Page 121 of Common Goal
He needed to be fearless, one more time. This time with no masks, and no armor. He needed to go to Kyle with his heart in his hands and apologize for not giving him a chance. For not givingthema chance.
And god, he hoped he wasn’t too late.
Kyle froze when Eric walked into the Kingfisher. Hadn’t he just played his final gametonight? InWashington?
Kyle looked for Scott, but he wasn’t there. It made sense because Kip wasn’t working tonight. This was Eric, alone, and he was striding purposely toward Kyle.
What the hell was this? Was Eric sad about his career being over and was hoping for some distracting, no-strings sex with Kyle? There was no way Kyle was going to agree to that.
Probably.
He steeled himself as Eric approached and said, as blandly as possible, “Hey.”
“Hi.” Eric’s eyes were wide and uncertain. If he had more to say, he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to say it.
“What?” Kyle asked finally, patience wearing thin.
“I—” Eric glanced around the bar. “Is there somewhere we could talk? Just for a moment?”
“Why? You looking for some pick-me-up sex? Pass.” Kyle made a show of drying a perfectly dry beer stein, hoping to appear uninterested in Eric’s presence.
“No, that’s not why I’m here at all. I promise. I just... I’d really like to talk to you.”
“Again, why?”
“Because I need to apologize.”
Kyle scoffed. “Took you two months to figure that out, huh?”
“Yes,” Eric said earnestly. “It did. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about you every day.”
Fuck. Kyle couldn’t help the way his heart raced at that. He’d thought about Eric constantly over the past two months with a mixture of anger, sadness, and regret. Looking at him now, so handsome in the suit he must have left the arena in, Kyle couldn’t deny that he still wanted him.
He spotted Aram lingering at the table of three very handsome men. “One sec,” he told Eric. He walked over to Aram and gently tapped his arm to get his attention.
“What’s up?” Aram asked.
“Can you watch the bar for a few minutes? Eric wants to talk to me about something in private.” Kyle knew how intriguing this sounded, but it was the best he could come up with.
“Sure,” Aram said, though he eyed him curiously.
Kyle walked away before there could be follow-up questions. He led Eric to the storeroom behind the bar. He closed the door firmly behind them, then stood facing Eric, unsure of what to expect.
Kyle folded his arms across his chest defensively. “I’ve only got a few minutes.”
“I’m sorry,” Eric said immediately. “I was wrong, and I’m so sorry. I ruined everything, and I wish I’d gone upstairs with you after that hike.”
Kyle frowned at him. “You regret not having sex two months ago?”
“No. I regret everything that could have come after having sex two months ago.”
Kyle’s heart stopped beating. Was this really happening? “What could have happened?”
Eric took a step toward him. “I could have told you how I really feel. That I have loved every moment we’ve spent together, whether it’s having sex or just talking. That I want to have more of those moments. Years of them.”
Kyle swallowed, his eyes burning. “Oh.” He let those words sink in, then recalled the opposite words Eric had said months ago. “What happened topeople should only date people their own age? Because I haven’t magically aged fifteen years in the past two months.”
“I’m sorry I said that. I’m sorry for so many things.” Eric gazed imploringly at Kyle. “Do you hate me?”
