Ship to Wreck

12

Christian watched the couple cuddle in the clubhouse, whispering in each other's ears and giggling at jokes only they understood. Athena's beautiful laugh brightening the entire room... Christian wished he was the one who was bringing that light to the room.

He couldn't stand it any longer. Christian stood up and stormed out of the room, not realizing the amount of noise he made in his dramatic departure. Lorenzo did, though.

"Hey, man. You okay?" Lorenzo asked him quietly, knowing his friend's hiding spot. "Wanna Reese's cup?"

"Am I a pussy?" Christian whispered, taking the offered Reese's cup.

"Hey man. We need to not say things like that. Having feelings doesn't make you less of a man. Actually, it makes you an even better man. And pussy isn't a word you use like that," Lorenzo said sternly, taking a bite of his own Reese's cup.

"Sorry," Christian shrugged, looking down and taking a small bite of the candy. "I wish I didn't feel this way. Gio is a great man."

Lorenzo saw the pain on his friends face and wished that he had a better answer. But Christian was right - Gio was a great man. A great man who was treating a great woman like a queen.

"He is. And so are you, Christian. You are a phenomenal person, and you don't need Athena to reinforce that. I can see how much you're hurting, and I don't know how the situation got to be like it is, but I don't like seeing my friends in pain. So we are going to find you another girl, got it?" Lorenzo smiled, running a hand through Christian's hair and laughing at the disgruntled sound the man made.

"Dude!" Christian laughed, trying to straighten his hair back out. "Thank you, Lo. You always say the right thing," he said softly.

"Of course, Yeli. What else are us old men good for?" Lo grinned and got up, helping Christian up. "How does your tall ass fit into a space like this, dude. I'm too old for this."

"I'm bendy!" Christian laughed a bit and finished his candy, doing a spin move around Lorenzo. For a few hours, his pain would go away.

***

Gio could see how Christian's outburst upset Athena, and he knew that he should talk to Christian. Like a grown man.

Thank god Christian had a good game and was loose, otherwise Gio could see this talk going awry.

"Hey, Yeli. Can we talk?" Gio asked quietly, knowing that they only had a few minutes before Athena came down to find them.

"Yeah, what's up?" Christian sighed, pulling a basic t-shirt on.

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay with Athena and I," Gio smiled a bit shyly, Gabriel fast asleep in his arms.

"Uh... um yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Christian frowned, pulling his shoes on.

"It just seemed like you were upset earlier. Plus she like... lives with you," Gio laughed nervously, still not quite understanding the history behind that situation.

Christian's eyes widened when he realized that - Gio had no idea what Athena had been through. No idea what Kyle did to her.

"I just care about her. It isn't my story to tell, but she's been through a lot recently. So please... If you do anything I ask, just make sure she's safe. Make sure she feels safe. Because she hasn't been in the past and I've been doing my best, but I can't make sure she's safe if I'm not with her... so just... keep her safe. Make sure she's okay. Even if it feels like you're asking too often," Christian said softly and locked eyes with Athena as she walked in with Enzo. "She deserves the world, and I'm expecting nothing less from you."