Page 50 of Side Out

I touch the dark bruise that has started to form along my cheekbone. “Was peppering with Jax this morning before the first match. Saw a puppy. Wasn’t paying attention. Hit got me right in the face.”

Coach pinches his face. “Ouch.”

Yeah, fucking ouch.

I know the little ass did it on purpose, too. I’m decent at volleyball, but he knew there was no way for me to shield my face in time for that ball. But that’s the least I deserve, so I can’t blame him for it.

I would’ve done the same in his shoes, probably worse, if I’m being honest.

* * *

The music is blaring as Coach and I walk into the Donkey Bar—wow, those are words I never thought I’d say—with Jax and a disheveled looking Austin in front of us.

Reaching out, I gently grab Austin’s shoulder. He looks absolutely fucking exhausted. “Hey, man, you okay?”

Austin answers. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Why? Do I not look okay?”

“Just making sure.” His eyes are darting around the bar in panic, and I look to Jax beside him, urging him to make sure his friend is good.

Jax grabs his other shoulder and softly says, “Austin, you don’t have to drink if you don’t want to.”

“I’ll have one beer; it’ll be fine.” I think Austin is saying this to himself rather than us.

Jax and I murmur, “Okay” and drop it for now.

Once we’re seated at our hightop, the waitress is on it ordering our drinks, and four beers hit the table not even two minutes later. She takes our order of what seems like twelve different appetizers and is on her way.

It feels like the food arrives just as fast, and we all dive in. I grab a cheese stick from Jax’s plate, and the side-eye I get from that is enough to tell me he doesn’t play over the fried cheese.

Coach is on his second beer and is looking at his watch like he’s got a hot date waiting on him, but I know he’s eagerly waiting for the acceptable time to slip out and return to the safety of his hotel room. He may get along great with the players, but he’s always been very careful to toe the line between friend and Coach.

I may need to take some notes from him…

Austin has sweat lining his brow now, and if I didn’t know any better, I would think he was coming down with some kind of illness or something. Coach must be picking up on the weird vibes he’s putting off, too. “Is this because you’re away from the girls?”

Like the dam has been cracked open, Austin starts to spill his guts. “I just feel so bad. Emma has been lugging Lizzie around all weekend, and I feel like I’ve barely seen the two of them. Lizzie is teething so she’s been cranky, and I can tell Emma is beyond exhausted. I just… I feel bad is all.”

Fuck, he looks on the verge of crying.

Without hesitation, Coach throws his hand on Austin’s shoulder. “Did you want to come out tonight?”

Austin looks at Jax who huffs a soft laugh and smiles. “Austin, bud, you’re not going to offend me if you’d rather spend some time with the girls. It’s okay. I promise.”

Austin sighs heavily before shaking his head, and Coach Taylor gently squeezes his shoulder. “Okay, boys, hold the fort down. I’m going to drop this one off to his girls.” Taylor pulls his wallet out and throws two hundred-dollar bills down on the table, before walking a clearly relieved Austin out of the bar

I wonder out loud, “Can men get whatever women get after having a baby?”

“Postpartum depression?” Jax looks at me in confusion.

“Yeah. Do you think he’s got that, maybe? Or maybe just anxiety. I mean, I’m no doctor, but that can’t be how you’re supposed to act…”

Jax rolls his eyes at me. “Theo, you have no clue what it means to love someone so deeply the way Austin does. Not just for Emma but for Lizzie, too. I can’t imagine a piece of me walking around in this world. I would want to do anything in my power to protect it.” He takes a long sip of his beer. “But yes, men can experience postpartum or just a change to emotions after babies, but I don’t think that’s Austin’s issue. He just… heloves.”

Love.

I’m slack-jawed for a second as my brain processes the word he just uttered. At that moment, I decide I’m going to need more than just a beer if the two of us are going to discusslove.

I throw my hand up, and the server comes rushing over. “Two margaritas with salt, on the rocks, and two tequila shots. Actually, make those shots doubles.” Jax looks at me like I’ve suddenly grown two heads so I try to recover my impulsiveness. “We-we’ve got a champion over here,” I say while patting Jax’s thigh. Unknowingly, I let my hand linger for a little too long. But to my surprise, he doesn’t pull away.

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