LOGINThe phone rang at 6am.Jay was still half asleep when he heard it. He reached for it blindly. His hand knocked over a glass of water. The cold liquid soaked the sheets. He cursed under his breath.Cole stirred next to him."Who is it?" Cole mumbled."I don't know."Jay squinted at the screen. His agent. Not Elena. His hockey agent. Why would he be calling this early?"Hello?""Cole." It was Mark. His voice was tight. "I have news."Cole sat up. He took the phone from Jay. "What kind of news?""The kind you've been waiting for. And the kind you've been dreading.""What does that mean?""You've been traded."The words hung in the air. Jay watched Cole's face. It went pale. Then blank. Then something else. Something Jay couldn't read."Traded where?" Cole asked."Seattle. The expansion team. They want you as their captain.""Seattle?""Seattle. It's a big opportunity. They're building something new. They want you to lead it."Cole was quiet. His jaw was tight. His hand was gripping the p
The apartment was quiet.Jay sat on the couch. The TV was off. The windows were open. A soft breeze moved the curtains. He stared at the wall. His hands were empty. No brush. No canvas. No paint. Just his hands.Cole walked in from the kitchen. He sat next to Jay. He didn't say anything. He just sat there."I don't know what to do with myself," Jay said."You rest.""I've been resting for three days.""Then rest more."Jay shook his head. "I can't. My hands feel useless."Cole looked at him. "Your hands are not useless.""They feel useless.""Then hold something."Jay looked at him. "Like what?"Cole reached over and took Jay's hands. He held them in his own."Hold this," Cole said.Jay was quiet. He looked at their hands intertwined."That's not what I meant.""I know.""Then why did you do that?""Because you needed to feel something."Jay laughed. It was weak. But it was real. "You're impossible.""I'm determined.""It's the same thing.""It's not.""It is."The next day, Jay went
Jay couldn't sleep.He lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Tokyo was over. The show was done. The paintings were gone. He had nothing left to do. Nothing left to create. The silence was heavy. He couldn't turn it off.Cole was asleep next to him. His breathing was steady. His arm was draped across Jay's chest. Jay didn't move. He didn't want to wake him.He stared at the ceiling until the sky outside turned from black to gray. Then he got up.He walked to the kitchen. He made coffee. He sat at the table. He stared at the wall.Cole found him an hour later."Jay," Cole said. His voice was rough with sleep."I'm here.""You're up early.""Couldn't sleep."Cole sat next to him. "Thinking about Tokyo?""Thinking about everything."Cole reached for his hand. "You don't have to decide today.""I know.""But you're going to think about it anyway."Jay nodded. "I'm going to think about it anyway."Jay went to the studio that morning.The room was empty. The walls were bare. He stood in the mid
The flight to Tokyo was long.Jay sat by the window. Cole sat next to him. The plane lifted off. The city shrank below them. Jay pressed his face to the glass. He watched until the buildings disappeared. Then he watched the clouds. Then he watched nothing at all."You're quiet," Cole said."I'm thinking.""About the show?""About everything."Cole reached over. He took Jay's hand. "We're going to be okay.""We?""Us. Together. Always."Jay squeezed his hand. "I love you."Cole squeezed back. "I know."The hotel was in Shinjuku.Small room. Big window. A view of the city. Jay stood by the window and stared at it. The lights were everywhere. Neon signs. Tall buildings. Millions of people. He didn't know what he was feeling. Excitement. Fear. Something in between.Cole came up behind him. He put his arms around Jay's waist."What are you thinking?""That I'm here. Tokyo. The gallery. It's real.""It's real.""I don't know if I'm ready."Cole turned him around. "You're ready.""What if I'
Jay couldn't sleep.He lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The new paintings were finished. Twelve pieces. Twelve new voices. He had no idea what to do with them. No gallery. No show. No deadline. Just the work.Cole was asleep next to him. His breathing was steady. His arm was draped across Jay's chest. Jay didn't move. He didn't want to wake him.He stared at the ceiling until the sky outside turned from black to gray. Then he got up.He walked to the kitchen. He made coffee. He sat at the table. He stared at the wall.Cole found him an hour later."Jay," Cole said. His voice was rough with sleep."I'm here.""You're up early.""Couldn't sleep."Cole sat next to him. "Thinking about the paintings?""Thinking about everything."Cole reached for his hand. "You don't have to decide today.""I know.""But you're going to think about it anyway."Jay nodded. "I'm going to think about it anyway."Jay went to the studio that morning.The room was full. The walls were covered. Twelve new pain
The tour was over.Jay stood in the empty studio. The walls were bare. The canvases were gone. They were scattered across the world now. London. New York. Chicago. Berlin. Hanging on walls. Being seen. He had nothing left to do. Nothing left to create.He sat on the floor. His legs gave out. He leaned against the wall.Cole walked in. He didn't say anything. He just sat next to Jay."It's over," Jay said."I know.""I don't know how to feel.""How do you feel?""Relieved. Scared. Empty."Cole nodded. "That makes sense.""Does it?""Yeah. You've been running for so long. It's okay to stop."Jay was quiet for a moment. "I don't know who I am without this."Cole put his arm around him. "You're Jay. That's who you are.""It doesn't feel like enough.""It's everything."Jay spent the next few days doing nothing.He sat on the couch. He watched the rain. He watched the cars. He watched the people walking by. He didn't paint. He didn't plan. He didn't think about deadlines.Cole stayed with
Chapter Fourteen :Jay pov I woke up at 5am to the sound of rain hitting my window.The sky was gray. The streets were wet. My apartment was cold. I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders and stared at the ceiling.I'd been doing that a lot lately. Staring at ceilings. Thinking about things
Chapter Thirteen :Cole pov I didn't sleep after Maya let me in.Not that night. Not the next night. I just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying every word she said.You're still my brother. I still love you. Even when I'm angry.Those words kept me alive.The guest house was dark. Quiet.
Chapter Twelve : Maya povI stared at my phone for twenty minutes before I typed the message.My thumb hovered over the keyboard. My heart was pounding. My hands were shaking. I hadn't spoken to Jay in weeks. Not really. A few texts. Short ones. Careful ones. Nothing that meant anything.But I coul
Chapter Eleven : Cole pov I woke up at 4am and couldn't fall back asleep.The guest house was dark. Quiet. Too quiet. I could hear the wind outside. A car driving past somewhere in the distance. My own heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Thump. Like it was reminding me I was still alive. Still here. Still br







