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Walker groaned and turned to leave, before Ari reached out and grabbed his shirt with a laugh. “Come here, buddy. We need to tell Lincoln about our new pre game ritual.”
Walker’s face went an almost violet shade of red before he covered it in embarrassment. It was kind of funny to see this big, tattooed hottie cringing in embarrassment.
Lincoln studied Walker for a moment before a slow grin spread across his beautiful face. “You were fucking amazing tonight, bro,” he said, holding out a hand for Walker to shake.
Walker seemed like he was about to faint from Lincoln talking to him. “Really?” he said. “I mean, yeah. Thanks. It was a great game.”
Ari was shaking with laughter as his gaze bounced between the two of them, but his palm had slid to my lower hip and I was now pressed against his side.
It felt like I fit there, against him like that.
But then Clark’s face flashed in my mind and the sour taste of guilt was once again flooding me as memories of the past hit me hard.
I felt a numbness wash over me as the icy water of the bathtub surrounded my trembling body. The pills I’d taken were doing their job, sending me into a disorienting haze. The world around me blurred, and my thoughts became muddled. I was spiraling into darkness. It was almost over.
I was almost free.
As I lay there, the water seemed to consume me, its cold fingers wrapping around my limbs, dragging me deeper into a chilling abyss. The room's harsh, artificial light cast eerie shadows on the walls, creating a surreal and haunting atmosphere. My body felt heavy and unresponsive.
Numb.
Just how I liked it.
Everything was a disjointed blur, and my consciousness slipped away like a wisp of smoke. It was a sensation of sinking, sinking deeper into the unforgiving depths of despair.
But then, in that suffocating darkness, a pair of hands reached into the void and grabbed hold of me. I was lifted, pulled from the cold. For a fleeting moment, I regained a fragment of awareness.
"Blake!" a voice called out, filled with panic and desperation. It was Clark. His voice echoed in my foggy mind, a distant cry in the wilderness.
I tried to respond, tried to reach out to him, but my body was still betraying me. The world remained a jumbled mess of sensations and disjointed images. I could see Clark's face, twisted with fear and anguish, hovering above me.
And then, I was no longer in the bathtub. I was being carried, my body limp and motionless, cradled in Clark's arms. His footsteps echoed in a frantic rhythm as he rushed me out of our apartment and into the cool night air.
We reached the car, and I was placed gently in the back seat. I could hear Clark's ragged breathing, his voice trembling as he spoke to me, trying to keep me conscious. His words were a lifeline in the darkness, a desperate plea for me to stay with him.
The car sped through the city streets, its tires screeching against the asphalt. Sirens wailed in the distance, drawing nearer with each passing second. I was fading, slipping further away from the world.
And then there was the harsh, fluorescent lighting of a hospital room. The sterile smell of antiseptic stinging my nostrils. I could feel the weight of monitors and tubes connected to my body, a reminder of the fragility of life.
Clark, his face etched with relief and anguish, was sitting by my bedside, holding my hand as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
He had saved me, and I owed him everything.
“Blake?” Ari’s voice called, and I was jolted back to the present where I stood pressed against his hard body.
“Sorry. Um. I’m just going to use the restroom real quick,” I mumbled, feeling the faint blush on my cheeks. I needed a break from him. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do the right thing when he was around.
I pulled away from him, and he let me go without a fuss.
It was all I could do to keep my footsteps steady as I headed toward the hallway that led to the bathroom.
I stood there in the dimly lit restroom of the bar, my eyes meeting my reflection in the mirror. And for a moment, I hardly recognized the person staring back at me. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a version of myself I’d never seen before.
Gone was the haunted, hollow look that had followed me for so long. The exhaustion that had etched deep lines under my eyes had seemingly vanished. Instead, I saw a face that was alive, vibrant, and, dare I say it… happy.
I shook my head, my heart racing like a hummingbird's wings as I splashed some cool water on my face, attempting to calm the storm swirling inside my chest.
Okay, I was fine. I could go out there. Establish firm boundaries. Be friends.
