"I do defend you." He handed back the water bottle. "I defended you to management for twenty minutes this morning. Again."
I had the grace to wince slightly. Just slightly. "I'll be better."
"Will you?"
"Probably not. But I'll be better at being caught."
Charlie looked at me with the expression of a man who loved me deeply and found me exhausting. I found this very endearing. Across the room, I heard Felix tell Mivo something about the defensive coverage in the second period , calm, specific, alreadythinking about the next game. The room was still loud around him, and he moved through it like he always did: unbothered, contained, a closed door in a hallway full of open windows.
Mivo nodded and made a note on his phone. Reeves leaned over to look. Even Kieran, who was not on the defensive line and had no professional reason to care, drifted that direction to listen.
Felix had that effect. The room trusted him the way it trusted Hartley , not because he was loud about it, but because he was never wrong.
I was loud about everything, and I was wrong at least forty percent of the time, and somehow we'd been best friends for four years, which I chose to interpret as evidence that the universe had a sense of humor.
"You're doing it," Charlie said.
I turned back to him. "Doing what?"
He didn't answer. He had a small, specific smile that I categorically did not like. He took another sip of my water.
"I'm not doing anything," I told him.
"Mm."
I grabbed the water bottle back. "Don't mm me, Drayton. You've been spending too much time with Henry. You've caught his whole 'say nothing and be devastating' thing."
Charlie laughed , a real one, bright and a little surprised , and it was loud enough that heads turned. Felix looked up. Just for a second. His eyes found us, found me, and then he went back to Mivo and the defensive coverage.
Two seconds. Barely a glance.
I felt it for a full thirty seconds afterward, warm at the back of my neck.
"I'm going to shower," I announced to no one, sliding off the trunk. "And when I get back, no one is allowed to have opinions about my elbows."
"No promises," Mivo said.
"Truly no promises," Reeves agreed.
Kieran had already added the clip to his Instagram story. I pointed at him. He pointed back. This was our relationship.
I grabbed my towel and my shower kit and made it three steps before I walked directly into Felix, who had apparently finished with Mivo and was heading the same direction. He caught my arm on instinct , one hand, steadying, the way he always did when I failed to watch where I was going, which was often.
"Watch it," he said. Not sharp. Just , Felix. Automatic.
"You watch it," I said. Also automatic. Also probably less cool.
He let go of my arm. I was aware of the absence of his hand the way you're aware of a door closing in a quiet room. He nodded once, moved past me toward the showers. I stood for a second like an idiot and then followed, because we were going to the same place and there was no normal version of me that would hesitate for three full seconds to walk to the showers because Felix Wren had touched my arm.
I was fine.
This was fine.
Behind me, I heard Charlie make a sound. Low. Amused. The very specific sound of a man who was going to be absolutely insufferable about something later.
I did not look back.
Chapter Two
