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“The fuck did you just say?” Ryan spat, tightening his grip on Dube’s throat.
“Baylor, don’t!” Koski warned, as Ryan shoved him away.
“Yo, Baylor. Calm down, eh?” Cal Ratcliffe, another of his fellow d-men, said as he grabbed him by his jersey and attempted to pull him away from Dube.
Ryan finally released his grip on Dube’s neck and watched him smile smugly as he backed away from him. “Such a tough guy, Baylor,” he taunted, throwing his stick to the ground, dropping his gloves, and putting his arms up. “I see your reputation has followed you here. Come on, you wanna go, you little bitch? Let’s do this.”
“Let’s fucking go then.” Ryan charged him, breaking away from both Koski and Ratcliffe’s grip. He tackled Dube to the floor, pinned him to the ground, and pulled back his right arm before landing a punch directly on the side of his jaw. Dube’s head flew to the side and blood splattered onto the floor, as Ryan was quickly seized by both Koski and Ratcliffe, with a couple of the other Lightning players coming between them to prevent further contact.
“Fuck you, Baylor! You suck anyway!” Dube yelled, as he was dragged away. Ryan broke away from his teammates and lunged once more at Dube, wrapping both hands around his neck and squeezing, sensing the fear in his eyes.
“You fuckin’ talk about my boyfriend or my friend like that again and I’ll have you praying for death, you piece of shit. Are we clear?”
Dube didn’t say a word.
“Are we clear?” Ryan screamed in his face, cocking his fist back and preparing to punch him again.
“Enough, Rook!” Hayes came out of nowhere, grabbed his boyfriend by the arm, and yanked him backward. “Fuck him. He’s not even worth it. Not even kinda worth it. Come on.”
With nearly the entire team and coaching staff looking on, Ryan was led away from Dube by Koski, Ratcliffe, and Hayes. When they got off to the side, Hayes reached his arms out and let his boyfriend collapse into them, running his hands up and down his back as his face became hot with tears. “It’s OK. I’m right here. I got you, baby.”
“No one’s gonna disrespect you like that, Hayes. Not on my watch. You’ve come…too fucking far.”
“I get it, OK? But I brought this shit on myself. You don’t need to fight my battles.”
“I’ll fight for you until the moment I take my last fucking breath.”
“I know that, Rook.”
The two pulled away from each other, as Koski and TK looked on. Ryan turned toward TK. “You too, Trav. No one’s gonna talk about you like that. Not happening.”
“I appreciate that, baby.”
“Baylor?” Coach Cenzi called from the locker room. “A word. Now.”
Ryan looked toward Hayes, who nodded. “You’re no stranger to controversy. Rook, you’ve always been the guy who does what’s right regardless of the consequences. That’s one of so many things I love about you. Stick to your fuckin’ guns, baby.”
As Ryan walked away, Hayes turned toward Koski. He wanted to say thanks, but offered him a nod instead.
Baby steps.
It’s Better This Way (30)
Following the heated practice and the stern talking to by Ryan’s coach, the four guys finished up a way too expensive dinner at Wagyu, one of the most prestigious steakhouses in Tampa, before making their way back to Ryan’s apartment.
The entire dinner had been a complete mindfuck for Ryan, as he struggled to interpret what going out looked like now that Hayes was sober.
“Hey. If I order a drink, is that, like, OK? Or will you…”
“Rook, come on,” Hayes had told him. “I’m sober, but the rest of the world isn’t. I can handle it. Get whatever you want, baby.”
“I just…I don’t wanna do anything to, you know, jeopardize your progress.”
“Hey: look at me.” Hayes had brought his hand to his cheek. “I’m the one that’s gotta learn to adjust. You aren’t responsible for my recovery, Rook. I am.”
The dinner had gone really well, with Ryan and Hayes chatting the entire time, if for no other reason than for the fact that Koski and TK were so intensely focused on each other that Ryan and Hayes may as well have not even been there at all.
“What, uh, the fuck is goin’ on here?” Hayes had asked about halfway through the meal. He gestured toward Koski and TK as they flirted, TK feeding Koski something from his fork, both of them continuously finding ways to touch the other one.
