Page 105 of Perfect Storm
But in fact, he was fine.
Totally fine.
“I’m good,” Aidan said instead, hoping the alternate word choice would in fact convince Levi that he was.
“You seem good,” Levi said, sounding surprised.
Nobody was more surprised than Aidan. But that was reassuring, right? It was a positive development he’d seen Mo’s name on his lock screen, was able to look at the text—God, of course the only thing Mo had sent washey dude, what’s up?—and not spiral.
Not onlynotspiral, but come back into the living room like nothing was wrong.
Because nothingwaswrong.
“Yeah. It’s . . .well, it is what it is. He’s probably just checking in before the season starts. It’s still weird he’s not here,” Aidan said.
Something complicated flashed across Levi’s face, but before Aidan could figure out what it was, it was gone.
“Right. You guys played together a long time,” Levi said.
“Seven years,” Aidan said. It hadn’t ever felt that long; had felt like seven seconds, honestly. He’d woken up and blinked and Mo had been gone, despite all his efforts to keep him in Toronto.
“Yeah, no wonder,” Levi said. “You wanna play again or . . .”
“No, let’s go to bed,” Aidan said, hauling himself off the couch after he turned all the electronics off. He wanted to believe what he’d told Levi was the truth—that Mo had only texted him because it was the beginning of another season and they were still used to having each other around—but Aidan wasn’t entirely sure that was true.
Because he’d asked Mo to give him some space, and for the last three-ish months, Mo had respected that.
They were nearly in the bedroom when Levi casually pressed him against the wall next to the doorway and kissed him. It was an intense kind of kiss, not a kiss he’d expect, not after the sex they’d just had, but Aidan couldn’t help but sink into it. Levi’s hands framed his face and his body caged him in, and it was so good to just not think at all. To just glory in the feel of Levi against him.
They stumbled into the bedroom a minute later, Aidan flopping down onto the bed, Levi crawling over his body after him.
They made out for so long Aidan lost track of the minutes. Floated in the bliss of Levi’s mouth moving against his own,alternatively passionate and gently sweet, until Aidan’s cock was definitely getting hard again.
They weren’t playing in the preseason game in two days—Aidan wasn’t even dressing, though Zane had made some noise about Levi taking at least a series to continue fine-tuning his new position—and Aidan thought maybe Levi might suggest they fuck again. Or maybe Levi could even fuckhim.
He’d totally be down for that.
Sure, they had the walkthrough, but it wasn’t like they wouldn’t be careful.
Levi pulled away, and Aidan fully expected him to bring it up. Was looking forward to turning the tables on him by suggesting they try it the other way, but instead of saying anything, Levi pulled his phone out of his pocket.
He glared at the screen. “It keeps fucking buzzing,” he said with frustration. “Doesn’t it know I’m trying to go two for two?”
Aidan laughed. “Put it down, then, and come here.” He let his legs fall open in invitation, but instead of following instructions, Levi just kept staring at his phone.
He was trying not to get a complex, but it was tough when Levi was not as into this as he absolutely should be.
Finally Levi looked up at him. “Why,” he asked slowly, carefully—too carefully—“is everyone asking me if I’m excited? What should I be so excited about?”
An anxious sensation spiraled through Aidan. He wanted to be happy—it sounded like he should be, whatever it was that had just happened—but it was hard to be when he was still so in the dark.
He scrambled for his phone, and there it was, on the screen.
Alotof texts. So many texts. Fifty-four in the Thunder group chat. Two from his agent. Some from other players he knew. Texts from Riley. Texts from Landry. And then the damning ones. Four more texts from Mo.
Aidan opened those first, heart in his throat.
There was the first one.
