Again, he nodded. He would never be Derek, but that look in Austin’s eyes still made him nervous. If there was ever a guy to steer clear of, it was his best friend when he was pissed.

“Now, whose turn is it?” Austin inquired gruffly.

Sam continued to stare blankly at them as if still in shock. “What?” They both asked him in unison, though Henrik mouthed curse words at Sam.

Austin let him off easy about the date, but there was a big difference between a fancy team function and a bathroom wall. He was an asshole, not an idiot.

“Nothing,” Sam asserted, waving them back to their card game, “just minding my own business.”

Austin let it pass, and Henrik fell back in his seat with a thud. That was close. Too close.

***

The week seemed to rush by in a blur, but that tended to happen during the middle of the season. Henrik had back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday, which left little time between sleeping and practice to do anything else. However, he made sure of one thing, and that was that Leila knew she was on his mind. They’d been texting each other regularly all week, and to his complete delight, she seemed to have finally relaxed. She was actually semi-flirtatious with him. Compared to the resting bitch face he was accustomed to seeing, it was a grand improvement.

Henrik: Found a dress yet?

 

Practice just ended, which meant he was free and clear with nothing on his calendar until after the event Saturday night. He left his phone sitting on the shelf in his locker, waiting eagerly for her reply as he changed clothes.

Leila: Maybe. Why so interested?

 

Henrik: Why so secretive?

 

Leila: Not secretive. Just curious why you’re so interested in dresses all of a sudden.

 

Henrik: Because there are only two types of dresses. Conservative and not conservative. A guy needs to be prepared.

 

Leila: Prepared how, exactly?

 

Henrik: If you choose a not conservative dress, it might be wise for a guy to wear briefs instead of boxers so he doesn’t embarrass himself.

 

Leila: You. Are. Ridiculous.

 

Henrik: The word you’re looking for is HONEST. So, what’s the verdict?

 

It took longer for her to answer, but when she did, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Leila: I’d go with the briefs.

 

Austin gave his head a shove from the locker next to him, knocking him off balance. “Stop fucking smiling so much. You look like an ass.”

“How is that different from how he normally looks?” Callen said with a laugh from across the room.

Henrik fell on top of his gym bag before grabbing a glove and chucking it back at Austin’s head. Then he shot Callen the finger. Callen laughed, disappearing into the shower. Austin held his hand out and helped him up. “So, can I assume you’re not joining us tonight?” Henrik smiled, and Austin smiled back. “Good boy.”

“Thanks for the approval, Dad.”

Austin laughed. “We can always go to dinner first. Leila can go too.”

“She’s shopping with Drew,” he said, grabbing his phone and stuffing it deep into his bag, “so I have a feeling she’ll be ready to crash.”

In fact, he knew she would. An all-day shopping trip meant she’d be tired. He still worried about her.

“I’ll catch you afterward then,” Austin said, smiling, “because I fully expect to find you in your bed when I get home. Alone.”

Henrik grabbed a towel and smiled over his shoulder at his best friend. “Naturally.”

***

That evening, Henrik sent Drew a text to tell him he was letting himself in their apartment to wait for them. He eyed Leila’s room from down the hall, assuring himself that snooping would be wrong. She’d tell him eventually. It was probably something minor anyway, which was why she hadn’t brought it up since that night at the pond. She hadn’t had any other episodes since that night, or at least, not that he’d noticed.

He made himself go sit in the living room. He fiddled anxiously with the remote until he heard the key turn in the lock. Leila walked in carrying a white garment bag across her arm. He shot her a smile, recalling their conversation from earlier, and she returned it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten to know a woman well enough to have an inside joke.

It was kind of fun.

His concern eased.

“So, do I get to see?” he inquired, nodding toward the garment bag.

“Of course,” she smiled, twirling around, “tomorrow.”

“Boo. You’re no fun.”

She shrugged, taking the bag toward her room, leaving him alone with his brother. Drew waited until she was halfway down the hallway to turn around. “Can we talk?” he asked quietly.

There was a redness to his eyes as if he’d been crying. “Sure. What’s wrong?”

“I meant can we talk, privately?” Drew looked back down the hallway again.

“Okay,” he agreed, eyeing his brother suspiciously. “Where?”

“Let’s go to the balcony,” he said, ushering him toward to the door.

They slid silently through the glass doors that led out to the small balcony, and Drew shut them as quietly as possible. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

“Maybe.” Drew sighed, worry creasing the lines on his face. “I think Leila might be sick.”

Just hearing the words from Drew’s mouth made his stomach drop. It immediately brought back memories of the Halloween party, her face pale as he helped her off the ice. “What do you mean?”

“Leila hardly ever leaves the apartment. Except, once a week, every Monday morning, she disappears for a couple hours.”

“Maybe she goes shopping, or to the store. She’s allowed to have a life.” He was making excuses, and he knew it.

“She’s always tired,” he continued, his voice becoming more strained by the second. “I know you’ve noticed it too. She has headaches. I thought maybe it was just the stress of everything getting to her, but today I saw her taking medicine at lunch. She tried to hide it from me, but I saw her.”

“People take medicine for all kinds of reasons.” He clenched his hands around the railing. “It could have been birth control, for all you know.”

“Why would she hide it from me?”

And there was the problem. The secrecy. Henrik knew there was something Leila wasn’t telling them. She had already admitted that to him, and as much as he tried to keep it in the back of his mind, he knew Drew would never be able to stop thinking about it. It would be like reliving their last days with their mother all over again.

“It worries me.” He looked like that twelve-year-old kid again, the one who constantly stood by the window, the phone always nearby, waiting and hoping what he knew wasn’t actually true. “I mean, her showing up here all of a sudden, wanting to spend more time with us. What if she’s dying or something?”

Henrik hugged him. He couldn’t stop himself. He felt utterly helpless, but most of all, he shared that same fear. He tried not to show it, or even feel it, but it was still there, just under the surface.

What if he lost Leila too?

“I will talk to her, okay?” he tried, keeping his voice as even as possible. “Just don’t stress yourself out about it. It’s probably nothing.”

Drew nodded, looking away to wipe the single tear from his cheek.

“Hey, where did you go?” Leila called out from inside.

Drew still looked pale, so Henrik did his best to reassure him. “I’ll take care of it.”

They went back inside, and Drew did his best to look normal before excusing himself to his room. Henrik took his place back on the couch, and Leila joined him. “What’s wrong with Drew?” she asked. “He’s been acting weird all day.”