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“I applied for internships in the NHL.”

I catch the smile twitching in the corners of his lips. I know that smile. He’s scared to want something, but he wants it anyway. “Really?”

“They’re still in finance, and it’d be an office job. But I could be close to hockey.”

“That’s great. Where?”

“The one I really want is in Vancouver.”

My heart sinks. “Canada, wow!”

“Yeah well, I probably won’t get it, and, even if I do, I probably shouldn’t take it.”

“Why not?” I frown.

“Because, a bank’s more stable. It’s more money. NHL teams get new management all the time, things move really fast.”

“But it could be good.”

“Maybe.” He shakes his head, like he’s trying to shake out the possibility. “Anyway, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“What are you gonna do?”

“What do you mean? I’m gonna finish college and go and get a job.”

“In an orchestra? Where you hate performing?” He frowns.

I shrug. “Maybe I’ll teach, I don’t know.”

“Maybe you could do something like what you do at the restaurant?”

I laugh. “That’s not gonna pay the bills. And you’re not the only one who wants to take care of their family.”

He rubs his chin, pursing his lips as if he’s not sure he should say what he wants to say. “It looked to me like your family has it pretty covered over there and like they just want you to be happy.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, they own a great restaurant that seems pretty busy. Your sister’s a bad ass businesswoman. Your little brother’s like some Poindexter always studying or whatever. I feel like you can stop worrying about them.”

Everything in me wants to tell him he’s wrong, but did he say a single thing that wasn’t true? Do my parents ever seem like they’re struggling? Was there ever any major issue about paying for college? For any of us?

“Maybe you can stop worrying about your family?” I try.

“No.” He gets up, shaking his head. “My dad needs me. The store’s struggling. The rent’s insane. My little sister only has me and Papa and my babushka. It’s my responsibility to take care of them. I’m my dad’s only son.”

“That seems like too much to put on your shoulders.”

“It’s not.”

I can tell by his tone he doesn’t want to talk, or argue, about it anymore.

“Okay.”

His face softens.

“I’ve got a bit of a headache, sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”

“You didn’t, don’t worry. Why don’t you lie down and I’ll get you some pain killers. I could even get you some chicken soup on my way back from class later?”

He leaves me to get dressed, and when I come into the living room, he’s sitting on the couch, with the TV turned off and his phone face down on the table.

“You know you can listen to an audiobook? I’ll allow it.”

“Huh?”

“While I’m gone. As an alternative to TV?”

“I don’t have any audiobooks.”

“I’ll sign into my Audible and you can listen to mine. I have a pretty impressive library, don’t mean to brag.”

He snorts. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“And hey Stef, thanks for taking care of me.”

“Obviously.”

It’s impossible to hide the stupid grin on my face. I know I have to tell Alexei that I’m horror boy at some point. But right now, I just want to enjoy this high.

Alice is waiting for me outside the music department. She grabs me like a kidnapper and drags me behind a tree.

Her hands dig into my upper arms and I let out a pathetic whimper. “How are you so strong?”

“Tell me everything. What happened with Alexei? Is he okay? Did you tell him yet?”

“Yes, he’s okay, and no I didn’t tell him, yet.”

She gives me that look.

“I did tell Kelsier38 I can’t talk to him for a while though. I told him I had some things to sort out in real life.”

That mushy rom-com smile starts up again. “Like Tom Hanks.”

“Stop it, I am not Tom Hanks.”

“You have a better hairline.”

“Leave Tom alone. He’s like forty-something in that movie.”

She snorts. “Do you think Alexei’s well enough to come to dinner later?”

“Oh shoot, I forgot about that, do you mind if we take a raincheck? I mean, I’ll ask him, but-”

“It’s fine. I’m sure Mischa will understand if we reschedule. I mean the guy did get knocked out.”

“Was he actually knocked out?”

“Oh yeah, big time.”

A wave of dread washes over me at the thought of him going back out there and possibly getting hurt again. “I don’t want him to play hockey anymore.”

“Hey, calm down.” Alice laughs, stepping in front of me so I’ll stop walking. “They have plenty of protection. They wear helmets and they have pretty strict concussion protocol these days.”

I don’t care. I don’t want him to ever be hurt again.

“Is Mischa gonna play hockey after graduation?”

“No, he’s doing some business and media internship in Vancouver, or at least that’s what he’s applied for.”

I don’t know if Alexei wants people to know he applied for an internship in Vancouver, so I keep my mouth shut. “Isn’t that gonna be tough for you guys?”

“It’s only eight weeks.” She shrugs. “We’ll talk online. I hear that can be kinda sexy.” She winks.

“Stop.” I groan. “This whole thing is a mess.”

“That’s life Stef, it’s messy.”

“You’re so annoyingly cheerful since you got a boyfriend. And why don’t you just go out with Mischa without us?”

“You guys are good buffers. What if we run out of things to talk about?”

“You won’t. I bet you haven’t gushed about Slipknot’s back catalogue to him yet, that takes a good two hours.”

She slaps my arm. “Fuck you.”

I try to put Alexei out of my head while we rehearse, but when I glance over at Alice, she has a stupid grin on her face too and it’s impossible not to get swept up in the romantic mood.