Page 28 of Line Change

“It is tonight.” Tessa draws a thick line under the name and moves on.

I take a drink while the host reminds the bar how scoring works. Around us, teams drag chairs together and argue over who gets the pen. The table beside ours has six people and matching shirts. Tessa has already declared them cheaters based on team size alone.

Micah stops trying to read upside down and looks at me. “What happened in Arizona?”

“We won one and lost one.” I take another drink, but Micah doesn’t move on.

“I can find scores on the internet.”

Those used to be the only hockey details he didn’t drag out of me. “Since when?”

“Since your new teammate started staring at you on camera.”

I try to keep my face still and take another drink.

Tessa puts down the pen. “You’ve been weird since you sat down.”

“He was weird before he sat down,” Micah says. “He sent me a thumbs-up when I asked if he wanted his usual.”

“I was being agreeable.”

“You hate the thumbs-up.”

I do. It’s the punctuation mark of text messages.

The first round starts before they can keep going. Usually that ends all conversation unrelated to trivia. Tonight, Micah writes an answer and slides the sheet to Tessa without taking his eyes off me.

“You hooked up with someone on the road.”

My hand stops halfway to the answer sheet. Tessa moves it out of range. Traitor. “Why do you think that?”

Micah shrugs. “I know you.”

Normally, I’d tell them. Not every physical detail, because Tessa knows too many people who know too many people, but enough to pick it apart for a round, with Micah pushing me to text him and Tessa telling Micah to mind his business while also demanding to see a picture.

Pope isn’t a stranger. He’s my linemate, and I can’t turn this into a funny story over beer. Every detail gets too close to his name.

If I say teammate, they’ll know. Micah has been telling us to kiss for weeks. One look at my face after he says Pope’s name, and I might as well show them a video.

“I hooked up with someone in Arizona,” I say, keeping my attention on the sheet. “It didn’t go great. That’s all you’re getting.”

Micah grins. Giving him that much was a mistake.

Tessa studies me. “Didn’t go great how?”

“It ended badly.”

“Was the sex bad?” Micah asks.

My skin heats as Pope’s voice runs through my head. Open. Suck. Push back.

“No.” Micah waits, and I give him one more thing. “The sex was fucking great.”

“Oh, no.” He sounds delighted. “You’re in trouble.”

“I’m not in trouble.”

Tessa picks up the pen again. “Did you give him your number?”