The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 410: Chapter 410 - That’s Different

By the time Roxie reached the apartment, she wanted a shower, food and at least ten hours of sleep.

The flight back to Tennessee had felt longer than the one going home, probably because the panic keeping her awake the day before was gone. Karen was back in treatment. Roxie had taken her herself that morning, stayed until Karen was checked back in and listened to her complain about losing whatever freedom she had left before finally hugging her goodbye.

Ethan had already left the bungalow by then, and Roxie had gone back to Karen’s house to get the things she had left there before heading for the airport.

Everything was settled enough that she could leave without feeling like she was abandoning anyone.

Still, walking through the apartment hallway made her realize how badly she wanted to be home.

Roxie unlocked the door and stepped inside, expecting Zac to be somewhere in the kitchen or sprawled on the couch waiting for her.

Instead, Dylan was sitting on the couch with him.

A football game was paused on the television, though Roxie quickly realized it was probably film from practice rather than anything they were watching for fun. Papers and a notebook covered part of the coffee table, and Dylan had one foot resting against the bottom of the couch while Zac leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

Both of them looked toward the door.

Zac stood immediately.

For a second Roxie forgot Dylan was even there.

Zac crossed the room and took her into his arms before she could say anything. Roxie let herself sink against him, closing her eyes as his arms tightened around her. Whatever irritation she had carried from the phone call the night before was still there, but so was the fact that she had missed him badly enough that being held by him felt almost embarrassing after being gone for barely a day.

”You’re home,” he murmured against her hair.

”Obviously.”

His arms tightened once more before he finally pulled back enough to look at her. ”You look exhausted.”

”I am.”

He took the bag from her hand without asking and moved it away from the doorway.

Only then did Roxie look toward Dylan again.

He had already stood from the couch. ”Karen okay?”

The question sounded genuine enough that the tiny irritation Roxie had felt seeing him there softened.

”She went back this morning.”

”Treatment?”

Roxie nodded. ”I took her.”

Dylan looked relieved. ”Did she drink?”

”No. She wanted to. She stood outside a liquor store for a while, but she walked away.”

”That’s good.”

”Yeah. It is.”

Dylan nodded before sitting back down, and Zac carried Roxie’s suitcase toward the bedroom while she slipped off her shoes.

Roxie looked around the apartment.

She had been gone for barely more than a day, yet everything felt strangely good to see again. Her cup was still beside the sink. The throw blanket she had insisted they needed was hanging crookedly over one end of the couch. Her course booklet was exactly where she remembered leaving it.

Then her eyes went back to Dylan.

He looked perfectly comfortable in their living room.

The thought irritated her before she could stop it.

It was ridiculous and Roxie knew it. Dylan was Zac’s best friend. They trained together, studied football together and had known each other long before this apartment existed. He had every reason to be there.

Still, after Zac had ended their call because he heard Ethan asking for a blanket in her bungalow, coming home and finding Dylan settled on their couch bothered her in a way it probably would not have two days ago.

She kept the thought to herself.

Zac returned from the bedroom and touched the back of her neck as he passed. ”You hungry?”

”A little.”

”That means yes.”

Dylan looked at her. ”He’s been waiting to feed you since this morning.”

Roxie glanced toward Zac. ”Really?”

Zac gave Dylan a look.

Dylan raised both hands. ”I said nothing.”

”You literally just said something.”

”I’m leaving anyway.”

He started gathering the papers from the coffee table while Zac picked up the notebook.

”You guys finished?” Roxie asked.

”Mostly,” Dylan said. ”We were going over tomorrow.”

He looked toward Zac. ”Don’t be late.”

Zac frowned. ”When am I late?”

”I’m just saying.”

Something about the comment caught Roxie’s attention, especially after the argument before she left, but Dylan had already tucked the papers beneath his arm.

He looked at Roxie before heading toward the door. ”Glad Karen’s okay.”

”Thanks.”

”And try to sleep. You look terrible.”

Roxie stared at him. ”You could’ve left after the first sentence.”

Dylan smiled before looking toward Zac. ”Tomorrow.”

”I know.”

Then he was gone. The apartment became quiet after the door closed.

Roxie stood in the middle of the living room for a moment while Zac carried the glasses from the coffee table toward the kitchen.

Neither of them mentioned Ethan.

That lasted maybe thirty seconds.

Roxie followed him into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. ”Are we going to pretend last night didn’t happen?”

Zac stopped in front of the sink.

”No.”

”Okay.”

He turned toward her, and Roxie could tell immediately that the anger from the night before had cooled. It had not disappeared completely, but at least his face no longer looked like he wanted to reach through the phone and drag Ethan out himself.

Zac rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. ”Did he actually stay?”

”Yes.”

His jaw moved slightly.

”On the couch,” Roxie added. ”Karen slept with me. Her mom came back early this morning, Ethan left, I took Karen back to treatment, picked up my things from her house and went to the airport.”

Zac nodded slowly.

Roxie watched him. ”That’s it.”

”I believe you.”

”I know you believe me.”

That made him look at her.

Roxie crossed her arms loosely. ”That wasn’t what pissed me off.”

”I know.”

”You hung up on me.”

Zac looked down for a moment before leaning back against the counter opposite her. ”I heard Ethan inside your house asking where the blankets were. I just...” He sighed.

”I know what you heard but that was immature.”

”I got pissed.”

”I noticed.”

His mouth tightened slightly, but Roxie could tell he was trying to keep the conversation from turning into another argument.

”I knew if I stayed on the phone, I was going to say something stupid.”

Roxie considered that. It actually made more sense than she wanted it to. ”So you hung up.”

”Yeah.”

”You could’ve said that.”

”I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly.”

”I know how you feel about Ethan.”

Zac looked at her. ”Then you know why hearing him there bothered me.”

”I do.”

The answer seemed to surprise him.

Roxie sighed and pushed herself away from the counter. ”If I was in Tennessee and suddenly heard some girl calling your name from inside our apartment asking where the blankets were, I’d probably lose my shit too.”

Zac almost smiled.

”Probably?”

”Fine. Definitely.”

That finally got a small laugh from him, but Roxie was not finished.

”The difference is I was already going to tell you. I wasn’t hiding Ethan from you. Her mom asked him to stay because she was terrified Karen would disappear again, and after everything that happened, I understood why she wanted another person there.”

”I know.”

”So next time, let me finish before you hang up.”

Zac nodded. ”Okay.”

Roxie stared at him for another second, then glanced toward the living room.

Dylan’s empty glass was still on the coffee table.

The thought returned before she could stop it.

”You know what was funny, though?”

Zac followed her gaze. ”What?”

”I come home after you got pissed because Ethan was in my bungalow, and Dylan is sitting in our living room.”

Zac’s expression changed slightly. ”Dylan?”

”Yeah.”

”He was here because we were going over film.”

”I know.”

Roxie was already regretting bringing it up because she had no real accusation to make. Dylan being there made sense. She knew that.

Still, Zac answered too quickly.

”That’s different.”

Roxie looked back at him.

There was something about the immediate certainty of it that scratched at her. Maybe because that was exactly what she expected him to say.

”How?”

Zac frowned as though the answer was obvious. ”Because Dylan’s my best friend.”

”So?”

”And Ethan likes you.”

Roxie rolled her eyes. ”He never wanted like that.”

Zac sighed. ”I’m sorry.”

She let it go.

Zac stepped closer and wrapped his hands around her waist. ”You still mad at me?”

”A little.”

”For hanging up?”

”Yes.”

”Anything else?”

Roxie looked toward the door Dylan had just walked through before looking back at Zac. ”Ask me tomorrow.”

His eyes narrowed. ”That sounds threatening.”

”It should.”

He smiled before leaning down and kissing her forehead.

Roxie let herself relax against him.

”I’m sorry,” he said.

She looked up.

”For hanging up.”

”Good.”

”That’s all I get?”

”You want a prize?”

”I was thinking forgiveness.”

”You can earn it.”

Zac laughed and kissed her properly this time.

Roxie had spent enough time around him to recognize the way he apologized without wanting to make the apology feel too serious. He would say the words, then immediately try to pull her back into whatever normal thing came next.

Usually food.

”What do you want to eat?” he asked.

Roxie smiled against his chest. ”Anything you cook.”

He gave her a suspicious look before opening the refrigerator.

Roxie climbed onto one of the stools near the island and watched him start pulling ingredients out. The apartment slowly settled back into the comfortable rhythm she had missed, Zac moving around the kitchen while Roxie told him the parts of the morning she had skipped on the phone.

Zac listened while he cooked, occasionally asking questions, and Roxie could feel whatever remained from their argument gradually disappearing.

Then he asked, ”What about Mason?”

Roxie looked up. ”How do you know about Mason?”

”You mentioned calling him yesterday.”

”Oh.”

She rested her chin against her hand. ”That was weird.”

”How?”

”He said he hasn’t talked to Karen since graduation.”

Zac glanced toward her. ”Mason has been busy at home. I’ll try to ask him next time he calls.”

Roxie gave him a look then grinned. ”Alright, you need to ask all the juicy details. Karen has been avoiding his name.”

Zac smiled as he turned back toward the stove. ”Sure.”

Roxie watched him for a while, feeling the last of the tension from the trip settle out of her body. She was tired enough that her eyelids kept getting heavier, and when Zac finally put food in front of her she ate without arguing about the amount.

By the time she finished, she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

”You’re going to bed,” Zac said.

”I just got here.”

”And you look like you’re going to fall asleep sitting up.”

”I want to shower.”

”Then shower and sleep.”

Roxie slid from the stool and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind while he started cleaning the kitchen.

Zac looked over his shoulder. ”What are you doing?”

”Nothing.”

”You’re attached to me.”

”I missed you.”

His expression softened immediately.

Roxie pressed her face against his back and stayed there while he rinsed one of the pans.