Kenji's POV

After a whole afternoon of unboxing things, setting furniture in the appropriate rooms, and attempting to wrangle Mr. Mew Mew from the boxes, Danny and I plopped down onto the sectional, not even caring that we were drenched in sweat. Most of the stuff wasn't in the right spot yet, but at least everything was unopened and accounted for. At least the cat had fun.

I couldn't say the same for Eric.

This wouldn't be the first time Eric's been a moody, reserved black cat. Except it was mostly reserved after a late night of partying with the team, needing to recharge his social battery after babysitting us. Or when we were down by five points and only had two innings left. It was never usually this bad that Danny could sense the tension in the air. Even Mr. Mew Mew didn't get like this.

With Eric pacing between the rooms, continuing to put things away that I told him we could get to later, Danny and I shared a look. I had to do something about this.

I cleared my throat, waiting for Eric to set another coffee mug in the cabinet. "Eric."

He hesitated, his shoulders bunched as I watched him slowly turn around to face us. "Danny's going to drop me off at my truck on the way to drop off the U-Haul, and I was thinking of grabbing groceries on the way back," I told him. "And some ice cream. Wanna come? I heard there's some new flavors you might like."

Ice cream was his kryptonite, especially from that small, locally owned shop with a constantly changing menu. Eric and I would always hit that place after grocery shopping, a game, or any occasion to celebrate. He could never resist it.

"I'm okay," he said, his eyes refusing to meet mine as he turned to pull out another mug or glass from the box. "Thanks, though."

Yeah, there was something wrong with Eric.

But if he wanted time alone in the new apartment with Mr. Mew Mew, then I'd give it to him. As much as I'd like to catch up with him over his time in Virginia, I'd at least have Danny to talk to. After our other teammate, Cameron, graduated and moved closer to his boyfriend's college, I nervously anticipated what this season would look like. Most of us are returning, but quite a few freshmen are rumored to join our lineup after Coach Barnes scoped them out this summer. As extroverted as I am, dealing with new teammates is always nerve-racking, and Danny was a Virgo with a penchant for being logical and straightforward. He had the most solid advice right after Coach, so much so that I often wondered why he didn't offer to be a team captain. With our first practice in a few weeks, I'd have to set the precedent for the team as the captain. And with Eric becoming officially our co-captain, I'd have to resolve this weird tension before then.

Before Eric moved away from the kitchen and toward the rooms, I waved my phone. "Text me if you need anything, then. We'll head out now."

He doesn't acknowledge me, and I can't hide the sigh of disappointment. Danny and I stand up, practically peeling away from the couch as we grab our keys and step outside.

"He's being weird, right?" I told Danny as soon as he started up the truck. "I'm not crazy?"

He scoffed. "I've seen Eric when he's annoyed by your antics, but this is at the next level. What did you do?"

"I don't know!" I ran a hand through my hair. "It's not my fault we couldn't hang out when he chose to work back home in Virginia. He could have stayed with us rent-free but insisted he needed to save up money for the semester. Izzy's grandma doesn't care as long as we clean up after ourselves. There's like five bedrooms in that thing; the whole team could have stayed there."

Danny made a face. "Okay, maybe not the entire team, but still," I conceded.

"You stayed with Izzy?"

I nodded, and Danny shook his head.

"What?"

"You stayed with her the entire summer?" his voice rose. "Are you insane? Just the two of you?"

"What? We're all really good friends."

He blinked. "But she's his girlfriend. You two may be close but don't you think that's kinda weird? I know he trusts you, and I doubt you'd do that, but what if he's got doubts and thinks you've been sleeping with her?"

I reel back like I've been punched. It's not like Danny could have known about our one-night stand with Eric. "What?"

Danny shook his head. "Kenj, I know you can be dumb, but tell me you see it, right? Your definition of friendly comes off as flirty. It's one thing to flirt around Eric, but unintentionally or not with his girlfriend could cause some issues."

"Izzy's not like that, though. She knows I'm not interested in her like that," I told him. Even after that night, I spent with her and Eric, we had cleared the air later that week and expressed how it wasn't anything serious. It was mainly for fun, and while I wasn't eager to admit it to Eric, it was a fun and enlightening experience that may have unlocked something within me. It's something Eric and I probably should discuss if he weren't being such an avoidant prick. "Besides, he basically told me to stay there. I insisted I could go home."

At the red light, Danny rubbed his eyes. "You two are annoying. Either way, you've gotta talk to him, explain that nothing happened—if that's really true—and work this shit out. I think the team and I would agree that we can't accept a whole season of you two skirting around each other." He mumbled under his breath, "and to think I'd prefer you two flirting away."

I opened my mouth, but I was unsure what to tell him. I could tell him about that night and explain why I'm upset about Eric's cold shoulder and why my gut says it can't possibly be about staying with Izzy. But it wouldn't be fair to Eric or Izzy to air our rendezvous like that. Or that I actually enjoyed it way more than I probably should have. Either way, I wouldn't be able to look at Danny or the rest of the team if they heard about it.

I browsed the ice cream aisle of the grocery store, my cart already stacked to the brim with groceries, ranging from food, toiletries, and whatever else I could possibly think we'd need. Eric's the type to make the lists and strategically go through each aisle with precise efficiency, but without him, I look like I'm on an episode of Supermarket Sweep. I wouldn't be surprised if the workers think I'm stealing as I scan the different flavors, looking around as if expecting Eric to pop around the corner and scold me for holding the freezer doors open longer than necessary.

As a lady with a young toddler stared at my overfilling cart, I decided Eric wouldn't want this mediocre ice cream. If I'm going to get back into his good graces, I'd have to pull all the stops. I returned to the snack aisle to grab one of his favorite bags of chips, Garden Salsa Sun Chips, and head to the cashier to pay. Then, after a long time spent precariously fitting the groceries in my truck before pulling up to Hearty Scoop. It's weird being here without Eric, but the shop owners greet me the same, pitching their different new flavors of the week.

After sampling more ice cream than I probably should have, I decided on a half-pint of marshmallow and butterscotch swirl that I'm sure Eric will love. I also grabbed a half pint of a good ol' classic mint chip for me and a raspberry sorbet for Izzy if and when she'd likely come over.

With the groceries and precious ice cream secured, I returned to the apartment, hoping Eric would be in a better mood than before. But as I stumbled through the doors with as many grocery bags as possible, I found he was not in the living room or kitchen.

"Eric?" My voice echoed in the space, but there was no response, aside from the soft meows from Mr. Mew Mew, not even the faintest of sounds. I set the bags down on the counter, strolling past the bathroom and laundry room, only to find his door closed.

And then, my phone pinged.

I have a headache. Taking a nap.

I resisted the urge to open his door anyway, insisting he try the ice cream or help micromanage where I put the groceries so he doesn't have to rearrange it later to his liking. Instead, I text a quick get well message before pocketing my phone and slowly putting the groceries away, hoping I'm not disturbing his rest and that, by some miracle, he'd bounce back and be the same Eric from last semester.

However, my chances of that happening were as about likely as me getting the correct placement of these groceries in the fridge and freezer.