Harrison’s words popped whatever balloon of confidence Max was holding onto. He let out a small squeaking sound and scurried back to Jett, trying to act casual again by picking up his bag and heading for his spot on the couch.
Harrison and Jett followed him, and Jett placed himself between Max and Harrison on the couch. As much as he loved tormenting him, hedidn’t want Max to feel uncomfortable, so he would ignore Max’s crush and act normal for now.
Harrison didn’t take the hint.
“Did you bring a pen, Max? I can sign something for you.”
“Oh, fuck you,” said Max, but then his hands flew to his mouth in horror. “Oh my god. I’m sorry—”
Jett and Harrison laughed, and just like that, the awkward tension was gone.
Max frowned and gave them a look that he normally reserved for Ryan. “You guys deserve each other. What are you ordering to eat? I’m starving.”
With Max no longer terrified of Harrison, things went more smoothly. Jett ordered them pizza and salad because he wasn’t supposed to eat junk food the night before a game, and they turned on the TV.
Montreal was playing against Edmonton, and it looked like it would be an easy victory for Mini Killinger tonight. They were already up two points on the other team.
When Arlo got tripped up by an Edmonton defenseman and slammed hard into the boards, the Basillique players erupted instantly. They swarmed the Edmonton guys, fists flying and tempers flaring, sparking a chaotic brawl that quickly thinned the ice to a tense 4-on-4 showdown.
Arlo was fine, but he was pissed. When he met the player who tripped him on the ice again in the second period, the gloves were off, and there was a brawl.
Jett fidgeted with his leg through the whole thing, and Harrison shook his head in disbelief at his cousin on the screen.
Arlo won the fight, and both players were sent to the locker room to cool down. Jett had seen Arlo angry before, but that was different.
“That’syour cousin?” Max asked Harrison, who was frowning at the TV.
“He’s not normally that angry,” said Harrison. “The guy must have said something more than an obnoxious chirp to get under Arlo’s skin.”
Jett agreed. He had played against Mini Killinger several times and watched his games. He was one of the more level-headed guys on his team, taking after their stoic captain.
“I’ll call him after the game,” said Harrison. “I want to check on him.”
Jett did too, so he pulled out his phone and texted Arlo to let him know they would talk later.
“You and your cousin are close?” Max asked Harrison.
“He’s my adopted little brother,” said Harrison. “He’s the most important person in my life besides Jett.”
Jett shoved a forkful of salad into his mouth. The way Killinger casually said stuff like that made it hard not to love him.
“Not even your parents?”
Jett froze at Max’s question. It was the one he had never dared to ask Harrison. He had been planning on getting deeper into their family stuff soon, but everything was so hectic since Harrison had shown up that he hadn’t felt it was the right time.
Max was similar to Ryan when it came to not being aware of people’s boundaries, so the question wasn’t unexpected, but damn, he whished he had that sort of ability. He was such a spazz when it came to making conversations, a curse of his ADHD, which he had been dealing with for years.
“I love my parents because they’re my parents, and they’ve done a lot for me.” Harrison’s leg started fidgeting next to Jett’s in discomfort. “But they keep a respectful distance for…reasons.”
Jett looked to Max, silently pleading with him to drop the topic, but Max was looking down at his sketchbook and didn’t see him.
“They blame you for what happened to your brother.”
Harrison picked up his drink from the side table and sipped it. He didn’t say anything until he set it back down.
“Yeah.”
Harrison didn’t elaborate, and Max didn’t ask. Jett was stuck in between them, fighting a wave of nausea that had swept out of nowhere.
