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“Fuck. That … That’s really hard, babe. I just feel awful for … both of you,” Avery chimed in.

“As much as I’m hurting, I just want to know if he’s okay. But without him answering me I just feel helpless.”

“Has he been at work?” Peyton asked, only for me to shake my head.

“I ran into his best friend Carter one day; he asked me where Hunter had been, and I kept it brief. Told him we got into a fight. I’m such an idiot because he was probably the one person who could have helped me ease these feelings if I would have just told him the truth.”

Raking my fingers through my hair, I let out a long sigh.

“Carter? He’s the coach, right?” Peyton asked.

“Yeah. How do you know that?”

Peyton cleared her throat. “I think I remember Jayson saying something once … at family dinner. Maybe he can help?”

“Jayson? How could he help?” My eyebrows dipped as I glared into my roommate’s eyes, searching for some sort of answer.

“I assume he’s got his coach’s number. He can reach out to him and tell him to check in on Hunter.”

“Yeah. Maybe we just keep it brief with Jayson, though. I don’t want the whole team talking about his business when it’s not mine to tell, you know?”

“Understood.”

Peyton slipped her phone from her pocket, and Avery and I watched as she typed out a text that was visible to both of us.

Peyton: Hey, can I ask you for a favor?

Almost immediately, her phone dinged with a response, and both Avery and I gasped, looking at each other with our jaws dropped when Peyton pulled her phone screen to her chest in hopes that we didn’t just see something we’d all been suspicious of for a while now.

Jayson: Anything for you, sugar tits, what’s up?

“Umm … sugar tits? Want to explain that one?” I called out my best friend as Avery laughed hysterically in the background.

Peyton was quick to answer. Almost too quick.

“It’s just Jayson being an idiot, per usual.” She typed away on her phone, acting as if it wasn’t a big deal that the best hockey player in the league was blatantly flirting with her.

“Jayson is definitely an idiot, but he doesn’t have flirty pet names for anyone else in the group. Right, Avery?” My eyes shot to the brunette still trying to hold in her laughter.

“If he called me sugar tits, my boyfriend—his best friend—would have him in a chokehold. So, definitely not.”

“Don’t read into it.” Peyton rolled her eyes.

Peyton was lucky we had more pressing matters going on, or I wouldn’t let her hear the end of it.

“What did you say to Jayson?” I asked.

Peyton turned her screen, showing the vague, but very helpful text she typed out.

Peyton: Can you reach out to your coach? I know this is a very odd request, but Andi hasn’t been able to get ahold of Hunter in quite a while, and I think Carter may be the only one to get through to him.

Just as I finished reading it, Jayson’s answer popped up.

Jayson: I got you, babe. Anything else?

Babe? Oh boy.

For the first time in what felt like forever, a smile formed at the corner of my lips.