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Caleb studies me for a second, like he’s waiting for more. “Long distance is a fucking joke.”

He takes a bite of my ice cream when Eli walks back in. One look at him, and my stomach knots. His face is pale, jaw locked tight, shoulders rigid.

“I need to fly out,” he says, voice flat.

Caleb and I both straighten.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Eli shakes his head. “Judge is issuing a verdict tomorrow.”

My chest tightens. “Eli—”

“I need to go.”

Caleb doesn’t hesitate. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his wallet, and tosses some cash onto the table. Then he stands, snatching the keys from Eli’s hand. “I’m driving.”

Eli doesn’t argue.

I slide out of the booth and reach for Eli’s hand. It’s shaking. He doesn’t even try to hide it. I grip it, squeezing just enough to let him know I’m here.

Caleb watches us, clearly holding back a thousand questions, but he doesn’t ask.

Right now, the only thing that matters is getting Eli home, so he can catch a flight.

Eli moves around his bedroom like a man possessed, grabbing shirts, shoving them into a suitcase, zipping, unzipping, throwing things back out like he suddenly doesn’t need them. Caleb’s sitting on the edge of the bed, phone in hand, fingers moving fast as he books a flight.

“You got a preference for airlines, or you just need to get there?” Caleb asks without looking up.

“Don’t care. Just get me there fast.”

I lean against the doorway, arms crossed, watching Eli mutter something under his breath as he paces. His phone rings. He glances at the screen, exhales, and answers.

“Maria?” His voice shifts, softer, respectful. “Yeah, I know. I—yeah, I saw. It’s all over the news.” A pause. “No, I’m okay. I’ll be there soon. Don’t worry about me.” He listens, jaw tensing. “Alright. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He pulls the phone away and rubs a hand down his face.

“That was my nanny,” he says, tossing the phone onto the bed. “She heard the news and wanted to check in.”

Caleb lifts his gaze from his phone. “Didn’t know you had a nanny.”

Eli shrugs, stuffing another shirt into his bag. “Yeah, well. She raised me, basically.”

Caleb’s phone dings. “Alright, got you a first-class ticket. You leave in an hour.”

Eli nods. “Thanks, man.”

Caleb says, “Since I’m the one who’s going to have to explain why a player’s missing in two days, you wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Eli stops packing. Looks at me. Then back at Caleb.

“My dad’s being investigated,” he says, voice flat. “Some shady business shit. It was on hold, but now the judge is ruling.”

Caleb blinks. “Shit.”

Eli runs a hand through his hair.

I step forward, reaching for him. “It’s gonna be okay.”