Page 13 of Offensive Edge
Rowan could feel the energy in the house change when Theo came through the garage door. Rowan went rigid with anticipation.
Theo grunted in annoyance when he saw the two of them and headed straight upstairs.
“Okay, I see what you mean,” Felix said.
Rowan sighed. He couldn’t imagine, as an eighteen-year-old in love with his best friend, being where they are now. He wasn’t sure if Theo’s years of radio silence were better than whatever they were doing now, though. He had to believe that Theo would eventually come around.
Rowan was going to be in San Jose for seven years, after all.
“Can we go to bed?” Rowan asked, his limbs feeling one thousand pounds each.
“Yeah, babe,” Felix said, his hand on Rowan’s lower back as they made their way to Rowan’s room.
It wasn’t even a question when they slipped into Rowan’s bed next to each other after they brushed their teeth. Rowan shamelessly was wearing an old Victory shirt of Felix’s, which was big and full of holes, soft from being washed so many times. Felix smiled when he saw it. He knew it was Rowan’s favorite sleep shirt.
“You’re going to have to retire this, Ro, if you ever want another boy in your bed.”
“I’m not planning on having to explain myself to anyone.” He slid easily to Felix, taking a deep breath of Felix’s bare chest as Felix gave him a big hug. He got a kiss on the forehead before Felix patted his hip to flip over. Sure, sometimes your straight hockey bros were homophobic, but sometimes, the prolonged and constant physical contact present in the sport meant you ended up with an extremely cuddly straight best friend. It was known to happen. And Rowan was never one to turn down Felix cuddles.
He knew he would only get one night of Felix sleeping in his bed this season, and he wanted to enjoy it. He always slept better with Felix there. It had been years since he had accepted that whatever weird shit they had together would only ever be platonic, but regardless of the nature of their relationship, he knew Felix would always make sure he was okay. And he needed that more than ever.
“You’re going to win here, I can feel it,” Felix whispered against his neck. His short beard was soft, and his confidence in Rowan was absolute. The only thing he had ever wanted was the Cup. Or at least, the only thing he was ever told to want was the Cup.
CHAPTER9
THEO
Theo couldn’t rememberthe last time he drank enough after a game to wake up hungover. He was responsible about drinking during the season, but the night before, he kept delaying his return home, thinking about how Rowan had his little boyfriend or whatever over. He didn’t know what was going on between Rowan and Felix Becker, but just like everyone else who had eyes, he knew they had something weird.
Making the coffee machine start was so much more difficult with a pounding head, but he hit the right button and it sounded like something was about to happen. He mixed up a green shake and sipped it while considering what else to eat for breakfast.
Rowan’s bedroom door creaked open, and Becker popped his head out, closing the door behind him so quietly the gesture felt performative. He was in his boxers, hair sleep-messy. He was, to Theo’s deep chagrin, very sexy. Filled out in the chest and shoulders, a soft dusting of hair over his pecs and stomach. Auburn hair a shade darker than Theo’s. Nice big ass like any halfway decent hockey player.
Theo hated himself for noticing.
“Can I steal some coffee?” he asked, perfectly politely. Round, Canadian vowels masked any German accent he had—a product of moving to Ontario for hockey when he was sixteen. He had strangely nice teeth for a hockey player. Theo rarely felt self-conscious about his missing tooth, especially during the season when he was around so many other guys in the same position, but now, his tongue darted to the gap in his smile.
Rowan’s teeth were also still flawless.
Theo grabbed a cup from the cupboard and handed it over, then motioned to the pot for Felix to pour his own.
“You have any milk?”
“Vic has something in the fridge. You can dig around.”
Felix fixed his coffee and leaned against the kitchen counter, giving Theo a thoughtful look.
“I know this doesn’t mean anything coming from me, but I gotta ask you to cut Ro some slack.”
“I am,” Theo said.
“He’s...you know Rowan. He has a hard time connecting with people. He can be a little dense. Give him a chance. I know everyone thinks he’s the golden boy who gets whatever he wants, but I promise you that’s only how things look, alright?”
“I respect you had to say that.”
“It kills me how unhappy he is out here.”
“We’re winning.”
