Chapter 6 #2
August felt like he was supposed to do something, but he wasn’t sure what. He hadn’t grown up in a physically affectionate family, so comforting someone wasn’t second nature to him.
Still, he touched his hand to Niko’s back, applying pressure so he knew he was there.
Niko turned to him, blinking to cover up his shock before giving August an approving smile.
There, he did it. That wasn’t so hard.
“Your nan wouldn’t want us to be sittin’ here, crying over her,” said Robert. “I’ll keep her in my thoughts, and you enjoy your Christmas with the boys.”
“Thanks, Pops.” Niko smiled and took another drink of his hot chocolate. “Who’s all coming? No one was willing to confirm on the group chat, and I was in a rush to get this guy moving, so I never saw the answers.”
Robert chuckled and shook his head. “I think Ryan and his boyfriend are joining Max for Christmas—”
“They’re not boyfriends,” Niko interjected.
“Yup,” Robert said, laughing. “And the rest of the Toronto guys had plans, but Arlo and étienne are coming for sure, which means Sébastien won’t. Jin showed up yesterday and has already made a mess of the house, so Harrison might kill him before Christmas is over.”
August knew who these guys were, but it was weird to think he would be hanging out with them in a casual setting. He blamed the adrenaline for getting him to where he was now, but he was starting to sincerely regret his choice.
He sat quietly and half-listened to what Robert and Niko were talking about, but he needed a minute to process and recenter himself before he had to face what was happening. He was about to talk to people who didn’t know him, and that meant he had to think of things to say about himself.
What could he say, though? August had a boring life other than his hockey career. Who needed to hear about that when they all did the same thing?
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed while he pondered his life choices, but when the door on the opposite side of him opened and unleashed a chilly gust of air inside, August knew he had been thinking for too long.
“Move,” said Fraser, yanking on Niko’s jacket like he was prepared to rip him out of the vehicle. “I call dibs on the middle so I can see the road.”
Niko grumbled a response that August couldn’t hear, but then he was gone, swiftly replaced by Fraser, who leaned into August’s side.
Killinger took the driver’s seat, his movements jerky and uncoordinated as he lifted his left leg and slammed the door shut. He was hissing and squeezing his eyes shut, like he had hurt himself on the walk over.
“Too cold?” Fraser asked, sitting up so he could shove himself between the front seats.
“It’s fine,” said Harrison in a tone that hinted it wasn’t fine. “Let’s get back to the house before any more snow falls.”
Niko grabbed Fraser by his jacket and pulled him back into his seat, gesturing for August to hand him the seatbelt so he could lock the fidgeting man in place.
“You get yourself inside as soon as we get home, and I’ll start on dinner,” Robert told Killinger. “You can help me once you’ve warmed that old rust bucket of yours up.”
August flinched when he realized what was bothering Killinger. He had forgotten about his leg injury, which had been awful according to social media.
He was distracted by his line of thought and Killinger’s aggressive reversal out of the parking spot when Fraser took his hand, holding it tightly like Niko had in the airport.
“I was scared Niko wouldn’t be able to convince you to come, but I’m glad you agreed,” said Fraser, offering him another one of his sunny smiles. “And thanks for making friends with him. He’s a bit of a recluse.”
Friends? August hadn’t made friends with Niko—not even close. Sometimes, he thought Niko hated him because he was such an asshole.
“And I’m sorry that Bash gave you shit your second game in. He can be an aggressive asshole, but I swear he’s cool.”
Niko scoffed. “The real asshole Park. You have him handled?”
Fraser crossed his arms. “He behaves around Harrison.”
Niko gave August a look over Fraser’s head that he couldn’t read, but he assumed his teammate was exasperated by his friend.
There was a standoff between Niko and Fraser, which lasted a total of sixty awkward seconds, before Fraser turned his attention back on August.
“Niko said you were planning to spend Christmas alone at your house. Did you not want to visit your parents?”
Why? So he could sit and listen to his mother spew Bible verses for days on end and hear about how many sins he had committed since she’d last seen him?
“She’s busy,” August said instead. “She’ll be at church for most of Christmas break, so staying home is easier.”
He didn’t know what he had said to upset Fraser, but his words had the shorter man leaning into his side, like he was trying to comfort him. August wasn’t used to all the attention, and he felt bad for making Jett worry, but he didn’t know how to fix it.
“Christmas with us will be more fun,” said Niko. “Hopefully, someone will spike the eggnog when Harrison isn’t looking.”
“And hopefully no one brings an axe,” said Jett, which made no fucking sense.
Robert and Killinger cursed, and August had to grab onto the handle when the Jeep jerked roughly.
“Goddamnit, Jett.” Killinger shot a glare over his shoulder at his husband. “Can we fucking not?”
August had no clue what was happening, and it appeared that he was the only one not in the loop because Niko was pale.
Had an axe been involved in the incident last year? August really should have asked Niko for a little more detail before agreeing to go with him.
“Joking about it makes it less scary,” said Fraser. “Which is the whole point of throwing this party, Grumbles. We’re not going to get over it unless we work through it, just like our therapist said.”
The tension eased just enough to allow August to breathe again. He was debating asking Killinger to turn around so he could catch the next flight home when Fraser pulled on his sleeve to get his attention.
“If I made you uncomfortable, I’m really sorry. Please, don’t ask us to turn around.”
August peered into Fraser’s eyes, getting lost in all the brown and gold. He didn’t understand it, but there was something in Fraser’s expression that was telling him he wanted August there, like really wanted him there.
August had never been needed by anyone, not even by people who he knew were supposed to love him.
“I’m staying,” said August, and relief filled him after saying the words out loud. “But could you…tell me what happened, if it’s not too much? I know it’s shitty to ask, but I don’t like the idea of going into this situation blindly, not knowing if I’ll upset anyone.”
Fraser elbowed August to make him relax. “I got you, buddy. If you have any pearls, get ready to clutch them.”
And that was how August learned the true story of what happened during last Christmas break; sitting in the back seat of a Jeep, driving through a snowstorm to the scene of the crime.
What the fuck had he gotten himself into?