“So what sorts of things have you been doing together?” Mom asked.
Fabian was glad he didn’t blush easily. “Just stuff. He comes to my shows. He’s hung out with my friends. He’s nice. We get along.”
“Have you been to any games?” Sonia asked. “If you can get free Guardians tickets and you’re not taking them, I’m going to scream.”
“I’ve never asked,” Fabian said truthfully. He felt suddenly guilty about that.Shouldhe feel guilty about that?
Sonia made a noise that Fabian interpreted asGod, my brother is such a fucking weirdo.He couldn’t ignore that one.
“What, Sonia?”
“Nothing. I just can’t believe he’s friends with you. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well,” Mom said. “He’s always been a little odd, hasn’t he?”
“He definitely has a history of strange behavior,” Dad agreed. “And there was that thing that happened last year.”
Fabian couldn’t stop himself. “What thing?”
Sonia laughed. “Oh my god. You don’t even know, do you? He had a total fucking meltdown.”
“During a game!” her stupid husband, Paul, added. “On the bench. He just...freaked out and had to leave the game. I heard he stripped naked and was screaming about bugs living in his brain or something.”
“Could be drugs,” Mom said. “Some players just can’t handle the pressure. They become addicts.”
None of that sounded right to Fabian. He frowned at his plate, no longer hungry. Under the table, Amy put a hand on his knee and squeezed. “I’m sure it was all exaggerated,” she said.
“I don’t know,” Dad said. “He didn’t play much for the rest of that season. And then Buffalo traded him to Toronto.”
“Surprised Toronto wanted him,” said stupid Paul. “I guess he’s still scary as hell. Maybe being crazy makes him scarier.”
“He’snotcrazy,” Fabian said.
“It’s a shame, whatever it is,” Mom said. “He was a good kid when he lived with us. Very polite.”
Fabian excused himself and went to his room, exactly the same way he’d done countless times when he’d been a teenager. His stomach hurt and his eyes were stinging. Had Ryan really had a public meltdown? If so, what had caused it? And how hard was it for him to keep playing hockey after it happened? After knowing everyone in the hockey world thought he was...broken? An addict? A joke?
God, Ryan.
Fabian sent him a single red heart emoji, and then got into bed. It would seem like a silly gesture, but it was the best representation of how Fabian was feeling right now. He wanted to give Ryan his heart.
But who was he kidding? Ryan already had it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fabian could tell Ryan was still in pain when he met him in the lobby of Ryan’s building. He wanted to leap into his arms, wrap his legs around his waist, and kiss him breathless. But he settled for gently resting a hand on each of Ryan’s biceps.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“How are you feeling?”
Ryan grimaced. “Still sore.”
Fabian took Ryan’s hand and tugged him toward the elevator. “It just so happens that I am in the mood for a day of doing absolutely nothing but loafing around with my adorable boyfriend.”
“You’re in luck,” Ryan chuckled.
