Page 135 of The Head Game

“Yeah, I read it too,” he said shortly. “But that was talking about after a TBI. I didn’t have a traumatic brain injury either. Just a little benign brain tumor. No biggie.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too much,” Dustin said warningly and to Nico’s annoyance, August nodded like he agreed. “We want you back but not if you’re going to put yourself at risk by doing it too soon.”

“Oh come on,” Nico scoffed. “That’s what we do. We play hockey. Of course there’s risk. Every game is a risk. I land on a skate blade wrong and—” He made a slashing motion across his throat and everyone in the room grimaced.

They all knew the risks. Nico didn’t know why his teammates were being so precious about the idea of what had happened to him.

“We’re just saying,” Dustin said in a careful tone. “We miss you out there but the last thing we want is to lose you permanently. If you being a little slower to return means that you come back for good, it’s worth it.”

“Yeah, and how have the games been going since Felix and I’ve been out?” Nico protested.

Everyone winced. The team was on a losing streak and everyone knew it.

Following a bad breakup last summer, Felix had kinda fallen apart. At the beginning of the season, he’d been picked up by the police for driving while intoxicated.

Thankfully, he’d only hit a parked car and no one had been injured, but he’d admitted he had a drinking problem and was getting some help from the NHLPA player assistance program.

“It’s not the best start to our season,” Dustin said, his tone very clearly meant to be soothing but it only annoyed Nico more.

August settled a hand on his neck and rubbed. A tiny bit of the frustration ebbed from Nico and he cleared his throat. “How is Felix?”

Jonah sighed, running a hand through his glossy black hair. “Hanging in there. I haven’t been able to see him much while he’s in rehab. He was only supposed to do thirty days but I guess he realized there was more stuff to work on than he thought and it sounds like the ninety-day program is pretty intense.”

Huh. It had to be more than the shit with his ex he was dealing with, right? But Nico wasn’t about to pry.

Felix would tell them when he got back. Although clearly that wasn’t going to be in the immediate future either.

The team was down two D-men and the call-ups were doing their best, but Makarov was still getting hammered in goal every game.

The room fell silent.

“Hey, Nico, want to help me get some more drinks?” Charlie asked, rising to his feet, his voice bright.

“Uhh, I’d love to but my hand …” He held it up, trying to clench his fist and only getting a weak squeeze. “I’d probably drop stuff.”

But Charlie merely smiled. “It’s okay. I have a cute vintage little bar cart that’ll do the trick. I mostly want some charming company.”

“That I can handle,” Nico said as he stood. He slung an arm over Charlie’s shoulder. “Any excuse to get me alone, huh, baby?”

Charlie giggled. “You know it. I’m leaving Dustin for you, Nico. Sorry, Dustin and August, I’m stealing him and we’re running off together.”

Dustin scoffed like he clearly didn’t believe that for a moment and Nico glanced over to see August’s reaction. He was grinning, the wide grin Nico didn’t see very often.

“You can have him,” August said, staring straight at Nico. “He’s a pain in the ass anyway.”

In the background, a couple of guys laughed but Nico kept staring at August, taking in how different he looked when he smiled like this.

Without thinking, Nico let his arm fall from Charlie’s shoulder as he reached out and touched August’s face. “You’d miss me if I wasn’t around,” he said confidently.

And it wasn’t a show for the guys at all.

Nico believed that. He might annoy the shit out of August but it was perfectly mutual.

They both enjoyed the way they teased and tormented each other.

Nico’s life would be frustrating and boring without August to poke at. Without August, this recovery would be unbearable. And August would be spending his time fretting about his future instead.

This was better for both of them.

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