Page 78 of Ethan

But Hank was complicated.

the game was good,Ethan finally typed, because he could hear noise coming down the hallway, and that was probably Charlie. Probably Max, too.but one of the best parts were your texts. thx for the congrats. glad I got the first one out of the way fast. and I couldn’t possibly forget.not you.

He didn’t say anything about Hank’s wishful defending, because that was something he was going to need to tackle on FaceTime. When he could see Hank’s face. When he could see Hank’s flush, and how it went all the way up from his chest to his cheeks. He hadn’t even gotten Hank naked the one time they’d kissed, hadn’t even gotten his shirt off when they’d ground together to that crazy hot orgasm, and that was a situation that Ethan was going tomake sureto change this next time.

But sure enough, a second later, Charlie and Max rounded the corner, heads tipped together, laughing about something.

Catching a glimpse of him, Charlie straightened. “There you are, Eth. You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Ethan said, pushing away from the wall.

“Max is gonna catch a ride with us,” Charlie said.

“If that’s alright,” Max asked, shooting him a soft, dimpled smile.

“’Course,” Ethan said, nudging Max with his shoulder to give that little extra bit of approval.

Like Ethan was going to be dumb enough to say no when it was clear that Charlie wanted Max to come with them.

Besides, EthanlikedMax.

A few days after Hank had gone back to Syracuse, he’d admitted to Ethan that when Charlie had showed up in his apartment, interrupting their quasi-date, he’d been surprised to discover that Charliehadn’tknown, because Max would have. And Max had kept that secret. Waited until it was common knowledge to say anything.

Ethan would’ve liked Max on his own merits, because he seemed like a really solid captain, dependable and kind, but that had made him respect Max even more.

Still, as much as he did like Max, it was very much like being a third wheel.

Ethan demurred and sat in the back seat of Charlie’s car, because he’d made the mistake of separating these two once by sitting in the front seat, and he wasn’t doingthatagain.

At the bar, Danny snuck him a beer and a shot, and it was decent enough, Ethan supposed. He wasn’t trying to live in that alternate reality where Hank had stayed with the Bandits, but it was hard, sometimes. He could almost feel the shape of him next to him, even though Hank hadn’t been around very long. It had only been a few weeks of camp and preseason, but it had felt like a lot longer than that. Good enough, too, that Ethan could’ve gotten used to having him there, forever.

Wanted to glance next to him and see him there, warm hazel eyes on Ethan like he couldn’t look anywhere else. Wanted to feel his hand reach over and squeeze Ethan’s knee, under the cover of the table. Wanted him to be closer than a text or a phone call away.

“You’re sulking, a little,” Dom said to him, sliding into the booth where Ethan was relaxing, trying to ignore the way Charlie was leaning right into Max’s space as they chatted by the bar.

Maybe Avery was right, but this was honestly getting more ridiculous by the minute.

“I’m not,” Ethan claimed.

But their goalie gave him a frank look. “Yeah, you are. Have anything to do with a guy who asked me for restaurant recs before he left town?”

Ethan supposed that he and Hank being attached at the hip hadn’t been all that subtle; after all, the team was clearly used to it, because they’d been watching Charlie and Max dance around each other forever.

“Um, maybe?” Ethan wasn’t going to out Hank without his permission though. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole team knowing how he felt before he’d even been able to tellHank.

“It sucked Tuck got sent up to Syracuse,” Dom said. He tipped his glass back.

“I didn’t know you guy were friends.” Ethan hadn’t really even thought that Hankhadfriends, other than Bo, and Ethan suspected that was more of a mutual-tolerance kind of situation.

“Spent a year in Syracuse together,” Dom said.

“Ah.” That made sense, then. Goalies and d-men were similar in that everyone always wanted them to take more time to develop.

“Not sure I’d classify us as friends, though. Good kid, Tuck, but he keeps to himself. Isn’tnotfriendly but doesn’t make friends easy.” Dom shot him another one of those looks. Like he could see right through Ethan, and maybe with his super-special goalie powers, hecould. “Which was why I was surprised to see he was so close with you.”

“Yeah.” Ethan finished his beer. Didn’t want to ask for another one, but his throat felt dry. He cleared it, but that didn’t help.

Dom raised a dark eyebrow and then slid a water glass over. “Better?” he asked after Ethan took a long drink.