Melting the Ice by Beth Bolden

Author:Beth Bolden [Bolden, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Brody didn’t know what to expect from the party.

He knew he’d surprised the hell out of Ramsey, who’d been all ready to drag him to it, forcibly if necessary, but then he’d just said simply that Dean had already invited him.

“Dean invited you and you just said yes, just like that?” Ramsey ripped the tape off his hands, shedding it like skin into the trash can in front of him.

“Yeah, I said yes, just like that,” Brody retorted.

They’d won by a goal today, squeaking by a very good Eastern Washington team one to zip, and while Brody thought he’d played decently enough, he knew his focus hadn’t been everything it could be.

There’d been more than once their sly, fast forward had slipped right past him, making a break for it, and he’d had to push hard, skating as fast and as nimbly as he was able to catch up with him. Ramsey had shot him a look or two, and Zach had leaned down, during one of his breaks, and asked him if he was alright.

He was—and he wasn’t.

What he was, was fucking hanging in there, by his fingernails. Trying to get used to living under this cloud of uncertainty.

Ramsey shot him a look. Not dissimilar to the looks Brody had gotten during the game. “If only it was always that easy with you,” he said.

After the conversation with Coach B, Brody had finally understood that nothing was going to go back to normal. This was the new normal, and the only way to deal with it was to go right through it.

’Course that didn’t mean it was particularly enjoyable.

Brody sure as hell wasn’t having a good time.

Ironically, the only thing about his life that felt free and easy and relatively straightforward was Dean.

“I’m not some kind of dramatic, complicated guy,” Brody argued, but these days, he kinda was, wasn’t he? He felt like a garbage fire, in human form.

“So you say,” Ramsey said. He finished with the tape and began to shuck his equipment next.

Brody had already dumped his into the big bin for the equipment manager to clean and repair and get set for the next game.

He turned to head to the showers, but Ramsey’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“What I want to know,” Ramsey said, still casual, the opposite of his grip on Brody’s arm, “is what’s going on between you two.”

“Me and Dean?” Brody knew his voice went high and squeaky, like it always did when he was lying.

“You and Dean,” Ramsey repeated steadily.

“I . . .I told you, we’re friends,” Brody stuttered.

“Such good friends, all of a sudden, that you’re gonna go to a party just because he asks you. You, who’s being even cagier than usual?”

“I’m not being—”

“Yeah,” Ramsey cut off. “That’s bullshit. Don’t blow me off with bullshit. I let you get away with not talking about it before, but it’s gone further than that. Obviously.”

Brody took a deep breath. Ramsey was one of his best friends. “I like him. We’re .

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.