Page 79 of Drop the Gloves
He was in the deep end anyway, but that was his fault.
Riley
The Riveters playeda Sunday matinee against the Ontario Ice Owls, and Riley planned to make use of the free evening.He’d looked up nice places in Ottawa to take Evan for dinner.That was important, he thought.Evan didn’t take care of himself enough, and he’d been acting weird the last week or so.
Since Evan wasn’t up for talking about it, Riley could treat him to a relaxing evening of fine dining and good sex.Least he could do, right?
They were in the locker room post-game—a 4-2 loss to the stupid Ice Owls, fucking embarrassing, but hey, Evan had scored so silver lining and all that—and Riley was trying to figure out how to bring it up.He had a whole plan, complete with a wager about who could suck the other off first, and just needed an opportunity to talk to Evan alone.Maybe on the team bus back to the hotel?—
Lawson stood up in the center of the locker room, finally emptied of media and coaches.Cupping his hands around his mouth, he announced, “Team party tonight.I got us a room at a bar near the hotel.Dinner and drinks in ninety, got it?Get showered ASAP.We lost, so no way I can argue us out of a curfew.We’ve gotta get our fun finished up by 9 p.m.sharp.”
Goddamnit.
Whatever.They could show up and slip out.Riley could salvage this.Dinner could wait for another night, but who wasn’t relaxed after blowjobs and beer?
“Can’t,” Evan said.He tossed aside his gloves and ran a hand over his chin, a month’s worth of beard tempting Riley to do something stupid.“Got plans.”
“Plans?”Riley asked, and it came out angrier than he intended.
“You going to see your girlfriend?”Lawson asked loudly.Half the guys laughed, and a few made kissy faces.Riley felt like he couldn’t breathe.What the fuck?
“Don’t stay out too late,” Woodsy said, waggling his eyebrows.
Evan just rolled his eyes.“I’ll be back before curfew, don’t worry,” he grumbled.The teasing continued a little longer, though Riley didn’t hear any of it.
Dalty, stupid Dalty, said Evan didn’t date.Now, all of a sudden, he had a girlfriend the whole fucking team knew about?And was going to see her instead of hanging out with the team?
Wasthatwhy he’d been acting weird lately?
If he considered things objectively, Riley doubted Evan had an actual girlfriend for no other reason that Evan wasn’t the type to hook up with Riley if he were already in a relationship.But there was something to this story he was missing, and it might explain the weird vibe Evan had been giving off.
Riley was having trouble being objective, though.All he could feel was jealousy and annoyance and hurt.He hadn’t gotten Evan to himself at all on this stupid trip to Canada.First his mom (yes, Riley knew he couldn’t complain about that one), and now some random chick.Even at the hotels, he hadn’t been able to get Evan for more than five minutes without the team interfering.Stupid celebrating their 5-0 blowout of the Terrors.
Stop freaking out and fucking ask, dumbass.
Oh.Right.
He didn’t get a chance until they were on the bus.Riley had to cut ahead of five guys to make sure he got a spot next to Evan, and he couldn’t even be ashamed of how unchill he was being.This was A Big Deal, and there were basically no answers that wouldn’t hurt him somehow, but he still had to give Evan a chance to explain.
There were a lot of subtle, totally normal ways to lead into asking what he wanted to know.Riley had never been good at subtle, so of course when he plopped down next to Evan, the first words out of his mouth were, “So you’ve got a girlfriend?”
Jesus fucking Christ.He felt like he was back in middle school and had the same inability to function like a normal human being around someone he liked.
“Huh?”Evan looked up from his phone, his frown lightening when he saw Riley.
A chance for Riley to prove he wasn’t a complete spaz, and instead his stupid brain doubled down.“Lawson said you have a girlfriend.You’re gonna hang out with her today or something.”
“Oh, that.”There were no signs of embarrassment or guilt, which was a plus.“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“But there is a girl?”For fuck’s—could he just take his foot and insert it permanently into his mouth?
Evan blushed.What did thatmean?Fucking hell.
“Kind of?There’s literally a girl—Amy—but I’m not dating her.I’veneverdated her.I lived with her family when I played in the Canadian Junior Hockey League.I was so homesick when I moved to Ottawa, which I know is stupid since it isn’t even that far from Peterborough.I could’ve been a lot farther from home, but still.Her family was great.We still talk, and I try to visit when I’m in town.Her parents are out of town, so it’ll just be the two of us tonight.”
“She’s part of your billet family,” Riley said slowly, like he might’ve misunderstood.A wave of relief washed through him when Evan nodded.“Cool that you still keep in touch.”
“I’m glad she was available at such short notice.”Evan said it like he was confiding something in Riley.“I completely spaced out on the schedule and didn’t text her until, like, four days ago.”
