Page 83 of Fight Or Flight

“I’m also interviewing for a replacement for Derek,” Adam said.

Ethan squinted at Adam. “Interviewing? You can’t interview people for rec league baseball.”

Adam shrugged, then walked back to the kitchen. “If they want in, I need to know they aren’t douchey assholes,” he called over his shoulder as he put the beers back in the fridge.

Ethan was just reaching for the remote when Adam came back and ripped it from his hands.

“No more Netflix. You’re making my bat cave into a lair for the depressed,” Adam said, looking around. “Maybe we should throw a party to clear out the bad vibes.”

“We?”

“Well, yeah. You practically live here now.”

Ethan rolled his eyes, stretched his long legs back out across Adam’s enormous sectional.

Adam seethed. “We’re going out.”

“Tomorrow.”

“Amy’s back tomorrow. You have your family dinner thing. Or are you going to miss that another week, too?”

Ethan shook his head, then dropped his shoulders. “I can’t go back to my parents’ house alone. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“You weren’t half this depressed after you broke up with Lindsay, and she was your actual girlfriend. You didn’t even sell your truck. And she fucked Derek in there.”

Puke surged up in Ethan’s throat.

“And what about that hot French girl . . . Celine? Ciel? Soleil?”

“Camille.”

“Right. You dated her for like two years in university, then she went back to Montreal, and you never saw her again. Did you mope around my house for three weeks after that?”

“No.”

“Exactly. And do you know why?” Adam leaned toward him with a deranged, wide-eyed look.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Because you still lived with your dad then, and he used to scare me?”

“No. Because you love Natalie! You should have fucking told her, man.”

“We’ve been through this. She was already packed.”

“Then you should have screamed it at her!”

Ethan stood up from the couch with a huff and lumbered toward the fridge. “You don’t get it. It’s complicated. And it’s over now. Do you really think I’d magically be over it if I had told her?”

“At least it would be off your chest. Right now, it’s just sitting there, festering. Like some kind of flesh-eating disease.” He shuddered as he walked to Ethan, grabbed his arm, and started pulling him toward the door.

“We’re going out. Life is meant to be lived! You need to see some people, maybe meet a new girl. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Ethan reluctantly let Adam drag him along. “Fine. One crappy beer. No girls.”

Adam smiled. “Deal.”

The second they walked into the bar, Ethan regretted letting Adam drag him there. The place was packed. People were seated all around the enormous bar in the centre of the room and filled almost every table. Luckily, there was a Blue Jays game on that had gone into extra innings, and all eyes were glued to the big screens around the bar.

Adam walked through the crowd, saying hi and waving to almost everyone, while Ethan followed behind, avoiding everyone’s eye contact. When they got to the only empty table in the place and sat down, the music changed, and a familiar, upbeat tune started playing.

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