Page 42 of Scoring Slater
In his hotel room later that night, sleep wouldn't come. He lay in bed, phone in hand, unable to get comfortable. His thoughts raced, going back over the conversation he'd had with Leo in his room an hour earlier, and the solid advice his friend had offered.
He scrolled through friends' posts, commenting and doing his best to act like everything was fine. All of the comments on his own posts were about him and Noah, and each one was like a tiny knife twist in his gut.
Propped up on a small mountain of pillows, he took a selfie and sent it out with the captionTime for bed. Tell me what you're dreaming of.
Comments popped up right away.
I'm sure you're dreaming of Noah.
Where's Noah?
Isn't Noah sleeping next to you?
Hurt swelled like he'd been punched in the gut. Noah was in the room across the hall. They hadn't spoken since the awkward few words on the plane when Noah returned to his seat for dinner.
He switched off the light and rolled onto his side. Darkness flooded the room, blocking out all distractions. Hugging a pillow to his chest, he stared out the window. They couldn't continue to go on stepping around their problems, not when it hurt so much. Leo's words of wisdom echoed through his head once more.
There were four days to go in the road trip. When they arrived home, he'd need to take action.
It was time to do what he did best for everyone else.
It was time to protect himself.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Snow flurries danced on the wind, swirling around the street lights, turning the library's parking lot into a snow globe. Noah adjusted his armful of books and hurried to his car.
A rare day off was something to be cherished, but rather than lounging at home and letting his body rest and recover from the road trip, he had left the apartment early that morning, figuring it best to keep his distance from Slater. He'd visited Joseph at the coffee shop, then saw a movie that hadn't kept his interest, then spent the afternoon at the science museum, but kept seeing things that reminded him of past visits there with Slater. Hitting the library after that seemed like a good plan. He could always lose himself in books. Except this time, he couldn't. Still, he'd stayed for hours, as long as they'd let him. Closing time was here, so unless he wanted to find a coffee shop or restaurant at eight o'clock at night, which he didn't because then he might have to interact with people who had questions or comments he didn't want to address, heading home was his only option.
He climbed into the car, started it up, and put the heater on full blast. It was probably time to look for his own place to live. Dealing with the tension between him and Slater was too much. The road trip had sealed it for him. He and Slater needed to have an honest talk. If he didn't want to lose his friend completely, they had to salvage something of their relationship.
The falling snow made the trip home take longer than usual. The world felt colder than usual too. But then again, it had, ever since things between Slater and him had gotten rough.
When he pulled into his parking spot at the apartment building, the adjoining spot for Slater's car was empty. Half wondering where Slater had gone and half relieved that there wouldn't be an awkward encounter, Noah let himself into the apartment.
Two suitcases and three cardboard boxes were stacked against the living room wall. They hadn't been there earlier. He set his books down. Maybe Slater was donating stuff.
The flaps on the top box were open, and a bright green shirt—one of Slater's favorites—hung out on one side.
Donating his favorite shirt?
Curiosity piqued, he looked in the box. A stack of comic books, a pile of superhero shirts, and Slater's favorite coffee mug were mixed in with his electric razor, the puck from Slater's first goal scored in a professional game, a framed photo of the Bedlam's Cup-winning team from Slater's rookie season, and the ceramic mask he'd bought during the vacation he and Noah had taken to Mexico last summer.
Odd items to give away…
The front door opened, then closed. He turned and waited, full of questions. As soon as Slater entered the room, Noah gestured to the boxes. "What's going on?"
Slater sidestepped him, the man's movement tight and closed-off. "I'm staying with Leo and Kelsey while I look for a place."
A wave of dizziness hit him, the feeling worse than having the air knocked out of him on the ice. He grasped the end of the box. "You're leaving?"
"I can't do this." Flustered, Slater picked up the empty bowl that normally held their keys, and tossed it into the box.
Even though Noah had been thinking that he'd be the one who'd have to move, now that the concept had gone from abstract to actually happening, panic clawed at his chest. "Slater."
"What?" The word, harsh and quick, sliced through the air. Slater dragged his hand through his hair. "I've spent days agonizing over what you want. It's time for me to do what I need. And I need space."
"You can't just go." He grabbed the couch pillow Slater reached for and clutched it to his chest, clinging onto the soft square. "This is extreme. I mean, I know we're having issues…"
