Page 26 of The Boyfriend Zone

"Incoming," I murmured, watching as Zach spotted us. He hesitated for a moment, saying something to his teammates before approaching our table alone.

"Hey, Lucas," he greeted me warmly, then turned to Nate with a more cautious, "Hi."

"Zach," Nate acknowledged coolly, still not looking up. "Didn't know hockey players could read. Is that why you're in a coffee shop?"

I kicked him under the table, but Zach just laughed, seemingly unfazed by the barb.

"We fuel on caffeine like normal humans," he replied, then added with a hint of uncertainty, "Mind if I join you for a minute?"

I gestured to the empty chair at our table. "Be our guest."

Zach sat, setting down his coffee cup. There was an awkward silence as he and Nate pointedly avoided looking at each other, while I tried to think of something—anything—to say.

"Good game in Vermont," I offered finally. "That last-minute goal was impressive."

"Thanks." Zach smiled. "Coach has us running extra drills this week to prepare for the Harvard game. It's a big one."

Another silence fell, even more strained than before. I was about to make an excuse to leave them alone when Zach cleared his throat.

"Actually, Lucas, would you mind if I talked to Nate for a minute? Privately?"

I raised my eyebrows, glancing at Nate to gauge his reaction. My roommate's expression was carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

"That depends," Nate said before I could respond. "Are you planning to actually talk to me this time, or will you disappear for weeks afterward?"

Zach winced visibly. "I deserve that. And I'm sorry. About ghosting you after the party."

"Sorry enough to discuss it in front of your teammates?" Nate challenged, nodding toward the hockey players watching curiously from the counter.

"They're not..." Zach fumbled, then took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm sorry enough to have this conversation right here, if that's what you want."

Nate blinked, clearly surprised by Zach's willingness. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why now? It's been weeks."

"Because I can't stop thinking about you, okay?" Zach blurted out, his voice low but intense. "Even when I'm trying to hate you for being so damn annoying, I just can't."

I felt like I was witnessing something private, something I shouldn't be intruding on. I gathered my books quickly. "I just remembered I need to... um, return a book. To the library. Right now."

Neither of them seemed to notice as I slipped away, too caught up in their standoff. I retreated to a corner table with a view of them, too invested in whatever was unfolding to leave completely.

From my new vantage point, I could see Zach leaning forward, speaking earnestly while Nate listened with crossed arms. Zach seemed to be doing most of the talking, occasionally running a hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration or nervousness.

At one point, Zach reached across the table and took Nate's wrist, saying something that made Nate's eyes widen. Nate pulled his arm away, his expression conflicted, and said something that made Zach's face fall.

Then Nate stood abruptly, gathering his books, and walked out without looking back. Zach remained at the table, staring at his coffee cup with the most defeated expression I'd ever seen on his usually confident face.

After a moment's debate, I approached him again, sliding into Nate's vacated chair. "That bad, huh?"

Zach looked up, startled out of his thoughts. "Oh. Yeah. I guess you could say that."

"Want to talk about it?" I offered.

He hesitated, then shrugged. "Not much to say. I screwed up, tried to apologize, and he still hates me. Can't really blame him."

"I don't think he hates you," I said carefully. "Nate doesn't storm out when he hates someone. He just gets icily polite until they go away. Storming out means he cares enough to be hurt."

"That doesn't make me feel better." Zach sighed, pushing his coffee aside. "I don't know what I expected. That he'd just forgive me for being a coward and we'd ride off into the sunset together?"

"What exactly happened between you two?" I asked, genuinely curious. Nate had been tight-lipped about the details, just saying they'd "had a moment" at a party before Zach ghosted him.

---