Page 43 of Scoring Slater
Slater's eyes were red-rimmed, and lines of tension deepened across his forehead and around his eyes. "Maybe it is. But I feel like I'm walking on eggshells around you lately. I need to figure out what's going to work for me. You can't tell me you've been happy."
No, he couldn't tell him that. But he couldn't stand the thought of Slater ripping himself away so suddenly. "Well, no… It's been tense for both of us. I think we want different things. I'm not comfortable with all the public scrutiny. Or having to duck out of the way of the photos or videos you take, or worry that something of mine is in the background. And I don't want you to feel stunted or held back, and not achieve what you want and need."
"So then we use this as a break." Slater held Noah's gaze. The sadness in his eyes echoed the pain and regret seeping in Noah's soul. His hand trembled when he lifted it to shove his hand through his hair again. "I never thought I'd ever be in a situation like this, walking away from you."
Noah's eyes burned and his throat thickened. Biting his lip, he hugged the pillow tight against the ache expanding in his chest. This felt like a death, like he was losing a part of himself. "I want to you be happy, Slater. It hurts to realize that I can't be what you need."
Slater lifted his hand toward Noah, and just as quickly dropped his arm back to his side. "I want the same for you. I just… don't know where we go from here."
They stared at each other, the silence filling the air between them was thick like a stuffy blanket. Noah gazed at him, unsure of what to do and what to say. He felt helpless, and lost, and like he was drowning, falling farther and farther away from his friend.
A heavy tread of footsteps sounded behind him, coming from the front door, followed by the person clearing their throat. He spun around.
Leo's glance bounced from Slater to Noah, and then he gestured at the pile of boxes. "I'll just take those downstairs."
"Right behind you." Slater hefted the two suitcases. "I’ll get the rest of my stuff later, Noah."
Heartbeat hammering, Noah stepped forward and reached out, clutching air. "Slater, wait."
Slater's shoulders tightened and his steps faltered. When he turned his head to meet Noah's gaze, the usual spark in his blue eyes was gone. Dimmed to nothingness. His posture curled forward in a defeated slump. "I've been waiting. I'm tired, Noah. And I think I'm done."
Noah stared as they walked out the door. His mind spun like a whirlwind, but his insides felt wrung out. When the shock freezing him to his spot wore off, he padded to the front door and shut it. Engaged the lock, and it closed with a click that seemed all to final.
He walked through the apartment, noting the absence of Slater's things, and leaned on the open doorway to Slater's room. The open closet doors and drawers were mostly empty and a good portion of his comic book collection was gone. A check of the bathroom confirmed Slater's toothbrush and that silly bottle of superhero shampoo were gone. He’d even taken his bags of coffee from the kitchen.
Noah backtracked to Slater's room and sat on the stripped mattress.
Slater was really gone.
Even if it was for the best, it still hurt like hell.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Two weeks.
Fourteen days.
Three hundred thirty-six hours.
Twenty thousand one hundred sixty minutes.
However time was sliced, it all came down to one thing. Slater missed Noah.
He lifted his beer and tried to pretend that his brilliant idea to go out to a bar and get his mind off of Noah wasn't failing miserably.
He glanced at the time on his phone. Leo and the rest of the guys would be on their way over to Noah's for the book club discussion. He couldn't be around that. Or around Noah. Couldn't go and pretend he wasn't flailing.
He hadn't finished the book anyway.
Practice and games, the locker room, team meals, road trips, they were all so awkward. The whole team had figured out that things between them were strained. He hated putting the guys in an uncomfortable spot.
Maybe things would be better once he was settled in his own place and he could establish a new routine. Leo and Kelsey had been great, but he couldn't hang around their house forever.
Fully intending to look for apartments, he tapped his phone, but habit had him clicking the app he'd avoided for the past two weeks.
He liked interacting with the fans and didn't want to give that up. Noah had been right about one thing: His parents had always been preoccupied by their careers, and he'd felt like an afterthought. In addition to his teammates, social media and the fans gave him the love and attention and interaction he craved.
The bell in the corner of the screen showed the huge number of comments he'd missed during his time away. He scrolled through each one. People asking him why he hadn’t posted, asking each other if anyone had heard anything, wondering if he was okay, speculating on why he hadn't posted in over two weeks. Leaving them worried wasn't right.
