Page 7 of Offensive Edge
“Oh, fuck you,” Rowan said, feeling the first bit of levity since he got there.
“I’ll make you fun if it kills me, alright?”
Rowan was grateful for Vic’s welcome speech.
They ate their sandwiches, and Vic told him the basics of the Bay Area sports teams he’d need to know. Fans always appreciated when you supported their hometown teams, so Rowan knew he needed to brush up on at least the football and basketball teams that played during the hockey season.
After a couple of hours, Theo came back downstairs, and Rowan slipped into his guest room to be out of Theo’s hair a little. He still didn’t understand why Theo was being like this to him, but he was in Theo’s house, and he could give him some space if he needed it.
The house was big and echoey, and he could hear Theo and Vic laughing in the living room from his guest room. He and Felix had been trading texts over the last few days, and Rowan was lonely and wanted to hear his voice.
“Hey, babe,” Felix said, his voice bright in his greeting. Rowan’s heart ached for him.
“Hey.”
“Oh no, not Sad Rowan.”
“I’m not sad.”
“You know you can’t lie to me,” Felix said, his voice gentle but firm. Felix was right. Rowan never could lie to him. It’s part of the reason they were in this mess now.
“Theo hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“You’re not here.”
“I know, but, Ro, no one could hate you.”
Rowan knew for a fact that wasn’t true. “I still don’t get it.”
“I know I wasn’t there with you in junior, but the way you’ve talked about him…I think you broke his heart.”
“My heart was broken, too.”
“You were going through different things, babe.”
Rowan took his jeans off and slipped under his covers. He wanted Felix there with him. Neither of them had any business using pet names for each other. Neither of them had any business treating the other the way they did—like they were more than ex-teammates. Felix was straight, and they had never done anything that went past being just friends. Except the pet names. And calling each other before going to bed. And the cuddling.
Rowan could have fallen in love with Felix so easily. Instead, they just became codependent best friends. The two of them against the league. Rowan knew that he’d chosen his friendship with Felix over romantic opportunities in Texas, and it was worth it. It meant that Felix knew Rowan better than anyone, and was unequivocally on his side, no matter what.
“I guess,” Rowan finally agreed. The NHL was hard his first few years. Sometimes on nights when the Victory lost horribly, he had wished he was back on the Jaguars with Theo. He would have preferred the success Theo was having in the O to the failure he was having in the show, even if he knew Theo would have traded with him in a heartbeat.
“Give him some time. He’ll come around. You two are absolute fire out there on the ice, though. I’m jealous.”
“I’d rather be playing with you.”
“We talked about this,” Felix reminded him. They had. He still hated it.
“Do you think we made a mistake?”
“No. I don’t. I hate being this far away from you, but we both needed to get out of there, and you know it.”
Rowan sighed. Felix was right, and Rowan hated him for it.
“Good luck tonight,” Rowan said. Felix’s Ruby Reds had their home opener. “I’ll be watching.”
“Take a nap, grumpy boy. I expect lots of flattering text messages after the game, alright?”
