Hometown Hero: A MM Small Town Hockey Romance by Declan Rhodes

Author:Declan Rhodes [Rhodes, Declan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter eleven

Brooks

The words, "We need to talk," hung in the air. Rory's blue eyes, the color of a crisp winter sky, locked onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach clench.

"Sure," I managed, my voice sounding distant to my ears. "When and where?"

Rory glanced around the bustling school grounds. "How about the old boathouse at the marina now? It should be quiet this time of day."

"Sure." We walked in silence, our footsteps crunching on the gravel path. The salty breeze ruffled Rory's hair, and I fought the urge to reach out and smooth it back into place.

I assumed he wanted to talk about us and our relationship. Anything about the arena project would be said without delay in public, so I hoped whatever he had to share was good news.

The boathouse loomed before us, its weathered shingles bleached silver by countless seasons of sun and salt. Inside, the air was cool and damp, tinged with the scent of old wood and musty canvas. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the planks, casting zebra-like stripes across the dusty floor.

Rory leaned against an upturned canoe, his fingers tracing abstract patterns in the dust. "Brooks, I..." he began, then faltered.

"What is it, Ror?" I prompted gently, using the old nickname without thinking.

He looked up. "I'm scared." He took a deep breath. "I'm scared that you'll leave again. That this—us—is just temporary. That once the arena is fixed, you'll go back to your real life, and I'll be left behind. Again."

His honesty cut to my core. I hadn't realized how deeply our separation wounded him. After all, he was the one who called things off. "Rory, I—"

"No, let me finish," he interrupted, pushing off from the canoe and pacing around the boathouse. "I know it's not fair to feel like this. You had dreams, and you followed them. I don't blame you for that. But God, Brooks, it hurt. And now you're back, and all the emotions rode back on your shoulders, and I don't know if I can go through that again."

I watched him move and, for the first time, noticed the beginning of a bald spot on the top of his head. When had that happened? What other changes had I missed?

"I understand." My voice was barely audible over the gentle lapping of waves against the dock outside. "I never meant to hurt you. Leaving was... it was the hardest thing I'd ever done."

Rory stopped pacing and turned to face me, his eyes searching mine. "Was it? Because from where I stood, it seemed like you couldn't wait to get out of here."

The bitterness in his tone stung, but I knew I deserved it. "It might have looked that way, but inside, I was terrified. I was leaving everything I knew and everyone I loved—you in particular."

"Then why didn't you fight harder for us?" Rory asked, his voice cracking. "Why did you let me end things?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling the weight of years of unspoken words. "Because I was young and stupid," I said.

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