53. Jackson
Jackson
I walked into the locker room, the heavy smell of ice and antiseptic hitting me after the suffocating air of the cemetery.
I was still wearing the dark suit I’d rushed into for the service, the one I usually wore on game days; it felt like a costume for two vastly different events.
Logan and Donovan were waiting for me, both standing near my stall, their faces etched with concern.
It was the first time I’d seen them since I’d left for the funeral, and seeing their familiar, steady presence almost broke me again.
Donovan immediately noticed the raw grief I was trying to mask.
He put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“We’re here for you, man. Whatever you need. ”
“You don’t understand,” I choked out, tears burning my eyes. “It’s not just that his friend died. It’s… It’s him.” The words came out as a desperate, messy whisper. “I’m falling for him, guys. I think I’m already in love with him. I can’t lose him.”
Logan and Donovan exchanged a long, heavy look. They knew about the letters, but they hadn’t seen this side of me before.
“I know it sounds insane,” I continued, running a shaky hand over my face.
“I’ve never met him. I don’t know his voice, hell, I don’t even know what he looks like!
But he’s the only person who’s ever truly seen me, and now he’s trapped over there, completely alone, and I can’t do a damn thing to help.
Brody was his safe person. And now he’s gone. It feels like the world just ended.”
“It doesn’t sound insane, Jackson,” Donovan said quietly, his gaze steady and compassionate. “You found someone real. That’s rare. And you’re grieving for two people right now, Brody and the guy you’ve fallen for.”
“We’re not going to let him go through this alone,” Logan declared, his voice firm. “We’re your family, man. And Splash is part of that now. We’ll figure out what to do next.”