The illusion of confidence.
His gaze landed on Max first, whose eyes went wide as they took in his state. His attempt at cleaning himself up didn’t seem to help, judging by the way his best friend was frowning.
“Jetty, come sit.”
Two more pairs of eyes shifted in his direction, and Jett spotted Ryan and Jason standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the lake and the colourful sunset.
Ryan had that look on his face, the serious one he always wore when he was ready to start a fight on the ice. Jett saw it and panicked, hurrying over to the couch to sit beside Max.
“Hey, buddy.” Max touched their shoulders together, and Jett refused to flinch from the pain. “How was your nap?”
“Warm,” Jett replied without thinking, but then he added, “It was great.”
Max’s mouth slid into a frown, and he made a sound that suggested he wasn’t falling for Jett’s bullshit. “You know it’s okay to not be okay, right?”
Jett bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. “It was just a stupid interview. It’s not like it was the end of the world.”
Hecould see his father in the kitchen out of the corner of his eye, and heard the sizzling coming from the stove. He was cooking tacos, and the scent of spices and onions wafting through the house smelled amazing.
It was Jett’s favourite meal that his father made for him. No Mexican place could ever come close to the DIY kit sold at the grocery store that Robert Fraser had cooked every Friday night when he was a kid.
Tears started burning again, but at least Jett could use the excuse of onions to get away with it this time.
The couch sank next to him, and the smell of Ryan’s aftershave hit him with another wave of familiarity and safety.
“We got that W for you, Fraser.”
Jett steeled himself as he looked from Max to Ryan. “That’s awesome, Cap. I knew you could do it.”
His voice sounded dead. Fuck, he felt fucking dead.
“You didn’t seem to feel that way last night,” said Ryan. “Acting cool like we couldn’t get the job done without you.”
Jett flushed.
“But we could have sent Wolf out there all by himself for the last two periods and won,” Ryan continued, lips quirking into a grin. “He was so pissed off that he put two pucks in the net—and Niko got three. Wolf even texted me twice to check on you, which is funny because before today, he kept conveniently losing my number.”
Jason laughed off to the side, and Jett tried his best to imitate him.
“The New York fans were pissed, but the guys on the Barbarian team took their ass-whooping with grace.”
All the times Jett had smiled, and now he couldn’t seem to remember how to. It felt so awkward, but he really wanted to try.
“I took a puck to the ribs too, if you’re wondering why I’m here,” said Ryan.
“Show him the bruise,” said Jason, shaking his head with a grimace. “It’s so nasty.”
Lifting his shirt with a smirk, Ryan showed off his blue and purple ribs. “I had a feeling they were broken, but I pushed through to the end of the game. Coach wanted me to come home for a medical check before he would clear me for the game today, so I brought Jason with me for a visit.”
Jett knew his face must have shown how stressed he was, but Ryan shook his head.
“They’re just cracked,” Ryan assured him. “I’m playing tonight, and Niko is on a heater. We’re going to be fine.”
Ryan was trying to keep Jett from feeling guilty, but it wasn’t working. Despite his feelings, he appreciated the hell out of his captain.
“I’m proud of you guys,” said Jett. “You’re seriously the best teammates a guy could ask for.”
Ryan’s nose crinkled, and Jett didn’t miss the not-so-subtle glance he shot at Max over his head. He held out his closed hand for Jett to bump fists with, and that was a hundred times easier than trying to smile.
