“Anyway,” he continues, “speaking of sleep, I’m gonna knock out soon.” To drive the point home, he yawns, and it’s infectious.
“Oh, yeah. Um, goodnight, I guess?”
“Goodnight.” He closes his eyes, but he doesn’t hang up. His body slackens and he falls asleep right then and there. On a call with me.
Watching him sleep is the epitome of being creepy, so I force myself to end the call, even though Erik is so adorable when he’s asleep. I stare at the black screen of my phone, my brain going haywire, trying and failing to save myself from this freefall into an emotional abyss.
I mean, by definition, freefall means that there’s nothing to grab onto, so yeah, I’m fucked.
I hear movement downstairs, but I decide to let myself wallow for a few more minutes.
Not thirty seconds later, there’s a knock on the door, and Stefano walks in. So much for wallowing.
“Uh, I was going to ask if you called him and how that went, but you’re wrapped in a blanket and clutching your phone, so…”
“He’s so sweet.”
“Alright, I’m guessing it was great and terrible at the same time.”
I don’t answer, choosing to whine instead. “Why the hell am I like this?”
Stefano sighs and walks over. “Because you’re Luke. You're a strong, confident guy who falls like a boulder whenever you’re into someone.”
“Make it stop,” I groan, even louder this time.
He snorts, sitting down on the bed and placing a hand on my back. “Nah. That’s on you, and you need to decide if moving on is something you want.”
It isn’t. It really isn’t, and that doesn’t help me at all.
“Hey,” Stefano says. “Your parents offered for us to use the hot tub after dinner. Maybe that’ll help you feel better.”
“Yeah, it might.”
“You know, you should post a shirtless picture in the hot tub to keep this guy’s attention.”
I freeze. “Seriously? Do I even want his attention?”
“Yeah, you do. Go in the tub, throw some water on yourself, and show off your gains.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Maybe pose a little, flex those biceps…”
“Dude, I’m not gonna pose like a douche.”
He smirks. “Maybe you’ll change your mind after a few drinks. Now let’s help your parents with dinner.”
12
ERIK
“Why the hell is Sweden so cold, and why did I come back here?” I grumble, pulling my insufficient jacket tighter around me.
“Dude, didn’t you live in Canada for two years?” Nils asks.
“Yeah, and it was worse over there.” The wind picks up and I grit my teeth, willing myself to push forward. “I’ll never get used to this shit. Trade me to a league in Spain.”
Nils chuckles. “Well, you’re kind of screwed career-wise if you want to live somewhere warm.Iceis needed to playicehockey, right?”
Another gust of wind hits me in the face, and I seethe. “Give me some roller skates and I’ll prove you wrong.”
“You know, Norre? You’re funny as hell. I’m glad you’re hanging out with me.”
