Page 26 of Off the Trail

“You too,” I say. I like her—she’s different from Blaze, a little more of the world, if that makes any sense. But it’s clear the two of them care about each other a lot. It’s sweet and makes me feel slightly envious. What would it be like to have someone in my life I was that close with? Jett and I call each other brother, but we were teammates, not blood.

Brooke heads out, and then Blaze and I are alone, except for Misty, who trots over to a dog bed in front of the fireplace and puts her chin on her paws.

“The pregame might be on,” Blaze says. “Too early for a beer?”

It’s a little after noon. “A beer sounds good.”

“Clicker’s on the table if you want to find the game.”

When I hit the power button, the TV’s already set to the sports streamer. I put the volume on low, drop onto the couch, and hit play on a clips package of the Laurels covering their run-up to the playoffs. It feels like watching an ex’s wedding video. I’m detached yet invested at the same time.

“Here you go,” Blaze says, walking over from the open kitchen with a tall can of what looks like some kind of local brew and a bowl of tortilla chips, both of which he sets on the coffee table. “Got some salsa, hang on.”

The beer is ice cold. He brings a jar of salsa and another beer for himself, dropping everything off on the scarred table, then sits on the other end of the couch.

I look from him to the TV. We’re about to embark on a ritual millions of people across the country participate in everyday—watching sports with a friend. And I’m sweating through my T-shirt under my sweater. Seeing my team on the screen—I thought I could handle it. But something isn’t right.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. I thought I wanted to watch. Support the team, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“But it still kind of hurts.”

“I bet.”

“You wanted to watch the game⁠—”

He takes the remote from where I left it on the coffee table and hits a button. The screen goes dark. I feel calmer the second it’s off.

“I can get the score later,” he says simply. “What do you want to do instead?”

It’s completely out of left field, so to speak, and completely inappropriate that the first thing that pops into my head is we’ve got the place to ourselves, a big comfy couch. The perfect make-out setting.

I’ve never made out with a guy before, and I don’t even know for sure Blaze isn’t straight. But who cares? The other day when I was looking for something to read in The Snug, I came across a fantasy novel. At first, I thought it was your traditional dragons-and-elves kind of thing, but in the second chapter the brawny dragon slayer started getting busy with the aloof elf prince, and it was surprisingly hot. Maybe it doesn’t matter, in the cosmically insignificant sense, that I’ve never made out with a guy, or even wanted to, before.

Damned if I don’t want to make out with Blaze.

Wanting to do something and actually doing it are two different things, though. I bite my lip and come up with plan C. “Uh. We could watch something else?”

“For sure,” he agrees easily. “What do you like?”

“I’m not picky.”

“This is going to sound funny, but there’s this horror movie I’ve been wanting to watch, and I haven’t had time to put it on when Brooke hasn’t been home—she hates horror.”

He names a title I saw last year on an airplane, and I nod. “That was a good one.”

“You’ve seen it,” he says, sounding vaguely disappointed.

“But I’d totally watch it again. Especially on this big screen. Most of the movies I see I watch on planes.”

“You sure? We can watch something else.”

I laugh. We’re both too polite. “Yes, put it on. I like scary movies.”

“Great, okay.”