STEVIE “R
yan!” I wheel my suitcase inside. “Are you home?”
“Yeah,” he mumbles from his bedroom before dragging his
feet into the living room. “Did you change your flight? Why are you home so early?”
His eyes are laced with sle ep, barely open, but he pulls me into a hug.
“I caught a red-eye. I was ready to be back.”
He stretches his arms towards the ceiling, still waking up. “And maybe you didn’t want
to be away from Chicago? Especially tonight?”
Casually, I pop my shoulders, ke eping my eyes away from his.
“Did you sign on an apartment?”
I stay silent.
“You know you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to unless you feel
like that’s the best place for you. You can stay here, rentfree. Zanders probably won’t even
be in Chicago next season anyway.”
My eyes dart to his. “What are you talking about?”
“He doesn’t have an agent or a new contract.” His tone is far too casual.
“What do you mean he doesn’t have an agent?”
Ryan’s brows crease in confusion. “He fired him. Didn’t he tell you?”
What the hell? “No!” My volume rises with desperation. “Why would he do that?”
My brother hesitates. “I uh... I think you should talk to him about it.”
“He can’t fire him! He needs to sign somewhere. He needs to sign in Chicago. He
doesn’t want to leave.” My words rush together. “How do you know?”
He shoots me an apologetic smile. “He came by looking for you right when they landed
from Pittsburgh.”
Of course, he did. He called nonstop after our conversation, but I didn’t answer. After
he told me he didn’t know how to let somebody love him, there wasn’t much more to say.
But something about that talk, in addition to everything else I love about that man, k ept
me from signing an apartment lease in Seattle. I couldn’t do it yet. It’s such an official big
st ep to make without seeing him first.
“And he’s come by every night, looking for you, Vee.”
“What happens if he doesn’t have an agent?”
“Teams can’t talk to him without r epresentation while he’s still in season. He’s going to
have to wait until the finals are over and just hope that not every organization has filled
their roster yet.”
I plop onto the armrest of the couch. “This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s not, Stevie. This is on Zanders. He made his choices, and now he’s dealing
with the consequences. But I’m not going to sit here and tell you that this has nothing to
do with you. I think losing you opened his eyes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
The last thing I want is for Zanders to lose his career over me. In fact, that was the one
comfort I had, knowing that his local fanbase loved him before me and they’d love him
again after.
“Vee.” My brother’s tone is gentle, almost cautious. “Do you want to forgive him?”
I bury my head in my hands, hiding my face. “Yes,” I mumble against my skin, hoping
he doesn’t judge me for it. “Does that make me pathetic?”
Ryan quietly laughs before draping an arm over my shoulders, pulling me into his side.
“Not at all.”
“You don’t think this is like the Brett situation all over again?”
“No way. Fuck that guy. There’s a huge difference. You took Brett back after he left
because you were trying to prove to yourself you were good enough to ke ep him, but if you
take Zanders back, it’s because he’s been working on himself to be good enough to ke ep
you.”
Ryan heads to the kitchen, powering up the coffee maker. “But what do I know? I don’t
date.”
I take a seat at the island opposite my brother. “It’s off-season. Maybe it’s time you put
yourself out there again. You’ve got to start moving on, and dating isn’t a distraction when
there’s nothing to distract from.”
He shoots me a deadly glare that says, “We’re talking about your problems, not mine.”
“Off-season is more important than the regular season. You know that. I’m doing
two-a-days all summer. And love you, Vee, but watching you have your heart broken isn’t
exactly a glowing recommendation for getting into another relationship.”
My mouth falls open in faux shock before I grab a dishtowel off the kitchen island and
throw it at my brother’s head. “Jerk.”
There’s an envelope with my name on it attached to the fridge, and I don’t notice it
until Ryan pulls it off and slides it across the island to me.
“What is this?” I stare at the white envelope, recognizing the handwriting scribbled on
the outside.
“A ticket for the game tonight.”
“Zee dropped it off?”
“Last night.”
I ke ep my eyes locked on the envelope in my hands.
“I think you should go.”
My attention darts to Ryan.
“I think he loves you but doesn’t know how to say it, and if you feel the same way, you
should go. You’ll never forgive yourself for missing this game.” He takes a sip of his fresh
coffee. “And that’s all the great advice I have for this time of the day.” Ryan leaves me
alone in the kitchen and heads back into his room.
Cautiously, I open the envelope in my hands, pulling the ticket out. A blue Post-it Note
sticks to it with a simple, pleading message.
This season means nothing without you.
Nothing matters without you.
Please come tonight.
-Zee