Page 65 of Drop the Gloves

Evan technically didn’t sleep well. He was woken up every time Riley moved, which got more frequent as his pain meds wore off, so Evan watched the sun rise bit by bit, more of the hotel room coming into view as Riley rolled back and forth, dislodging blankets and pillows.

And sometimes kicking or punching Evan as he did.

Even so, Evan wanted the night to last forever.

It couldn’t, and soon Evan’s bladder demanded he get up. Soon the team would wake up, and everyone would start venturing downstairs for breakfast and crowd the lobby as they impatiently waited for their flight. Evan would have to face reality sooner than later. Might as well get a jump on it.

In the two minutes it took for him to use the bathroom and clean himself up a bit, Riley had managed to turn so that his feet were buried under the pillows and a bunch of sheets were wrapped around his head at the foot of the bed. What a weirdo.

“Mornin’.” Evan sat down next to him. Riley stirred, wrinkling his nose and mumbling something, but didn’t open his eyes.

Indulging because he could, Evan ran a hand through Riley’s hair and checked the cut along his face.

No blood, but he counted ten, no, eleven stitches.

An accident, of course. A play gone wrong that thankfully hadn’t ended up worse.

He’d have to get used to that. Watching one of his favorite people throw himself into harm’s way on purpose, again and again.

“Why are you staring at me?” Riley mumbled, eyes still closed. “Am I that cute?”

“You’d be cuter if you had all of your face.”

“Nah, scars are sexy.” Riley yawned and stretched so wide, Evan almost got knocked off the bed.

He hadn’t done that kind of full-body stretch in years, though maybe it was more necessary if you were the kind of restless sleeper Riley was.

“I’m starving. Breakfast?” He pouted with those full lips and hazel eyes, and Evan knew exactly what he was being conned into.

“Fine, I’ll get you something. I've gotta go change anyway.”

“Thanks, babe.” Then he rolled over to go back to sleep.

The endearment sent a shiver down Evan’s spine.

Evan found his socks and shoes, mentally going over how much he could feasibly carry up for Riley to enjoy breakfast in bed without it seeming too suspicious. When he opened the hotel door, he came face to face with Dalton leaving the room across the hall.

Dalton stared at him in surprise. Evan froze, wondering if he could convince Dalton that this was in fact Evan’s room and whatever he was remembering about his neighbor was wrong.

“Isn’t that—?” Dalton asked.

“Get me coffee,” Riley called from inside the room, loudly enough that Dalton could hear. He looked over Evan’s shoulder into the room, back to Evan, then he slowly backed into his own room and closed the door.

Okay then. That would require a conversation later. But if it had to be anyone, at least it was Dalton.

* * *

There was no escaping the team forever. They had to rush through breakfast in Riley’s hotel room and then pack. Riley grabbed Evan before he could leave, looking scared but casual about it. Like that was how he wanted to feel.

Very Riley, really.

“Sit with me on the bus,” Riley begged. Well, ordered, but nicely. “And on the plane.” And then, as if he actually thought Evan might refuse, he pulled Evan down by the neck and kissed him within an inch of his life.

“ ‘kay,” Evan breathed. “And back home...?”

It was easy enough to be attached at the hip when they traveled, but they’d never been good at navigating things in Pittsburgh.

“Sure, I’ll go back home with you.”

It wasn’t until they were in the airport about to board that Evan realized he might’ve accidentally invited Riley to his place. And Riley had accepted the invitation.

The team showered Riley with concern and attention, and Evan tried to stay out of the way while they did. Maybe he shouldn’t have wandered so far, though, because while they boarded the plane and Riley told the story of his hospital visit for the tenth time, Dalton pulled Evan aside.

“I feel like you purposely misrepresented your guy-friend situation.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I did no such thing. I just...didn’t correct your assumptions.”

Dalton rolled his eyes. “C’mon, bro. After that mini-golf gift?”

“Abs!” Riley called from the back of the plane and gestured to the empty seat next to him.

“Sorry, my linemate is calling me.”

“Does he call you that in bed?” Dalton mumbled as Evan started walking away. “I don’t think beating the shit out of someone is a healthy gesture.”

Evan turned around and shrugged as he walked backwards. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t effective. You’re not getting out of this. You owe me a milkshake, a beer, and an explanation. Abs!”

But Evan had escaped. For now.

Riley passed out before they took off, his head on Evan’s shoulder. Evan wanted to hold him, especially when they hit turbulence and he flinched in pain, but he restrained himself. It was barely an hour flight. He could wait.

“You guys made up.”

Evan nearly jumped off his seat. He looked across the aisle and spotted Vassiliev a few rows up, watching them.

“Huh?” he asked. He’d been pretty successful playing dumb so far, so he figured that was his best bet. Sometimes it wasn’t even an act.

“You and Barzy. You’ve been...off. No hitting before the game. I knew in the game it was better, and now I see it’s back to normal.” He grinned. “Good. We’ll need more goals if we want to make the playoffs.”

Right.

If anyone else shared the sentiment, they kept it to themselves.

* * *

Arriving in Pittsburgh with everyone eager to fuck off for five days meant they were the last ones off the plane.

“I can carry my own shit,” Riley warned. “I don’t carry stuff with my face.”

Evan held up his hands in surrender.

Throughout the whole Uber ride, crammed into the back of a too-small sedan, Evan was conscious of the fact that Riley had never been to his condo.

He’d rarely seen Riley’s apartment building, and hiding behind practice and convenience hadn’t given him an excuse to have Riley over.

Really, he’d avoided it because that had felt too intimate.

Having sex with a guy in his own bed had been the last bridge to cross, that one last chance at plausible deniability.

...was he about to have sex with Riley in his bed? Fuuuuck that would be awesome.

Evan’s hand fumbled with the stupid condo lock not once, but twice. Then Riley was walking past him inside, and wow, he looked good there.

“There’s no Canadian flag,” Riley said as he looked around. “Thought Canadians were, like, legally required to have at least five maple leaves per square foot. Sorry, per square metre.”

Yes, he pronounced meter wrong. Like a French word. Ass.

“Says the American. Aren’t you guys born star-spangled?”

“Touche.” Riley plopped down on the couch and let his head fall back against the leather. “Not to be super fucking boring, but I’m hungry and tired. Could you fix one while I work on the other?”

There wasn’t a lot that Evan would consider edible in his apartment—he’d planned to go grocery shopping when he got back in town, but he wasn’t going to abandon Riley to do it—so he did what he could. Grilled cheese sandwiches and protein bars. Yummy.

He finished plating and was about to decide whether to let Riley sleep or wake him up, but when he looked up, he saw Riley watching him from the couch.

“Not to be that guy,” Riley said, voice rough and eyes hooded as he palmed his cock through his pants, “but could you fuck me before we eat?”

Evan swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yeah,” he said. “I think we could fit that in.”

It started with slow kisses on the couch, with Evan straddling Riley and being mindful of his stitches.

“Just fucking touch my face,” Riley said and then bit down on Evan’s lower lip.

“Ow! What the fuck?”

Riley wiggled his hands under Evan’s shirt and ran his hands up his chest. “You can touch my face. It’s not that bad.”

“Have you seen your face?”

“Yeah, and it’s fucking handsome.” He huffed when Evan didn’t laugh. “I’m not saying we should get out the boxing gloves, but it’s fine. Just please stop hesitating like you’re worried you’re gonna hurt me. Fucking touch me. It’s been weeks, Ev.”

Evan groaned. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Riley’s. “You’re gonna kill me.”

“There are worse ways to die.” He tilted his head to kiss Evan’s chin, then nudged his hips. “I know you’re like a virgin or whatever, but you’ve got lube, right?”

Evan’s snapped back open. “I was wrong. I’m gonna kill you.”

“Ohh, Mr. Nice Guy gets in one fight, and suddenly he’s all tough.” This time, he pushed Evan hard enough to force him up. “Answer the question.”

“Yes, I have lube,” Evan said. God, why was it so embarrassing to admit this to the man he had sex with? “And condoms.”

“Fuck yeah. Now show me your bed and show me how much you missed me.”

Evan wasn’t about to argue with that.

* * *

The grilled cheese sandwiches had long gone cold by the time they made their way back to the kitchen. Evan stood in the doorway of his room, enjoying the view of Riley Barczyk in his apartment, wearing his clothes, eating the food Evan had made for him. He could get very used to this.

Riley stuffed half a sandwich in his mouth and went to rummage around in the fridge, but no sooner had he opened the door than he slammed it shut and stared intently at the door. It took longer than it should’ve for Evan to realize what he was looking at.

“Shit, that’s—“

“Yuhhgwaatuhpin?”

He’d been expecting Riley to be upset about the list, but he’d never heard that string of curse words before.

“...what?”

Riley swallowed, coughed, then repeated: “You got a pen?”

“Oh.” That...wasn’t what he’d expected at all. “Yeah, in the top drawer there.”

Seconds later, Riley had a pen in hand and was writing something on the paper.

He clicked the pen shut when he was done and tossed it back in the drawer, looking very pleased with himself.

Evan held his breath as he tiptoed over, scared of what he’d find.

When he read it, his heart did a somersault.

Plan:

- Give Riley space

- Reach out to talk

- Apologize

- Try to get back together

- Prove I’m worth a second chance

- Date Riley and win a Stanley Cup together

Game on.