Page 40 of Switch Pitching

I smile back. “No problem, man. Anything to help you out.”

Right as I’m about to turn around and get ready, Ethan steps forward and wraps me in a hug. “You’re an amazing friend, James. Thanks for looking out for me.”

His words land harder than they probably should. My chest tightens and I don’t even know what to do with the weird swirl of emotions coursing through me.

“Of course. That’s what friends are for, right?” I say.

He nods and then turns around, heading into his bathroom to get ready. I stand outside his door for a few seconds, overthinking everything.

That wasn’t typical Ethan. There’s something else going on.

I force myself to snap out of it because I need to focus on making tonight fun for Ethan. No matter what’s going on in his head, we’ll figure it out.

As promised, I take Ethan to that Sichuan restaurant down the street. It’s a casual spot, nothing too fancy, but a mix of deliciously spicy air wafts around the restaurant. We find a table near the back, and Ethan scrutinizes the menu that’s taped to the wall next to our table.

“You ever had Sichuan food before?” I ask, leaning in a bit.

He shakes his head, a small smile crossing his lips. “Nope. This is a first for me.”

“You’re in for a treat,” I say, grinning. “I used to eat at places like this with my family all the time. This food is gonna be life changing.”

“Life changing, huh? Bring it on.”

Two small bowls of Suan La Fen, potato noodles in spicy broth, arrive first. Growing up, this dish is basically what helped me build my spice tolerance, and I can’t get enough.

Ethan picks up his chopsticks and eyes his bowl before picking up a mouthful. I watch as he takes his first bite, and his eyes widen in surprise. “Wow,” he says, his voice filled with genuine amazement. “This is incredible. I didn’t know half of these flavors even existed.”

“Told you so. It’s life changing.”

He nods, taking another eager bite. “I can see that. This is… wow.”

The rest of our order comes out and the tension melts away from Ethan with each successive bite. By the time we finish up, he’s laughing and chatting easily, and that sad glaze in his eyes is nowhere to be seen.

“This was a great idea,” Ethan says, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

“Anytime, man.” A small grin tugs at the corner of my mouth as Ethan’s face lights up. Seeing Ethan happy makes me happy.

I settle up and we walk back to our apartment, falling into a comfortable silence. In the elevator, the quiet whirring of the machinery fills the space as we ascend, and Ethan leans against the wall, his eyes soft and relaxed. This is the Ethan I know. He’s the guy who keeps his cool no matter what, but who, deep down, needs a little extra support sometimes, just like everyone else.

When we reach our apartment, we both step out, walking side by side through our front door.

“Thanks again, James. I needed this,” he says, walking toward the stairs.

“For sure. Now get some rest. We’ve got a tough game tomorrow.”

15

ETHAN

JUNE

I get up, stretch, and head to the kitchen. The smell of coffee hits me first, and then I see James sitting at the island, engrossed in his phone. He’s holding a half-eaten apple as his brow furrows, and then his laughter fills the room, making me jump with surprise.

“Dude, what’s so funny?” I ask, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

James is grinning from ear to ear. “You’ve got to see this,” he says, tossing his phone to me.

I take a seat next to him and glance at the article on his phone. It’s from a sports/celebrity/entertainment gossip magazine, the kind I stay far away from, and right there, in full color, is a sneaky picture of the two of us at dinner last night. The headline: “SPARKS FLY? Boston’s Rookies Share a Romantic Night.”

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