Page 25 of The Way We Swing

I didn’t just break it; I smashed it upside the head at the worst possible time. Easton had finally told me about his family, a secret he’d been keeping for months. I might’ve been the first person he’d trusted enough to say those words to.

And instead of being the person he’d needed, I’d become the person I wanted to be.

I walked back into the hotel like a zombie, not even remembering how I got there.

I stared at the 206 on our door like the numbers might change. The urge to knock consumed me, as if I needed to let Easton know I was entering.

Half of me thought he wouldn’t even be inside.

Finally, my need to move outweighed my nerves, and I opened the squeaking door. My entire body was so tense I thought I was going to snap.

Then I saw him.

He lay on Gavin’s bed, his face pressed against a pillow and away from me. His breathing sounded like snoring, but I’d slept near him enough to know it wasn’t.

He just didn’t want to talk.

I crawled into my own bed and pulled the blanket over my head. The heat was suffocating, so different from the breeze we had felt walking to the park.

Tears still rolled down my face, but they weren’t caused by what Easton had told me. Or at least, not all of them were.

I refused to make a sound. I didn’t want to upset him any more than I already had. Even a small noise felt like it’d shatter the glass hanging over the room.

An hour passed—or maybe three—and Easton’s breathing became steadier, more believable. I finally had permission to fall asleep, but I couldn’t.

The same thoughts kept spinning in my head like spokes on a bike wheel. I had no way to put the brakes on, no way to get out.

Did he know my dirtiest, darkest secret?

Would he tell Gavin in the morning?

Would he tell the team?

Why would his dad do something like that?

How could he carry such deep pain without showing it?

Had I kissed him out of compassion or selfish desire?

Over and over, the questions rolled, but never with a single answer.

Eventually, I passed out. I had no idea when or how, but my alarm beeped sooner than I wanted it to.

My mind snapped awake. My eyes darted to the other bed. No Easton, and no Gavin. I didn’t hear anyone in the bathroom, either; exhaustion had kept me asleep through them waking up.

My phone didn’t have any texts from Easton, just from Mom, but she could wait. I thought of texting Easton myself, but that didn’t seem like the best idea.

I slipped on a pair of shoes and hoped I’d see them at breakfast. The walk to the lobby felt like the walk back to the hotel the night before: slow, empty, and forgettable.

The breakfast area was loud, filled with a dozen young teenagers hyped for a couple of games. Gavin and Easton sat alone at a table. I decided to delay the inevitable and walked to the buffet line.

After my plate had too much food on it, I took a deep breath and walked toward them.

“Can I sit?” I asked.

Gavin looked at me weirdly. “Yes?”

They were across from each other, which left me an awkward choice. I could sit right next to Easton or next to Gavin and avoid eye contact with Easton while we ate. I chose the latter.