Page 47 of Drop the Gloves
“Yeah, that’s where Boris and Natasha are from, duh.The beautiful land of Pottsylvania.”
He stood up so that he could find his equilibrium; it was easier when he was the one looking down at Barczyk.“I never watched the show,” he admitted.“But sorry.I didn’t—” He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, since Barczyk wasn’t upset.“You knew you’d get shit when you grew that mustache,” he said instead.“You can’t be upset that people are making fun of you for it.”
“You don’t like how I look, Abs?”There was heat beneath the teasing, and Evan felt like his skin was going to catch on fire.
“No!”he blurted out.It was his gut reaction, but it sounded too desperate to be the truth.Evan looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before he whispered.“I mean, maybe.”
It was barely a confession, given what had happened the other day, but Barczyk lit up.“Mmm, best maybe I’ve ever heard.Race you to the rink?”And then he was off before Evan could process what had happened.
Were they…flirting…?
Again, his instinct was to deny it.They weren’t flirting because they weren’t attracted to each other.Obviously.
But they maybe were flirting, because they had gotten each other off only two days ago.They’dkissed.Plausible deniability was looking less and less, well, plausible.
He followed Barczyk out to practice, his mind buzzing.He overanalyzed every interaction they had, everything from when they made eye contact to how they worked together during drills.There weren’t many opportunities to talk, but even after practice in the locker room, Evan still went through everything Barczyk said or did with a fine-toothed comb.
His conclusion?Nothing.If there was anyone else within fifteen feet of them, Barczyk was the same as ever.He was loud and annoying and said dumb shit, but none of it was remotely sexual.He was no different from when he first joined the team.Evan appreciated that Barczyk could keep his mouth shut about what had happened and not make things weird, but it also unnerved him.How was it so easy for him to pretend it hadn’t happened?Was there something wrong with Evan for not being able to get the taste of Barczyk out of his mouth?
Had he hallucinated the whole thing?
He was half-convinced he’d imagined it.It could’ve been a vivid dream, for the way Barczyk was acting.It wasn’t until Barczyk was about to head out to his car for the day that Evan’s sanity got a little validation.
“Hey.”Barczyk licked his lips once he had Evan’s attention.“I know we said we wouldn’t have time to do any lessons on the road, but…” He gave Evan a once-over, lingering on his mouth before meeting his gaze again.“I’m sure we could find time.”
Yeah, Evan wasn’t imagining things.Shit, this was real.
And like every opportunity to shut this down before he got in too deep, Evan ignored the voice of reason in his head and said, “Yeah.Yeah, I think we should.”
21
Evan shifted uncomfortablyin his suit.He’d been one of the first to arrive at the airport for their flight to California, and he’d snagged a seat near the back of the plane.There was definitely a hint that something might happen with Barczyk over the next week, and the prospect was both exciting and terrifying.All night, he’d waited for panic to set in and convince him he should text Barczyk a definitive never mind.
There’d been no panic.
Not to say that Evan was confident this was a good idea.It was a terrible idea for any number of reasons.He’d started making a list of those reasons on a Post-it note, hoping to scare himself into realizing this was kind of a Big Deal.There was a huge difference between spontaneously dry-humping a teammate and another to plan it out ahead of time.But he’d gone through four Post-its' worth before he’d crumpled them all up and tossed them out.
It was a bad idea that could totally blow up in his face...but Evan didn’t care.He wanted to feel Barczyk beneath him again and explore his mouth and touch him and?—
Aaaand now Evan was getting hard on the team plane.Dammit.
He took off his suit jacket and laid it across his lap until he could get himself under control.When had he become like this?Why did it have to be Barczyk of all people?
Because he’s good at getting under people’s skin.Are you really surprised he got under yours?
Evan closed his eyes and shuddered.
“Hell yeah, I’m growing this ‘stache out.”
Evan’s eyes snapped open when he heard Barczyk’s voice.He was coming onto the plane with Vassiliev behind him.Vassiliev wore his understated light gray suit that he usually wore on the road; Barczyk had a charcoal one that could’ve been called drab if he weren’t wearing a bright yellow dress shirt with it.Even among teammates, he had to stand out.
“You look like a clown,” Vassiliev said as he sat down near the front of the plane.“You won’t last the whole month.”
“Shows what you know.”Barczyk took off a messenger bag and tossed it under the seat next to Vassiliev; Evan’s heart sank.“I’m fully committed.”Then their voices were muffled once Barczyk sat down.They continued bickering, but Evan couldn’t hear a word of it.He leaned forward, willing Barczyk to turn around and spot him.
Change seats,he silently pleaded.Sit with me.
“This seat taken?”
