Page 35 of Lose You Twice

“They’re basically adults. Very opinionated adults with glitter glue.”

“And Justin?”

“Thirteen, completely fluent in sarcasm, eats enough for five people, and seems to be allergic to deodorant that he desperately needs.”

Kai huffs out a laugh. “That sounds right.”

“Holden is sixteen and thinks being taller than me gives him the power of authority.”

“Does it?”

“Absolutely not.”

“How tall?”

I look Kai up and down, pretending not to know exactly how tall he is. “Maybe close to your height. He might pass you, honestly.”

Kai leans back against the counter. “I remember when he used to follow us around the backyard.”

“Yeah, well, now he broods in hoodies and pretends to hate everyone.”

The quiet settles in, and I start noticing things I don’t want to notice. The shadows under his eyes. The tightness in his right hand where it grips the counter. The way he’s trying to keep his shoulders relaxed, but I know him too well for him to hide the tension radiating off of him.

Kai’s phone lights up, and even from my position on the couch, I can make out the Seattle Stormbreakers logo as the screensaver.

I know about Seattle.

Everyone knows about Seattle.

Kai signing with the Stormbreakers was the kind of news people repeated with pride. I’ll never forget how proud he was, how proud I was, the day he signed. We celebrated with ice cream at his favorite place, followed by a late-night drive where the curves he explored were mine and not the road’s.

When Kai had decided to attend PCU, I was excited. Yeah, we’d have a couple years of not seeing each other as much, but I knew we could handle it.

I never expected to drift apart before we ever faced the test of distance.

Still, seeing the reminder on his phone makes it feel closer.

Seattle.

After this season, he’s leaving. Again.

Only this time, it won’t be for college. It will be for the life he was always meant to have, nearly fourteen hours away.

I reach for safer ground. “Classes start kicking your ass yet?”

He lets out a harsh breath, running his hand through his hair. “Not quite yet, but probably soon. I have a Business Ethics quiz due tonight, then need to work on a Strategic Management project. Couldn’t do that earlier with practice, rehab, and film. Plus lectures.”

“So you had a light day.”

He laughs, but it sounds fake. “Pretty much.”

“You always did enjoy suffering by cramming as much as you possibly could into the fewest hours.”

“And you always considered plans or a planner more of a decoration.”

“My planner was full of hopes and dreams.”

“Every January when you bought a new one, it stayed empty.”