Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
Axel
Coach is not sorry. Coach is beaming.
We won 7-2, Enzo and I each snagging hat tricks and three assists, which apparently hasn’t been done by the Blizzards before. Whatever.
Coach should savor it while it lasts.
Steam curls off my skin, and I’m rubbing my hair dry when I notice Enzo edging toward the door.
“You want a grape, Bellanti?” Luke holds out a bag of plump grapes. “Sebastian and I had a wine and cheese night yesterday.”
Enzo pales, and I watch his throat move. His hand twitches at his side like he’s resisting the urge to step back.
I smirk.
“You had a wine and cheese night?” Troy asks Luke.
Luke is the himbo-est of us all.
“Uh-huh.” Luke brightens. “And grapes!”
“I’ll take a grape,” Noah says. “Grapes are a great source of Vitamin K and potassium.”
“You’re so hot,” Finn says, staring at him.
A laugh escapes Noah. “It also contains resveratrol.”
“I don’t know that vitamin,” Luke says.
“That’s because it’s specific to grapes, and you haven’t been following Finn’s channel.”
“Our channel, babe.” Finn swings an arm around his husband. “My interwebs are your interwebs. You’re my sweet puck.”
They do this staring thing, and I have to look away.
“I bet Sebastian has resveratrol in his skin care products,” Finn says. “Sebastian has great skin.”
Luke lights up. “He does.”
It’s sort of weird that so many of my teammates have gotten into relationships with men this past season, but it’s kind of sweet.
With any luck, we’ll be playing in the playoffs. We’ve been playing awesome all season, and even Enzo has been playing amazing. Carolina looked crushed.
“Give me some grapes,” I tell Luke.
Luke hands me a bunch happily. I pop one in my mouth, staring straight at Enzo. He backs away.
“These are really yummy, Luke,” I say.
“Right? It’s hard to find good grapes this time of year, but they go well with wine and cheese.”
“I think they taste good without cheese.”
“Oh, you must really like them. You can have the whole bag.” He hands it to me.
“Thank you, Luke. You’re a real friend. Very loyal.”
“And friendly,” Luke says.
“That’s right!” I laugh. “Want to try, Bellanti?”
I narrow the distance between us, then dangle the bunch in front of him, close enough for him to smell the faint, sweet grape scent. He freezes.
“That’s, uh, okay,” he says finally.
His throat moves. Got him.
“Yummy grapes.” I swing the bunch back and forth before him.
I lean closer to him, and he inhales in that way he does when I’m around. I’m half-naked, still dripping water down my chest, and the cold air prickles my skin. His gaze drops, then snaps back up.
“You eyeing the grapes, Bellanti?” I ask.
His face goes red, and he glares at me. “Yes.”
He yanks the whole bunch from my hands. His fingers tremble, and I watch him take a grape into his hand. I almost feel bad, but he glares at me again, then stuffs the grape in his mouth.
My whole body tenses as I watch his jaw work.
“That’s right,” I say. “Chew. Lots of small bites. No sudden movements.”
Enzo chews slowly.
He’s never eaten a grape in my presence since the day we met.
“I’ll be here if you need me.” I smirk.
Enzo’s jaw tightens, but he stays quiet. He’s being careful.
“Huh,” Luke says. “I think I understand now why they say grapes are romantic. Even Axel and Bellanti look like they’re about to kiss, and they hate each other.”
Enzo swallows the grape. His expression hardens. “Axel and I are definitely—”
“—not going to kiss,” I finish for him.
“To suggest that—” Enzo says, and I nod.
“—is absurd,” I finish.
This time he nods.
“Well, even Finn and Noah don’t make out in the locker room,” Luke says.
Guilty expressions go over Finn and Noah’s faces.
“Maybe they would if they fed each other grapes,” Troy says.
Luke blinks. “Do you think so?”
He stares at the grapes in Enzo’s hand.
I take the grapes and hand them back to Luke. “Why don’t you have Sebastian feed them to you?”
Luke grins.
“Enzo doesn’t have the communication skills to tell you that he doesn’t like grapes. He doesn’t explain why he used to like grapes and doesn’t anymore.”
“The grapes almost killed me,” Enzo says. “They should know why I want to avoid them.”
They almost did. That’s not an exaggeration.
I still remember the frightened way he looked at me.
There was no time to call anyone for help.
There was only me.
I got him to breathe again.
I still remember the way he collapsed against my torso, the way his hair scratched against my chin, the way he made a soft exhalation of relief.
It could have been yesterday.
I wish it were, and we had all those good years to relive.
Instead, I’m in the part where we hate each other, and I hate it so much.
“The grapes almost killed you? That’s impossible,” Luke says. “Or are you allergic?”
“He’s not allergic,” I say. “He used to like grapes. The first time I saw him, he was eating grapes.”
“Grapes don’t kill people,” Troy tells Luke. “It must be a metaphor.”
“It’s not important.” Enzo pushes the door open.
“Wait! I’m throwing a party,” Finn says. “My place. You’re welcome to join.”
I tense. I don’t want to party with Enzo.
“I can’t. I’m busy.” Enzo leaves the locker room.
Fuck.
Why is Enzo busy? He’s not the most social guy. I’m not sure he would still be in touch with anyone from Concord.
Or does he have plans with a partner? My stomach clenches. Some guy from LA? Maybe he’s going to go back to him and have wild sex.
I yank my shirt over my head and jam my feet into my shoes. Somewhere in Boston, Enzo is going to meet someone, and my hands won’t stop clenching.