Page 138 of Perfect Storm
“Yeah, you do,” Aidan said, and Levi knew, no matter what happened on Sunday—before or during or after the game—they were going to be fine.
More than fine.
Chapter 19
Levihadbeenthinkingabout this all week. He’d been thinking about it for longer than that, to be honest, but ever since he and Aidan had becomethem, he hadn’t been able to stop.
“Hey,” he said, approaching where Aidan was sitting on the bench in front of his locker.
Aidan raised a questioning eyebrow. “What’s up?” he asked.
Last night they’d FaceTimed Logan. He wouldn’t be at the game, because he’d be in Chicago, the Piranhas playing the Bears. He’d looked surprised when it was both Levi and Aidan crammed together on their screen.
Levi could swear that Logan hadn’t actually been all that surprised when he’d learned that the guy he’d been pining over had been Aidan Flynn. “Huh,” was all he’d said. “You tell Landry yet?”
“Not yet,” Aidan had said. Levi had added that their plan was to tell both Landry and Lyla tomorrow—after the game. “Good fucking luck with that,” Logan had teased.
Levi told himself he wasn’t nervous to ask. If Aidan said no, he’d say no. But he really, really wanted him to say yes.
“Griff says you typically are the guy who addresses the room before games,” Levi said. He had last week, but Levi hadn’t been sure if that was a weekly ritual, or a first-game-of-the-season kind of thing.
“Yeah,” Aidan said, nodding. “Typically.”
“I wanna do it, today.”
Aidan looked skeptical. “But—”
“I know, it’s the Condors and it’s your brother,” Levi continued in a rush. “But . . .just let me, okay?”
Aidan shot him a knowing little grin, the corner of his lips tilting up irresistibly. “How do you know I haven’t spent the whole offseason composing a killer motivational speech perfect for the first time we play Riley and Landry and the Condors?”
“I don’t,” Levi said. “But let me do this, okay?”For you, he didn’t say, but he hoped Aidan heard it anyway.
“Alright,” Aidan said.
“Seriously?”
“You want me to change my mind?” Aidan teased. “Besides, I’m very curious what you’ve come up with.”
Levi couldn’t say his speech was brilliant or anything—but it was going to come straight from his heart, which they’d already established belonged entirely to Aidan.
“Okay. Awesome.”
Aidan was still smiling, hisLevismile. The one that filled Levi’s stomach with warmth, until it felt like he was drowning in love.
“Have a good game, alright?” Aidan said, reaching out and wrapping a hand around Levi’s wrist, squeezing.
“You’re gonna kill it,” Levi said, because he already believed it was true.
“Hope you’ve got more than that up your sleeve,” Aidan joked.
He did.
A few minutes later Coach Robertson walked in, and he gave his sweet and very short motivational speech. “Get out there and execute,” he challenged, meeting each and every guy’s gaze as his eyes swept over the locker room. “I know what you’re capable of. You know what you’re capable of. Deliver it.” He paused, and the room exploded in yells and cheers. Coach, Levi had been learning, didn’t have to say much for what he did say to be effective. “Flynn, you’ve got anything?” he added, when the noise finally died down a bit.
Aidan tilted his head at Levi, who stood. He wasn’t usually the kind of guy who spoke out. At least he’d never been in Seattle. He knew both his brothers could be—when the occasion called for it—but to Levi’s thinking, he hadn’t felt the need. Not until now.
“I might be new here,” Levi said, looking around the room. “But I’m not new to this rivalry, not really. You know my brother’s going to be lining up against our defense. You know Aidan’s brother will be too. I keep hearing this bullshit chatter that Riley’s the new Flynn. That he’s the better Flynn. But I don’t have to have spent tons of time here to know what Aidan brings to this team. How he has every single one of your backs. How hard he works for you—so he can give his best on Sundays. You know what it’s time for? Foryouto havehisback. To give him back some of that dedication. Let’s show the world who our QB is, okay?”
