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Chapter

Forty-Two

JONAS

Evan: Meet me at the gym after your clinical tonight?

Jonas: Yeah, I could use another work out. And there’s something I need to tell you.

Evan: Sounds good.

“Damn.” Evan whistles as he spots me during my bench press rep. “You’ve added some weight this summer.”

“Gotta be at the top of my game this season,” I say between pants.

“You’re super serious about hockey this year.”

I’m not sure how to respond to that, so I nod as I sit up, finishing my set. “Yeah, I am.” I clear my throat. “Hey, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Evan raises a brow as he takes a swig from his water bottle, waiting for me to continue.

“Um. Hadley and I are kind of a thing.”

He smirks, and I let him because he’s been chill about it all summer. He deserves to gloat a little at this moment.

“Oh, really?” His tone is innocent, but his smug grin is not.

I kick his shin lightly. “Yeah. You knew?”

“I had my suspicions.” He runs a hand through his hair. “It’s cool. I like her, I like you. And in a weird way, you two make sense together.”

“She’s Cinderella.” The words pop out before I can think about it. I didn’t plan on telling him that, but it feels right to come clean about everything.

But Evan’s eyes light up. “That’s awesome. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks for not making a big deal out of it.”

“‘Course. Is she ready to go public with you now?” He adjusts the weights on the bar, getting it ready for his preferred amount.

I wince. “Hunter found out.”

“Oh.” Evan blanches. “How did that go?”

“Um.” I scratch the stubble on my jaw as we switch places, and he lays on the weight bench. “Not as bad as it could have?”

“What does that mean?” He stares at me, and I analyze the scene in my mind.

“Well, he wasn’t pleased at first.”

Evan huffs a laugh. “No surprise there.”

“But Natalie helped convince him I’m a good guy, not one who’s out to take advantage of his baby sister.”

“Yeah?” He raises a brow, his voice strained as he finishes a rep. “What are you doing with her?”

“Are you asking me my intentions towards Hadley?” I blink. Coming from Evan, this is unexpected.

“Maybe.” He returns the weight bar with my help and sits on the bench, pinning me in his gaze.

I squirm. “The problem is not my intentions, but hers.”

Evan stands and takes a swig of water, watching me the entire time. “Dude, what’s going on?”

I sigh and scratch the back of my neck. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.”

“Oh.” His eyes go wide and he blinks like a cartoon character. “Does she love you back?”

“Dunno.” I shrug.

“You haven’t said anything to her?” He walks over to one of the treadmills and hops on, so I follow.

I mess with the settings for a while, but his eyes stay on me. I can’t avoid answering. “Nope. She made a big deal about how this is not serious, it’s only for the summer…” I trail off.

“And summer is almost over,” Evan fills in, picking up his pace from a warm-up jog to a run.

“Yeah.” I match his speed. The burn and stretch in my muscles fills me up. This is something I can control. I don’t know what’s going on with Hadley, but I can push my body to its limits. Finally, something in my life that’s under my power.

“You have to tell her how you feel.” His tone is emphatic, his gaze serious as his feet pound on the treadmill.

Sometimes I can forget Evan likes to hide behind his jokes and goofy smiles, but he has depths he doesn’t allow most people to see.

His mask comes off now. “You’ll regret it if you don’t. ”

“What if she doesn’t want me?” I pant a little as I speak. It’s hard to voice my fear out loud, but Evan stays solemn. It helps that he doesn't belittle my feelings.

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

“And how does she look at me?”

“Like you’re the Stanley Cup, full of ice cream.”

A laugh escapes my lips at that image. “She does love ice cream.”

“And respects the Cup.” He nods like he’s imparting sage wisdom.

“But—”

“But nothing. She has hearts in her eyes, staring at you across the apartment when she thinks no one sees. Her face gets all soft and happy when you talk. She might not know it yet, but she loves you back.”

He swigs some water while I ponder his words. Do I make Hadley happy? I think so. But is it enough to convince her to keep seeing me after the summer is over? I’m not sure.

“I don’t know.”

“Tell her, man. Tell her you love her and want to keep being with her. Shoot your shot. Don’t let fear hold you back.”

I sigh. He’s right. I don’t want fear to define me, whether it’s fear of rejection or fear about the coming hockey season.

“Thanks, man. I’ll do my best.”

“Your best is awesome.” Evan smiles and winks, settling back into his normal joking persona.

“I hope it’s champion caliber this year.” I hold out my fist for a bump across our treadmills and he obliges, knocking his knuckles against mine.

“We got this,” he says, panting, and slows his pace.

I decrease my speed, too, but I’m not tired. I could do this all day.

“We’re seniors this year.” I gulp water from my Gatorade bottle. “Team leaders. It’s all on our shoulders.”

Stopping his treadmill, he steps off and puts his hands on his knees, sucking in air. “Kinda, but also not.”

Ah, Evan. So eloquent.

“What do you mean?” I ask, grabbing paper towels and sanitizer to wipe our machines.

He shrugs, stretching out his calves. “We’re leaders, yeah, but it’s not all on us. We’re a team. We share the responsibility for our season.”

That sounds good. I wish I could believe it.

He smirks. “Besides, Coach is going to name you as Captain. I just have to stand next to you and look hot.”

I shove his shoulder, responding to his playful tone. But dread settles like a rock in my stomach.

Captain? I hadn’t considered that. Without sounding cocky, I can admit I’m an excellent candidate. Senior, solid player, and I love my team. It’d be a huge honor, but Captain? All the pressure on my shoulders? All eyes on me? No matter what, I can’t let them down.