He opens his text thread with his sister Amy. The last thing in there is a video of a cat riding a Roomba.
Nick
How do you make yourself do new things that are scary
He doesn’t expect her to be awake—it’s 4 a.m. in New York, after all—but at the same time he’s not surprised when he sees the three little dots of an incoming response.
Amy
I think about how everything was new and scary once, even the things that I really love now. And then I think of how amazing it could be if this new scary thing turns out to be as great as those new scary things.
Are you okay?
Nick smiles to himself. God, she’s so smart. Way smarter than he ever was.
Nick
Not right now. But I think I will be.
Amy
Do you need me to call?
Nick
No it’s fine. You should be asleep.
Amy
So should you
Did that help at all?
Nick
It did actually yeah
Thanks kid
Amy
You’re welcome. I love you
Now go to sleep
Biting back a chuckle, Nick heart-reacts the message, then obediently sets his phone down and lies back, closing his eyes. Lets the dip of the mattress roll him a fraction closer to Matt’s sleeping form.
There’s no undoing what has happened, no rewinding the mess of feelings tangled in Nick’s head right now. But maybe there’s a way to move forward that doesn’t end in heartbreak.
Chapter Seven
@GoonSquaddie89: Tiernan is such a fucking rat I need someone to put him in his place SO BAD. Little bitch always gets someone else to drop gloves and defend him, every penalty he draws is bullshit
@Fire_and__ice: @GoonSquaddie89 sorry your team sucks, can’t relate #LetsGoDragons
@GoonSquaddie89: @Fire_and__ice Enjoy it while you can. Season has barely started—Tiernan will show his ass before long. He’ll be gone when his contract’s up. Good riddance.
—Twitter, October 19th, 2022
