Page 100 of The Waiting Game

Jonah was too important to him to risk crossing any line that might make him uncomfortable.

“Jo,” Felix said, a tiny bit louder, gently jostling his arm.

“Felix,” Jonah mumbled. But it was still sleep-slurred and vague, like Jonah wasn’t awake yet. “Your hands …”

He said it almost breathily and Felix smiled, a sharp spike of hope that Jonah was dreaming about him and his hands coursing through him. Now that was the kind of intel he needed.

But the alarm beeped and Jonah let out a more awake-sounding groan, slapping at his nightstand. “Fucking alarm,” he muttered.

Amused, and a touch disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to hear any more of Jonah’s sleep talking, Felix turned away to stop the beeping.

When Felix faced Jonah again, he had flopped onto his side to squint at Felix through a single half-open eye, face smooshed into the pillow. “Why’s it morning?”

“Dunno. Something about the earth’s rotation, I think,” Felix said, smiling at the ceiling. “You’re the science nerd.”

Jonah grumbled, his voice muffled. “Too early to think.”

“You were dreaming about my hands, apparently,” Felix teased as he studied Jonah’s face.

Jonah had lifted his head and squinted at Felix, clearly confused. “What?”

“You were talking in your sleep again. You said my name and something about my hands.”

“Oh.” Jonah let his head flop onto the pillow again. “Probably dreaming about hockey. You had that nice pass in practice a few days ago.”

Felix chuckled, a little disappointed. Huh, that wasn’t what it had sounded like. Apparently, he was imagining that Jonah was dreaming about him in much more fun ways than hockey. But hey, he’d take the compliment. “Hopefully I can do that a few times in the game tonight.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Jonah gave him a long, searching look. “Hey. Do you think we can do this?”

“This” was, presumably, the hockey series they were about to play against the Lynx.

“I think we’re going to do our best,” Felix said slowly, trying to pick through the random thoughts he’d had about their upcoming run. “Montreal’s done well this season. They’re going to be tough to go up against. So much depends on puck luck though. We’re in better shape than we have been some seasons in terms of injuries but Nico being out is a huge issue. I get why he can’t play and God knows I don’t want him to risk his life coming back too soon from brain surgery. It just … it complicates things. He’s so good on the puck and we just don’t have anyone who can replace him, you know? No one else can do what he does.”

“Exactly.” Jonah frowned.

“But if we have some luck and stay healthy, I think we have a chance to make a real push.”

“Dom isn’t …”

“Yeah, I know.” Felix sighed. “I wish he wasn’t struggling right now. I can’t quite figure out if it’s physical or mental.”

“Right?” Jonah propped on an elbow. “When he’s good, he’s so good.”

Felix nodded. “But when he’s struggling …”

He could be a serious liability.

“You think Colton’s ready for a top line role?” Jonah asked.

“God, I don’t know. He’s so young. He has so little playoff experience … it’s a lot.”

“You’re probably right.” Jonah sighed.

“But whatever happens, all we can do is our best, right?” Felix reached out, hooking his pinkie around Jonah’s. They weren’t close enough to press their bodies together but Felix could feel the heat of Jonah’s sleep-warm body.

“Yeah.” Jonah gave him a faint smile and tugged at his finger a little. A familiar gesture from their childhood.

Jonah’s face was sleep-creased and he looked so soft right now.

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