Chapter 36 Tristan
TRISTAN
The conversation wound down as dawn bled across Alek’s windows.
Eva pushed back from the table. “I need to lie down. My brain is—” She pressed her palms against her temples. “I need to process.”
“Get some sleep,” Alek said, kissing her forehead. “My bedroom,” he murmured, and she looked up at him softly. When she opened her mouth, he raised an eyebrow. “Rules, remember?”
Eva rubbed her cheek against his then stood up. “Yes, Sir.”
Alek’s smile was so fucking handsome, so full of affection, my heart squeezed. We all watched her go until she disappeared down the hallway and the door clicked shut, just out of sight. We’d destroyed this, and I felt like shit all over again.
Cole dropped his head into his hands. “Fuck.”
“She’ll be okay,” I said, not sure I believed it.
“Will she?” His voice cracked. “After everything I—”
“You’re here now. You’re going to do things differently going forward,” Alek interrupted, his accent thick with exhaustion. “And you’re going to get help for your drinking.”
Cole grimaced but scrubbed his face, looking young and desperate and so fucking tired.
“You should get help because you need it, but if you need another incentive, whomever replaces me isn’t going to let you stay on the team long when he realizes what’s going on.”
Cole nodded. “I don’t know how to do it without my father finding out.”
“We’ll figure it out, all right?” I promised.
“But first, you both need sleep,” Alek said, gentler. “We’ll talk more when you’re not dead on your feet.”
Cole nodded slowly then stood. I followed him out, squeezing Alek’s shoulder as I passed. Cole was asleep within minutes of hitting the guest room bed. I should have slept too, but my mind wouldn’t stop spinning.
I headed back to the kitchen, where Alek was cleaning up after us—a fucking metaphor if I ever saw one.
When I started loading the dishwasher without asking, he grunted in acknowledgment, hands full of Tupperware.
His fridge was a marked contrast to the rest of his house—containers of takeout and leftovers stacked haphazardly, no organization, half of them probably expired. It was so at odds with the rest of his militant tidiness, I found myself smiling.
“You know this isn’t going to work if you’re trying to save everyone by yourself.” I kept my voice low, casual.
He continued shoving containers into the fridge without responding.
“I mean, fucking my coach is hot—”
The strangled noise he made was gratifying. His head whipped toward me, eyes intense, a flush creeping up his neck.
I grinned. “But dating someone who doesn’t see me as an equal isn’t.”
Alek held my gaze. He didn’t point out that I was a hypocrite for saying that after blackmailing Eva, didn’t throw my own shit back in my face like I deserved.
Instead, his mouth tilted into a half smile. “You think it’s me trying to save everyone?”
“Isn’t it?”
He scrubbed both hands over his face then shut the fridge. He looked at the dishwasher, then looked at me, then back at the dishwasher.
His jaw tightened. His fingers literally twitched.
I waited, grinning wider, holding in my laughter.
“Dishwasher pods are under the sink,” he gritted out.
I laughed, the sound surprising me with its genuineness. “How much did it cost you to not fix the dishes?”
The dish towel caught me across the ass, sharp enough to sting. Then, Alek was yanking me close, kissing my forehead with a tenderness that stole my breath.
And I fucking melted into him.
I arranged us so we were hugging, my arms around his waist, his around my shoulders. He was broader than me, solid, and I could feel his heartbeat against my cheek.
“We’re going to solve this problem together,” I murmured into his chest. “All four of us.”
He squeezed me tight enough to hurt then pressed his forehead against mine, warmth ghosting over my lips as we shared breaths. “Together.”
When I pulled back, his eyes were thoughtful. “This could fuck up your future. You know that.”
My laugh was short and bitter. “I blackmailed a girl for sex with my best friend. There’s evidence in her phone. I’d rather be fucked for doing the right thing than for that.”
Respect crossed his face, or maybe it was just bone-deep exhaustion.
We finished cleaning in comfortable silence. Dawn had fully broken now, the pale light making everything softer.
“Fuck,” Alek muttered, checking his phone. “You’re supposed to train this morning.”
“With no coach? I think I can skip one workout.”
“I’ll wake you at noon.” He paused, and the weight of his sacrifice settled over my shoulders. We couldn’t let Carter get away with this. “Get some sleep, Tristan.”