Page 35

Trying my hardest not to skip, I jogged back to my car, the same bright smile on my face as on Jules’.

What a time to be alive!

It was hard to feel shitty about myself when a forest god looked at me like that.

As if he was a drug I’d gotten hooked on, I craved Jules’ company. Training and playing were the only two things that kept my thoughts away from him, so I threw myself into both.

By Tuesday morning I brimmed with energy, and I picked up my phone at six thirty to make a phone call.

“Nikolai? Is something wrong?” Bo sounded alert. I knew he always got up early.

“Hey, big guy. No, everything’s fine. Wanna go for a run with me?”

We’d done that a few times a month before my life got all fucked up. I missed it.

He chuckled. “Court garden in fifteen minutes?”

“I’ll be there.”

He hung up without another word. We didn’t need many words to understand each other, on or off the ice. I loved Bo. He’d always been like my brother from another mother.

You shouldn’t have cut him out like that. Damn, you suck.

“Morgen, Kleiner.” My Forest Troll teammate jogged up to where I waited by the gate, carrying a water bottle and wearing shorts and a functional shirt that exposed miles of green skin and bulging muscle. Damn, I wish I had his physique.

“Morgen.” I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s half a fucking foot, Persson.”

Bo’s grin widened until both his sharp fangs were on display. He straightened his spine to make himself even taller.

Asshole.

“Well, half a foot is half a foot. Shall we?”

“Yup.”

We found our speed after a minute or two, seamlessly adapting to the other the way we did on the ice. It was rare to click with someone like that.

You shouldn’t have taken it for granted.

“I missed this,” Bo said after about five more minutes. Looking over, I caught his eye.

“Me, too. It’s been a lot.”

“I did not say it to make you feel like shit, Nik.” Bo gave me an understanding smile.

“Yeah, I know, man. I haven’t talked about it with the team yet. Feels a bit like coming out.” I huffed as we jogged over a bridge.

“Not that you need to do that.”

“Nope, but I want to. I found out I have ADHD.”

“Oh, you do? That’s great.”

“You think so?” I huffed again.

“Yes, I do. Ollie and his brother have it, too. And my niece.”

“Are you serious?”