Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hockey Rivalry: Bed first, game later : Kabanata 151 - Kabanata 160

Daniel's POVI froze. When I finally recovered, I had to force myself to stay calm and keep my eyes on the road.“You have a crush on Kane…?” I murmured, the question slipping out quieter than I intended. My throat felt tight. I quickly signaled and pulled the car over onto the shoulder of the highway, tires crunching against gravel. The sudden stop made the seatbelt press harder against my chest.Carl’s eyes widened. He shook his head fast. “No, no. That is not what I meant. I meant before. What if I once had a crush on him? Back when we were kids?” He stammered through the words, looking a little panicked now.“Well, do you?” I asked, getting straight to it. There was no point dragging this out.Carl watched me for a second, then a small proud smile crept onto his face. “Are you jealous?” he whispered, clearly enjoying himself.“You are my boyfriend. Of course, I have every right to be jealous,” I replied, giving him an obvious look.Carl grinned like a little kid who had just won s

Carl Kōnoshima Akihiko's POVI was still chatting with Kane when Daniel finally came out of the house. We may not agree on a lot of things lately, but we both understood one truth: our grandfathers were cut from the same ruthless cloth. If we wanted any chance of putting them in their place, we had to stick together, at least for now.The moment I saw Daniel, my conversation with Kane died on my lips. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. His face was pale, his eyes glassy, and even from a distance I could see the tears slipping down his cheeks. He was not even trying to hide them. He moved like someone in a trance, steps mechanical, shoulders slumped under the weight of whatever had just happened inside that house.I was instantly on high alert. I scanned the area around us, looking for any sign of danger, but the street was quiet. That could only mean one thing, whatever broke him had come from inside his own home.“It is not my fault, is it?” I wondered aloud, the thought slippi

Daniel's POVI arrived at the training ground with a heavy heart, my bag feeling heavier than usual on my shoulder. My body still ached in ways that made every step a reminder of the night before, but I kept my face neutral as I pushed through the gate. The field looked the same as always, guys warming up in small groups, the coach and his assistant barking occasional orders from the sidelines. But the energy was different. Something felt off. Ever since Carl said that quite a few of us on the team played for both sides or at least were curious about our sexuality, the easy banter had dried up. Even the group of guys who used to be tight friends now ignore each other to avoid gay allegations.Conversations stopped mid-sentence when I walked by. Everyone turned to look at me. And some looks even lingered a second too long. I used to feel like part of this group. Now I felt like the elephant in the room.Before everything started. When it was just me, Ethan, and my little crush, life o

Daniel's POVI did not expect any of this to happen. Why did Carl show up so early? He was always the one who came late to everything.Before anyone starts pointing fingers, the guy beside me was Nathan, Ethan’s nephew, or so I thought. He had shown up unexpectedly to visit his uncle, and I had offered to show him around the place because I was bored out of my mind. I had no idea Ethan even had a nephew until Nathan explained their family tree to me earlier. The more he talked, the more I felt sorry for him. Growing up with that kind of complicated family dynamic could not have been easy.“Who the fuck is he?” Carl growled the second he saw us. He pointed an accusing finger at Nathan. “You have already gotten yourself a new boyfriend within a day?”I opened my mouth to explain, but Carl did not give me the chance. He was already convinced I had moved on. His face was flushed with anger, but underneath it, I could see the hurt.“Kane was right,” Carl said, voice cracking at the end. “Y

Carl Kōnoshima Akihiko's POVI left Toronto late in the afternoon. I should have left in the morning, but other things kept coming up. Meetings. Practice. The quiet tension that had been sitting between Daniel and me since the night before.My grandfather had called me the day before. He said he was in Las Vegas for a business meeting and wanted to see me before he left. I was reluctant at first. The last thing I wanted was another lecture about duty and legacy. But I still had not confronted him about what Kane told me, and this felt like the right moment to set things straight.I did not tell Daniel. I knew he would advise me against it. He would also worry, and I did not want to add to the weight he was already carrying. Besides, that morning, he had left the house early, slipping out before I even woke up. He was still upset about my trip and Harry. I left a note on the kitchen counter and hoped he would understand when I got back.The flight took a few hours. When I landed in Las