Page 132 of Game Changer
The meal had been fine, with a lot of talk about the puppy Megan and Andrew were hoping to adopt. Kip had been worried that the conversation would be focused on him, and that he would have to lie to his family even more than he already had been. As a result, he asked way more questions about the puppy than he normally would.
It was after dinner when Megan cornered him. Andrew went into the kitchen to help with cleanup, and she grabbed Kip’s arm and pulled him upstairs.
“So what’s going on with you anyway, Kip?” she asked. “Mom says you’re almost never here anymore. Are you seeing someone or something?”
Fuck.
“Nah,” he said as smoothly as possible. “Just, you know, couch surfing mostly. Saves time commuting to work in the mornings.”
“Hm,” she said.
“What?”
“Are you happy, Kip?”
He shrugged. “Sure. I don’t know.”
“I worry about you.”
Kip made a face. “Why? We barely even talk anymore. I’m fine.”
“You’re still my little brother. You can’t be happy living here with Mom and Dad, sleeping on friends’ couches, hooking up with random dudes and working that job you hate.”
“Jesus, Meg. Anything else?”
“I’m sorry. I just want to see you happy, is all.”
“I’mfine,” he said again. He sighed, and added, “I applied to some grad schools, all right? Just waiting to hear back. Don’t tell Mom and Dad.”
“Awesome! That’s great!”
“Good. Get off my back.”
He liked Megan a lot. They had always gotten along well, even if they had drifted apart a bit these past few years. He wanted to tell her that he had actually been staying at hisboyfriend’sapartment. He wanted to tell her that he was in love for the first time. He imagined her face if he told her he was dating Scott Hunter.
At that moment, he didn’tfeellike he was dating Scott Hunter. Things had grown tense and distant between them lately, and Kip was sure he knew why.
At ten o’clock he got into bed. He had to get up extra early for work the next day, since he’d be commuting from Brooklyn again. His stomach clenched around the dread that sat like a lump inside him. He was so certain that his relationship with Scott was doomed that he felt compelled to just rip the bandage off quickly. Just end it now so he didn’t need to suffer later.
And maybe, one day, he could wake up in his bedroom in his parents’ house, drag himself to his shitty job, and fondly remember the brief time in his life that he’d lived the fantasy of being Scott Hunter’s boyfriend.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Good evening, Ilya,” Scott said. He was standing opposite Rozanov at the face-off circle, ready for the first puck drop of the game.
“Don’t worry, old man,” Rozanov said with a grin, “I know you must be getting tired. I’ll make sure you lose so you can get started on your summer vacation.”
“My only summer plans involve a Stanley Cup parade.”
They bent for the face-off, and Scott winked at him.
Scott won the face-off.
He had two good reasons to win this game. Obviously, he wanted to win the series and move on to the next round of the playoffs, but winning tonight would also give him a couple of days off here in New York. And he wanted to use some of that time to fix whatever the hell was going on between him and Kip.
He could see Kip sitting in his usual seat. That was comforting. Scott wasn’t sure what seeing that seat empty would have done to him, psychologically. He was already struggling to stay focused.
He would win this game. He would talk to Kip. He would go on to the next round clearheaded. He would win that round, and the next round, and he would finally,finallylift that cup over his head.
