Page 27 of Offensive Edge
“Grab Switch controllers,” Rowan said. He had Mario Kart on Switch now, and was still working through unlocking all of the characters and vehicle configurations.
“Oh, shit,” Theo said, when he realized what was happening. “Do you still play as Peach?” he asked, his voice honey warm and sweet. God, he hadn’t used that voice with Rowan in so many years, he’d almost forgotten it.
“Yeah, yeah,” Rowan said, as Theo selected Mario. He liked being Theo’s metaphorical second player. He couldn’t explain it. There was something about being a matched set with Theo. It was a feeling he missed.
Rowan set them up to play forty-eight continuous races, and it only took a couple for them to fall right back into the rhythm of playing this game together. Like they could have put their controllers down for the last time yesterday, instead of eight years ago.
“Mario Kart still hits,” Theo said. He’d perched himself on the edge of Rowan’s bed when they had started playing, but six races in, he’d crept closer to Rowan, still on top of the sheets, but lounging against the pillows stacked against the headboard.
The last time they had been in bed together back on that terrible night in Winnipeg, Theo had made it clear that he wanted to be anywhere else in the world. This time, he was next to Rowan willingly.
“Does this mean we can be friends?” Rowan asked him, thirty races into their marathon. He looked over at Theo, whose lips were curving up into a soft little Theo Lane smile, just a peek of his missing tooth.
“No.”
CHAPTER17
THEO
Spending the day with Rowan,hanging out and playing video games, keeping their conversation as surface level as possible, was surreal. They had lived together for months, and Theo still couldn’t imagine this happening between the two of them. They had figured out cohabitation as much as they were going to, but Theo didn’t think they would ever be friendly again.
They played through all forty-eight Mario Kart circuits, and then Theo left Rowan alone so he could nap. He had only thrown up once since they started playing video games, and Rowan was visibly distressed when Theo grabbed his puke bucket again to clean it out. Obviously it was gross, but it wasn’t like Rowan could do it himself.
Plus, watching Rowan cower in embarrassment helped Theo feel like he was back on solid ground.
He heard the garage door open while he was brainstorming something flavorless to make for them for dinner. Vic came in through the door from the garage. There was something so light about him lately. Theo was pretty sure it was just because he was in love, but he wasn’t going to ask. Maybe it made him a dick, but he didn’t really want to hear about it.
“How’s our boy?” Vic asked, digging a meat stick out of the pantry. Everyone had their borderline gross vices, and Vic had always been a big fan of Slim Jims. Theo wasn’t going to bug him about that, either.
“Better. He’s napping now. Still doesn’t feel great.”
“And how are you?”
Theo leaned back against the counter. “Weird,” he admitted.
“Because you’ve had to be nice to Rowan?”
“No one is making me be nice to him, first of all. I’m just a nice person. Don’t laugh!”
“You’re a plenty nice person to everyone other than Foley.”
“Well, he looked so pathetic. Even I’m not a big enough asshole to be mean to him when he’s borderline delirious from sickness.”
“Do you think he’ll make it on the roadie?”
“I hope they just let him stay home. It’s only Vegas. We can live without him for one more game.”
“We lost without him.”
“And we’ve lost with him. We were also down a forward.”
“So, do you think I did the right thing?”
“Huh?”
“By inviting him to live here?”
“You’ve saved him from the housing market out here.”
