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I know all about Eli’s past, but still, I don’t love being reminded of it. Especially not by my best friend who said it just to spite his brother. I get that Marc is hurting, but I guess I didn’t realize just how much. He’s never been one to use alcohol and girls to cope, but that’s precisely what he’s doing tonight.
“Sorry, baby,” Eli whispers before kissing the side of my head.
He has nothing to apologize for. His past is his past.
Eli orders us another round of drinks as Zanders’ phone begins to ring.
“Ah, shit,” he mumbles under his breath, looking down at the caller ID.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s my coach. I gotta take this.” Zanders slips out the back door of the bar to answer his phone.
“I like him.”
“Yeah.” Eli swings his arm over my shoulders, pulling me in. “He’s not so bad.”
I try to keep my knowing smile contained, but I can’t. Eli’s version of ‘he’s not so bad’ is code for ‘I think he might be my new best friend.’
I wrap both of my arms around Eli’s waist, tucking my head under his arm.
“I love you,” I remind him with a contented smile.
He adds our drinks to his tab before bending down and kissing me. “I love you too, Lo.”
“Nah,” I laugh. “Just doesn’t sound the same unless it’s coming from Zee.”
He puts his smiling lips on mine, and I could not be more thankful that regardless of everything else going on around us, we have each other. Even though our friends are struggling in their own way, and even though Eli hasn’t heard a word from the NHL, we have a constant calm within each other.
“Holy fuck.” Zanders makes his way back to the bar, his mouth fallen open in shock.
“Everything okay?” Eli asks him with worry.
Zanders keeps his eyes glued to his phone screen, holding it out like it might be on fire. “I just got called up.”
“What?” Eli’s entire body stiffens in my grasp.
“I just fucking got called up!” Zanders exclaims, shocked laughter leaving his lips. “Holy shit!”
I’m waiting for Eli to say something. To congratulate him or buy him a celebratory shot, but he doesn’t. He just stands there, frozen in shock that his college rival just got called up to play in the big leagues, and he still hasn’t.
Chapter 37
Eli
“I just fucking got called up!” Zanders shouts in shock. “Holy shit!”
I should say something, anything really. How about a ‘hell yeah, man, that’s awesome!’ Or a ‘you fucking deserve it!’ But, instead, I don’t say shit. I feel frozen with...jealousy.
“That’s amazing!” my girl bursts, giving him a hug.
Zanders’ mouth hasn’t closed, matching my expression. His gaping lips are due to shock while mine are from pure envy.
“Which team?” Logan asks.
“Chicago.” Zanders looks back at his phone screen as if someone prank-called him. “The Chicago fucking Raptors. Holy hell.”
I feel a bit of pressure leave my chest when he says Chicago. They weren’t recruiting me anyway, but still, the deadline is quickly approaching, and I haven’t heard a peep from any team. And here I am, standing across from the guy I used to hate, watching my dream come true for him.
