That didn't make me regret sending it. It just helped put things into perspective.
I picked up my phone one last time before locking the screen. The conversation looked exactly the same as it had five minutes earlier.
Still unread.
I slipped the phone into my pocket and stood from the couch. The apartment suddenly felt too small, too quiet, and too full of thoughts I didn't particularly want to examine.
The truth was, I didn't think Thane was ignoring me. I didn't think he'd lied to me. I didn't think the previous night had meant nothing.
I simply thought he was busy.
Busy dealing with a life that looked considerably larger and more complicated than some college kid he’d just met.
Some people entered your life for years.
Others stayed for a season.
And sometimes, if you were lucky, they gave you a single unforgettable night.
I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair and headed for my bedroom.
Whatever last night had been, it was over now.
NINE
THANE
Coming out to the world had been easier than walking back into the locker room.
That realization hit me the moment the arena came into view.
The Seattle Orcas Arena looked exactly the same as it had twenty-four hours earlier. The giant banners still hung from the front of the building. The turquoise-and-black team logo still glowed above the entrance. Fans still streamed toward the doors wearing jerseys and winter jackets against the December cold.
The moment the SUV turned into the players' entrance, I saw them.
Reporters.
Cameras.
Fans holding signs.
Security personnel trying to maintain some semblance of order.
Camera phones appeared almost instantly. A few people waved. Others shouted my name. Somewhere in the crowd,someone yelled that they were proud of me. A second later, another voice shouted something considerably less supportive.
The distinction shouldn't have mattered as much as it did.
Beside the entrance, two security guards waited to escort players inside. Their presence wasn't entirely unusual, but there were more of them than normal. Enough to make the reason obvious.
I greeted the guards with an upnod.
"Ready?" one of them asked.
It was a simple question. Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely sure of the answer. I gave him one anyway.
“Yeah.”
Plus, Vancouver wasn't going to wait for me to figure out my feelings, and neither was the rest of the team.
