All Chapters of Slapshot Awakening: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Ryker POVShe stands and gestures for me to follow, her voice low and practiced, like she’s done this a hundred times before. Maybe she has. Maybe to other people who didn’t know what they’d find when they walked around that corner.The halls are quiet. The lighting is soft, dim enough to make everything feel heavier. Every footstep echoes too loud in my ears. She leads me to a room near the end of the corridor and stops just outside the door.“He’s still asleep,” she says gently, like she knows that’s not going to make it any easier. “You can go in.”I nod, but my legs don’t move right away. My hand curls around the edge of the doorframe. I already know I’m not ready for this, but I go in anyway.The room is too white. Too quiet. The beeping from the monitor is soft, steady, mechanical, and yet somehow it feels like it’s the only thing anchoring the moment.Jaxon is lying in the hospital bed, head tilted slightly to the side, one arm resting across his stomach, the other beside him t

Jaxon POVRyker kissed me. Like really kissed me. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. My lips are dry, and my brain feels slow, like I’ve been pulled out of one reality and dropped into another without warning. He’s staring at me, eyes tight, jaw clenched, like he knows something I don’t. Like he’s waiting for something.I don’t know what he wants. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say.He breaks the silence first. “Do you remember the argument with Erin?” His voice is low, careful, but it hits like a punch to the chest. My stomach twists, sharp and tight.“What argument?” I ask, heart suddenly racing. “Is she okay?” I glance around the room and feel the dread sink deeper when I realize she’s not here.“For fuck’s sake, Jax. She’s fine. She caused it.” He runs a hand through his hair and sits on the edge of the bed like he can’t stay standing. “Can you really not remember?”I shake my head slowly. Everything feels off balance. Like there are pieces missing and I’m just no

Jaxon POVI don’t know why I argued with her. I don’t know what I said, or how I said it. All I know is she’s looking at me like I’m a burden she didn’t sign up for, and the ache in my chest has nothing to do with the crash.“I’m sorry,” I whisper.She turns away like she’s finished. “Get better. But don’t expect me to wait.”The door clicks shut behind her, and the silence she leaves behind is even louder than her voice.Ryker doesn’t sit back down. He’s still standing by the bed, hands clenched at his sides, watching the door like he might chase her down. But he doesn’t.I press my fingers into my eyes, trying to breathe past the sting.Something’s wrong. More than the accident. More than the memory loss. I feel it. Like I’ve lost something I didn’t know I had. I can’t remember, and I don’t know if I want to.Ryker doesn’t say anything for a while. Not after she leaves. He just stands there, breathing slow through his nose like he’s forcing himself to stay calm. I can’t tell if it’s

Ryker POVWhen we get back, I help Jaxon inside. The second he’s steady on his feet, I turn to walk away.“So, what, we’re no longer friends?”His voice is low, quiet, like he already knows the answer and just needs to hear me say it.“Right now? No,” I say without turning around. “You saying you regret it, or that it was a mistake, that’s one thing. But acting like I took advantage of you? That’s fucked up.”I grab my jacket from the back of the chair. “I’m going out. If you need anything, message Erin.”And just like that, I’m gone. I don’t look back. He’s alive. He’ll live. So I don’t need to feel guilty that I’m done.I don’t drive. What’s the point? I’m not coming back sober. The walk is better anyway. It gives me time to stop feeling like I’m going to explode from everything I didn’t say.The bar is loud when I walk in, music pulsing just under the sound of voices. I spot the guys near the back, drinks already in hand, and they all look up when they see me.Lucas frowns, nudging

Ryker POVHis hand is still near mine on the table, and for the first time in days, my chest doesn’t feel like it’s caving in.So I don’t pull away. I let the moment breathe. Let the silence sit. Let myself exist in this space where someone actually chooses me, not in secret, not behind closed doors, not in confusion or regret.Just chooses me, and for now, that might be enough. Aiden stays close after that, and I don’t push him away.He slides onto the stool beside me, shoulder brushing mine, his leg warm where it presses against mine under the table. The waiter comes over and Aiden orders two more drinks without even asking. One for me, one for him. I don’t argue, even though I have a full fucking bottle. I don’t want to think, don’t want to talk about what it means that he kissed me, at least not yet. I just want the burn in my chest to stop.We drink. Slowly at first. Then faster. Aiden doesn’t make a show of it, doesn’t try to get touchy or overcompensate now that we’re not prete