10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

ETHAN

I drift in and out of sleep, still basking in the afterglow.

No worries weigh on my mind, just the lingering bliss.

As I wake up, Amanda's call breaks the morning silence, and I answer, groggy but content.

"Hey, Ethan," her tone is calm. "Senna has Career Day soon."

I jump into a seated position, rubbing my forehead and looking around for my clothes. They are everywhere.

"I did it for his class last year. As long as I'm in Detroit with no conflicts, I'll do it."

"You better!" she gently scolds me, "My brother Dan offered to go, but the school obviously prefers a star NHL player to a lawyer."

I chuckle, "How are you doing?"

"Fine," she says. "Popped a tire yesterday. Patched it up myself and wasn't even late picking up Senna from practice!"

"Nice!" I cheer.

"And how about you? You are sounding awfully peppy this morning."

Here we go.

I'm not the lying type, and with Amanda, it wasn't as much as I didn't want to lie, it was the fact that I couldn't.

"Mia and I had sex," I admit, with absolutely no regrets.

"Oh naughty!" Amanda says slyly. "What led to it?"

"Tension," I confess. "And lots of it. She kissed me in the elevator, and then we met the following night and sparks flew."

"Aw, cute!" Now she's giggling. "How does it feel, breaking the dry spell? Please don't follow her around like a little puppy dog like you did to me after the first time we had sex."

"No…!" Now I'm the one laughing, nervously. "But I feel like it. I'm giddy, I'm stupid. I don't know what's come over me."

"You're falling for her, Ethan," she teases. "Or thinking with your dick, which is the same in my book."

"Why do I feel guilty as hell?" I ask as I try to translate into words what I feel in my chest.

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I answer. "Mia's my brother's ex. He is going to kill me when he finds out."

"He doesn't need to know, Ethan," Amanda interjects back. "Unless… Oh, you are falling for her already, aren't you?"

I ignore her teases as I plop back against the mattress. "Amanda… I don't think I'll be able to live with myself if I don't come clean with Ryan."

"Well…" I can hear her eye roll through the phone. "He did tell you he was over her, didn't he?"

"He did," I nod. "Still, it feels weird."

"I bet," Amanda says. "I mean, how would you feel if I slept with Ryan?"

"Angry and uncomfortable," I reply immediately. "Very angry and very uncomfortable."

She sighs, "Just be careful. Mia has a say in how this is handled too. It's her ex-boyfriend after all."

I bite down on my lip and grunt, "Yeah, you're right. Think I should talk to her?"

"Sounds wise," Amanda agrees. "Busy day today?"

"Nope," I decide to stand up and head to the bathroom, in serious need of a shower. "Just resting a little before heading to North Carolina."

"Sounds like a great day to talk to her," Amanda says, and I have to agree.

We bid our goodbyes and I take a long shower. Once out, I quickly dry myself with the towel and go get dressed, ready for lunch, my stomach growling.

I then realize that I don't know how to reach Mia. We are connected on social media, but my social media is dealt with by a marketing firm. The passwords are on my laptop, which I conveniently forgot at home.

I don't have her phone number. We're staying at the same hotel, but all I know is the floor where she's staying. The best I can do is to try my luck and ask around about her.

But first things first: I need to eat. It feels like I haven't eaten in ages, and only after stuffing my face with steak and fries do I look around to see who's there.

I spot Raphael sitting with Sarah, but those two only have eyes for each other and unsurprisingly haven't seen Mia. I check with Riker, Ruslav, and Andrews, but none of them have seen her either.

Giving up, I invite Raphael to hang out, but he has other plans with Sarah. I sigh. Being single makes me feel more left out than I expected.

Maybe things will change. Or maybe not. Who am I to predict the future, especially a future with very awkward Christmases while dating my brother's ex?

The next day, I still haven't been able to talk to Mia. I'm at the airport waiting to catch a short charter flight to North Carolina. With any luck, I'll see her today when she travels with the team.

It's early in the morning, and I'm leaning on my carry-on with a cup of coffee and a donut, waiting for Raphael and Sarah to take their orders and come join me, all while trying to spot Mia.

Suddenly somebody bumps into me in the crowded walkway, and half of my coffee hits the floor. "Look at where you're going!" I complain, only to find Mia there.

"I'm sorry!" she murmurs, eyes low. "I was just trying to find the gate."

I lean my head down towards her. "Listen, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Mia takes a step back to look at me, furrowing her brow. "What's on your mind?"

I bite my lip. "I haven't told anyone about us."

"Um," she swallows nervous laughter. "Thanks?"

"Yeah…" My composure falters as I proceed. "But I think Ryan needs to know."

She furrows her brow even harder, looking like my suggestion is causing her physical pain. "What on earth made you think about that?"

I feel like I'm being stared at like I'm a two-headed calf. Mia looks at me with such disbelief that I start to doubt myself. Taking a deep breath, I compose myself and feign the confidence I'm lacking.

"He's my brother, Mia," I explain, forcing myself to sound calm. "And this is important."

And her expression softens into a mixture of compassion and pity that makes me feel miserable, but I refuse to show it.

"I thought we agreed we would just have fun, Ethan. Oh, my…" her voice is fleeting, and she feels her forehead, averting her eyes from me. "I'm sorry."

She offers her apologies again, but this time, I don't take it. I bury words I don't want to say in a bite of my donut, wash it down with coffee, and take a deep breath.

When she apologizes again, I just frown. "You keep on saying that. It has lost meaning," I say with nonchalance.

When I look at Mia, I notice that I've rocked her off her balance. All I want is to apologize and make her feel better, but I've already made a bigger fool of myself than is possible to encompass on a Tuesday morning.

Mia lifts her head and gives me a forced smile, destroying me even further. "Good luck at your next game. I hope you win."

"Thanks," I answer with the strained voice of a destroyed man.

"Ethan, what kind of donut did you get?" Raphael comes with a giant cup of coffee and a bear claw in hand, kicking his luggage ahead of him as he approaches me. I'm grateful for the distraction.

"Chocolate glazed," I say, with a mouthful. "Mia, do you—?"

But when I turn around, Mia is no longer by my side. She's fleeing to the gate, eager to be the first one at the airplane's doors.

I officially blew it.