Page 25 of Game Winner
Bax shifts forward, dragging his legs out of my lap as he presses closer to my side. “Good. That’s what I was hoping for.”
Affirming that we’re only dating each other makes this arrangement feel more serious than casual, and that lines up with the way I’m feeling.
They’re looking at me like they feel the same way, and I like that even more.
Christmas night
The lights from the Christmas tree twinkle, casting the front room in a soft glow. Our dinner guests went home a while ago, and the house is quiet.
Sitting with Soren, waiting for Bax, I keep smiling every time my gaze lands on my stocking.
The guys really surprised me with that one, and then outdid themselves when we exchanged gifts yesterday morning before Sage’s flight to Chicago.
I got Phil and Gio a gift card to the hardware store for their renovation projects, video games for Remy and Morgan, a vintage record for Sage, and a new yoga mat for Soren.
All of them gave me a joint gift of covering the expenses of boxing up my apartment and shipping my stuff and my car here. The Metros players make way more money than us Slash players, so I think Sage, Morgan, and Remy are handling most of the cost. They’ve lifted such a weight from me. I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay them.
Soren taps his foot against mine. “You look happy.”
“I am.” I tuck my head against his shoulder for a moment, breathing in his scent. His blue sweater is almost the same shade as his eyes and the knit is soft against my cheek. “Just thinking about how you guys gave me the best gift ever. I was really stressing about getting my things here.”
“We wanted to help.”
Sitting up, I twist to face him. “But it goes way beyond what I expected. I mean, I’ve only been here a couple of weeks. And you’re all much closer friends with each other. I’m still the newbie.”
He bends so we’re eye to eye. “In case you forgot, you’ve been friends with a few of us for a while now.” His voice drops to a whisper like he’s sharing a secret.
“Okay, that’s true, but friends who see each other occasionally isn’t the same as living together for years. You’re all really close. Like a family.” I’ve never had anyone who would do for me what these guys have done.
“Since you arrived, you’ve jumped in when something needs to be done, whether it’s shoveling the walkway, emptying the dishwasher, or doing an emergency grocery run.”
“Well, I live here. We all do those things.”
He raises a brow and holds up his hand to cut off my argument. “Beyond the things that make you a courteous roommate, you’ve also voluntarily taste-tested Remy’s weird food combinations, listened when Sage needed to ramble to calm down from one of his spirals, hung out with Morgan when he wanted a buddy to play pool with, spent hours at the hardware store with Gio and Phil while they decided which shade of green paint was the right one for their bathroom, and you’re always there for me. You’ve been a good friend to all of us. So don’t think you aren’t worth what we did. You are.”
His speech hits me right in the heart and I need a moment for the lump in my throat to lessen before I can speak. “Thank you. I like being here with all of you.”
“Once your stuff arrives, you’ll feel more settled.”
True, having my own things will be nice. “I’m gonna try to schedule the delivery for the second week of January, after we get back from the games in Tucson. There’s three days without a game, so that’ll give me time to put stuff away.”
Headlights beam across the front of the house as a car turns into the driveway. Soren unfolds his body from the couch. “That’s probably Bax.”
Sure enough, our drummer trudges up the path, his shoulder hunched against the cold and wind. We walk to the front door and open it to Bax standing on the welcome mat, his hand poised to knock.
“Merry Christmas. Sorry I’m late.” He steps inside, bringing a rush of cold air with him and shrugs out of his coat. “Layne kept talking and talking, and I couldn’t leave. I feel bad, it’s his first Christmas without his dad. But he knew I was coming here.”
Soren takes his coat and kisses him. “No worries. You’re here now.”
“Come in.” Taking hold of his arm, I draw him deeper into the house, claiming a kiss as we walk down the hall. “Are you hungry? We have snacks and drinks downstairs.”
“I could use a drink.” He drapes his arm over my shoulders. “How was your Christmas?”
“Quiet. I watched some movies, called my parents, took a nap, and had dinner with the ten teammates who showed up. A good day. How was yours?” I lead the way down the stairs to the basement.
His boots are heavy on the stairs. “Loud and busy. My parents made too much food, I brought food, and so did everyone else. So we all went home with leftovers. It was good to see my family and spend time with Layne.”
Soren jogs down after us. “How is he? The first holidays after losing someone are difficult.”
