16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Shane

Seventeen Years Old

Eli burst into my room, eyes wide and his breath coming quick, shallow pants.

"Shit, Mouse, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I ...I just got my first kiss," he puffed, chest rising and falling with the effort of taking in a full breath.

My heart stuttered in my chest. "Oh yeah? Was it good?" I tried to keep my tone casual, masking my true feelings about the situation.

"Um, yeah, it was... wow," he breathed, his expression a mix of awe and bewilderment. "I'm a little in shock but like, it was... I was kissing someone!"

I nodded, forcing myself to tamp down the spike of jealousy threatening to surface. I had known this day would come.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, managing to muster up a brave smile.

"Uh, no. I actually need a distraction before I hyper fixate on it. Can we go play some hockey?" Eli suggested, silently pleading for relief from his whirlwind of emotions.

I let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the opportunity to escape into the familiar routine of our favorite sport. "Sure, let's go."

I welcomed the distraction of the rink, eager to lose myself in the intensity of the game. But beneath the surface, my mind was spinning with uncertainties. What if Eli found someone who led him away from me? What would I do if he no longer occupied such a large part of my life?

I didn’t have the answers—and that bugged me, made me cling to every second I could get while attempting to prepare myself for the future.

Present

He wouldn’t look me in the eye. I stood at the stove, peaking at Eli over my shoulder as his freshly showered form entered the living area with his laptop. But the second our eyes met he ripped his gaze away and my body blushed.

Eli cradled in my hips had been utter perfection. Sure, we’d cuddled before but never like that—never fused to each other in a way where you couldn’t tell where one body ended and the other began. But just as it always had, Eli’s touch set me on fire, and I struggled not to feel guilty. Though I liked being with Jordan, but a single touch from him had never made desire light up my body.

“What are you doing over there?” I asked, plating up our breakfast.

Eli kicked his legs up and opened his laptop. “Checking my emails. I’m managing a lot of accounts at the moment and my clients are a little demanding.”

I blinked, wondering yet again who the man in front of me was. “Aren't they on holiday break?”

“Ha!” The sudden sound echoed off the barren walls. “No, they run all year round, and they want results like yesterday.”

I frowned. “Work keeps you busy then?”

Eli looked up from the screen and shrugged. “I don’t normally get much time outside of it. It's all fake schmoozing, board meetings and trying to be more creative than everyone else. To be honest, my hockey stat pitch only happened because I couldn’t come up with anything else. Lucky for me, it worked. Though I can’t help but feel like I’m throwing stones blindfolded, hoping I at close to the target.”

With each second that passed, each time he scrolled, his shoulders tensed a little more and I fought the urge to crawl behind him and massage it away.

"Sounds rough," I remarked, glancing over at him, though he still had his eyes glued to the screen. I couldn't help but feel unsettled. This version of him was a stark contrast to anything I’d ever known—even his intensity during a game.

"You're staring," Eli deadpanned, eyes still fixed on the screen in front of him.

"You're different, and I'm trying to figure where my Mouse went," I replied, matching his tone, which made him look away from the laptop and finally acknowledge my presence. I had to admit this new layer of him piqued my curiosity. "Stop working and come eat, sweetheart."

The endearment slipped off my tongue effortlessly, despite the risk it posed. Waking up with my cock pressed into his ass had been a precarious situation, but the hint of pink in his cheeks and the way his eyes sparkled gave me a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, I hadn't scared him off completely.

I needed to tell him about my plan, and I prayed that he would go along with it. There was so much at stake. I couldn't bear the thought of facing it alone.

Eli hopped onto the counter, grabbing for the plate in my hands. Sugar was that man’s kryptonite, and I hoped the stack of sweet, syrupy goodness would finally get some calories in his system. And when it took him all of two second to start shoveling food into his mouth and making noises that bordered on the obscene, I couldn’t help but smile.

"These are amazing,” he garbled around a mouthful. “I forgot how much I loved your pancakes." I basked in the small victory of seeing him eat anything—even if it was sure to give him a stomachache.

"You're welcome," I replied, injecting as much warmth into my tone as I could muster. Sensing the perfect moment, I took a deep breath and powered ahead. "So, I spoke with your dad."

His brow furrowed, but it only made him look more adorable. "You’re coming with me to Canada. You’ll be working remotely from there.”

Eli blinked. "Why would I do that?" he asked skeptically.

I brushed off the ache in my chest, determined to stay focused. "Because I'm done with us being apart," I declared, managing to keep my voice steady. "We're best friends, and your friends miss you too. It's time to be surrounded by people who love you."

He chewed a little slower, his response coming out uncertain. "I don’t know, Jar. I’m not the same guy from college. I don’t know if I can be that guy anymore.”

I fought against the protest rising at the sound of him doubting himself. But I pushed it aside. Regardless of a romantic relationship, I was determined to put the light back in those eyes.

"Come live with me, see the guys. Get on the ice, remember a little bit of what you’ve pushed aside," I whispered, trying to mask the desperation in my voice. His gaze lingered on mine as he weighed his response. "Sweetheart, I don’t ask for much, and I know I don’t deserve it after hurting you the way I did, but please—just humor me. Seeing you like this is killing me, and I don’t want to say goodbye to you ever again. Please come home with me."

He paused, his lips pressed together in contemplation before he finally nodded. "Fine. But you have to keep me warm because Canada is fucking cold," he said with a hint of a smile, a flicker of his old self showing.

A laugh bubbled up from within me, unexpected and free, released by the mere presence of Elias Michaels. "I promise to keep you warm, sweetheart," I replied, feeling a flicker of warmth in my chest.

For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw something more in his eyes, but I quickly brushed it aside. I couldn't afford to let myself believe in something that might leave me shattered once again.