The ride home was quiet at first. Jaxon sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, staring out the window while Ethan drove. The car's heater hummed softly, filling the silence between them. The gym was still fresh in Jaxon's mindâthe tension, the frustration, the sheer weight of everything pressing down on him. Ethan, however, looked oddly at peace, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel to the beat of whatever song was playing softly through the speakers.
Finally, Ethan broke the silence. "So... you really care about her."
Jaxon frowned, turning to look at him. "What?"
"Lena," Ethan said, smirking. "You're, like, obsessed. It's almost cute. Almost."
Jaxon let out a breath, shaking his head. "I wouldn't say obsessed."
Ethan shot him a look. "Dude, you literally walked off the court in protest. If that's not dramatic, I don't know what is."
Jaxon scoffed. "I wasn't being dramatic. I was making a point."
"Sure, sure." Ethan nodded mockingly. "And the fact that you've looked like a lovesick idiot for the past few months? Totally unrelated."
Jaxon rolled his eyes. "You done?"
"Not even close," Ethan said, grinning. "Look, I'll be honest. At first, I thought you two were the worst idea imaginable."
"Wow. Thanks," Jaxon muttered dryly, sinking deeper into the seat.
Ethan chuckled. "Butâand I hate saying thisâyou actually seem... happy. Like, disgustingly happy. And Lena? She's different around you too. Not in a bad way. Justâlike, she actually lets someone take care of her for once."
Jaxon exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. She does that for me too."
Ethan nodded, glancing at him briefly before focusing back on the road. "Just... don't mess it up. I mean, I'll still kick your ass if you do, but, like, it'd be a real hassle."
Jaxon smirked. "Duly noted." Feeling some of the tension from earlier finally ease. Because if EthanâLena's best friend, her biggest protectorâwas saying this, maybe, just maybe, what they had wasn't just something reckless. Maybe it was something real.