “Really. Just…you know what I’m like.”A fucking neurotic mess.
Sammy put the car in drive. “We’ll keep your mind off it. Promise. Noah, tell Chase that thing you said yesterday about how the moon is bigger than Mercury.”
Noah groaned loudly, and Chase couldn’t help but laugh.
He had no idea what he’d do without them. Despite the exhaustion dragging him down, he was smiling by the time they got to the arena, still ribbing Noah about his dumb takes.
“Oh, my God.” Chase giggled. “Obviously the tides and moon are linked? Why would—ohmyGod.” Chase flinched violently as someone suddenly loomed over him.
