Page 82 of Lose You Twice

Dinner is loud enough to save us.

The team crowds into the hotel restaurant while Coach attempts to contain the noise. Kai sits across the room with Grayson, Asher, and Weston, while I sit next to Donnelly and Sarah, the team’s physiotherapist traveling with us.

I catch Kai looking at me every few minutes, each glance lasting only a second.

After dinner, I help Donnelly check the equipment trunks for morning skate. By the time I get upstairs, my feet hurt and the hallway has gone quiet.

Kai opens the door before I knock.

“You were waiting there?”

“I heard you.”

“So you’re saying I sound like an elephant walking down the hall?”

He steps aside, ignoring my question. “Everything all set for tomorrow? How was the equipment?”

“Glamorous. I counted forty-seven rolls of tape and briefly considered moving into the storage closet.”

The bed has been turned down. An extra pillow and blanket are arranged neatly on the floor near the window.

My chest tightens.

“You really made a floor bed.”

“It’s fine.”

“There’s that word.”

His eyes meet mine.

Fine has always been Kai’s favorite way to avoid admitting something hurts.

I take my toothbrush into the bathroom before the look between us becomes anything else.

When I return, he’s sitting on the floor with his back against the bed, phone in one hand. The lamp softens his face, stripping away some of the control he wears around everyone else.

“What?” He looks tired, dark circles under his eyes making it clear something is bothering him enough to lose sleep, which is saying something, because as dedicated as Kai is, he’s equally dedicated to his sleep.

“Nothing.”

“That was a long nothing.”

“I was wondering whether your trainer knows you’re sleeping on the floor before a game.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “She doesn’t need to.”

“So that’s a no.”

“My hip is fine.”

“You adjusted it twice during dinner.”

He rolls his eyes, and I fold my arms. “You aren’t nearly as subtle as you think.”

“I’m subtle.”

“You organize your socks based on the activity they’re used for.”