Page 83 of Line Change

“I know.”

Ben opens his arms, and Grayson goes into them without any hesitation. The hug is hard and quick this time. When they separate, Grayson says goodbye to the rest of us, gets into the car, and closes the door.

Ben stands at the curb until the sedan pulls away, then comes back inside.

Bobby and Sindre head down the hall toward the players’ lot. I start after them, but Ben reaches me before I get to the exit.

“You coming over?” he asks.

I was ready to say yes before I turned the corner. Now I can only think about the message he could have sent and how frightened he looked while I shook Grayson’s hand.

“I have other plans.”

I shift toward the exit and head out of the room before anyone can stop me.

24

BEN

Nolan makes it through the first set of doors before I catch him.

“Wait.”

He keeps walking.

Bobby and Sindre are farther down the hall, headed for the players’ lot. Neither of them turns around. If I let Nolan reach the outside doors, he’ll be in his car before I can get him to stop again.

The equipment room beside us is unlocked. I pull the door open and get my hand against Nolan’s back, low enough that I don’t hit his taped shoulder.

“In here.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

I crowd him through the doorway before he can keep going. Nolan could plant his feet and stop me. Instead he lets me get him inside, then knocks my hand away and turns on me while I pull the door shut.

The room is narrow and dark, with metal shelves taking up most of the space. Old socks and bleach have soaked into the air. A strip of light under the door shows Nolan’s shoes and not much else.

He’s close enough that the front of his sweatshirt brushes my jacket when he breathes.

It’s been three days since I touched him. I’ve gotten used to not having to think about that. If we’re alone, I can put a hand on his leg or pull him across the couch. I can kiss him because I want to, and he kisses me back.

The clean soap smell from his shower is trapped in here with us. My palm still holds the warmth of his back. I want to put it there again, but Nolan has crowded himself against the shelves to get as far from me as the room allows.

Right now his arms are folded across his chest, and I don’t like the way he’s looking at me.

I deserve it. I still don’t like it.

“We don’t need to do this,” Nolan says.

“Do what?”

“Whatever has you shoving me into a dark closet.” His mouth twists. “I’ve had enough of those.”

He’s spent enough of his life hiding for other people. I just pushed him into a room with no windows because I didn’t want anyone watching us talk. “That’s not fair.”

“You’re going to talk to me about fair?”

“Nolan—”