The Way He Looked at Me의 모든 챕터: 챕터 151 - 챕터 160

He pauses.“…Steak works,” he admits.Relief settles between us.He turns to leave, then stops halfway and comes back.“Oh something arrived for you.”I don’t remember ordering anything, but the package is there on the counter with my name on it.I open it, already laughing under my breath.I’d ordered it weeks ago and completely forgot.“What is it?” he asks.“Nothing important.”That makes him immediately suspicious.

Theo finally turns fully toward me.“More than anything. More than anyone.”Something inside my chest snaps open.It’s overwhelming too fast, too bright, too real. I can’t even breathe properly, just stand there holding my mouth like it might stop the emotion from spilling out.Nate stares at both of us like he’s trying to make sense of a language he doesn’t speak anymore.Then he kicks his bag.Not hard. Not explosive.Just… defeated in a way that still somehow hurts.He turns away and walks into the kitchen, muttering under his breath.

You’re ready.I see it in him too.He exhales, long and controlled, like he’s pulling the entire room into silence with him.“Silverfang.”One word.But it doesn’t land like speech.It lands like an impact.The locker room shifts instantly. Sticks slam. Helmets knock together. Bodies tense like a single machine waking up.It’s not encouraging.It’s not motivation.It's a declaration.Like the game has already been

Moretti rolls his eyes. “Try me.”Then something happens like it always does at the end of their games.Bennett pulls off his glove with his teeth, holds out his bare hand.No hesitation.Moretti takes it immediately, laughing as they skate away together, still arguing, still smiling.In the locker room, everything is already moving again.Cole is there with Carter.And he’s not alone.He introduces his partner, Jeremiah.I liked him right away. He looks overwhelmed, like he’s still trying to catch up with reality, but he’s holding it together. Barely. Carter, though, is exactly what you’d expect: loud, excited, impossible to contain.“Carter!” I call as he barrels into me.I caught him without thinking. “I missed you, kid.”“I missed you too, Vin.”Warmer.Later, when Theo and I finally get home, everything spills over.The win. The crowd. The kiss-cam moment. The playoffs ahead. It all blends into something electric that refuses to settle inside me.I’ve had champagne. I’ve had adre

Tim povOf all the towns in New York, I chose the one called Tranquility.I'd like to say it was fate. Honestly, it was desperation and a map spread across my kitchen table at two in the morning, my finger dragging across town names until one of them made me pause. Leaving the state had crossed my mind starting over somewhere no one knew my face or my history but something always stopped me. Some invisible thread stitched into my chest, pulling taut every time I thought about crossing that border.New York was hers.My mother's laugh had bounced off these walls. Her voice had floated through these nights. I could still see us curled up past midnight, a bowl of popcorn between us drowning in butter and seasoned salt, talking about everything and nothing the way best friends do. She had looked me in the eyes in this state and told me that nothing I could ever say or do would make her love me less. Those words had given a twelve-year-old boy just enough courage to tell her the truth