Dane prepared a big dinner and pulled out all the stops—steak, sautéed mushrooms and oysters, which were Red's three favorites of Dane's cooking. When Red got home, we were all waiting for him, and I ran up and hugged him the moment he walked through the door.

"Hey," I said, resting my chin on his chest to look up at him. He dropped his gym bag on the floor and slid his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Hi," he said, smiling at me. His face was tired and worn out, but his smile was bright and happy. I was glad I could make him smile like that.

"Hey, man," Viggo said, and he walked over and gave him a hug too.

Dane popped his head out from the kitchen. "Got dinner ready. Your three favorites."

"Oh shit," Red said. He sniffed the air. "I thought that's what I smelled. I didn't know you guys would be here."

"Sit at home alone or spend the evening with you guys?" said Viggo. "Obvious choice."

"We missed you," I told Red.

"We took Brendan out biking around the city today. Looking for our dream lot. We're going to plant a forest in the city and build a place we can live right in the middle. All four of us. It's already decided."

"Done deal," I said, grinning.

Red looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Viggo said. "Hey, since it's the last night before the game, you get another massage. I'll do full body this time. I'm gonna make sure you're limber as fuck for tomorrow."

Red chuckled. "Um, okay. I'll never turn down a Viggo massage, you know that."

"Nothing, let's go eat. I bet you're starving."

"I am."

Dane, Viggo and I all watched Red vacuum down his food, and I knew both of them had the same thought on their minds that I did: Is he okay? Apart from looking exhausted, he actually seemed to be a better mood than I'd expected. He was more like himself than he had been the other day, at least.

"How was the final practice?" Dane asked. "You guys gonna kick some ass tomorrow?" He gave a quick glance to me and Viggo. Viggo was too busy slurping down an oyster to notice. I leaned forward, eager to hear what Red was going to say.

Red stared at the last bite of steak in front of him, and then looked up at us, frowning. "Were you guys watching?"

"What?" Dane said, and he exchanged another glance with me.

"Yeah," I said. "We missed you, so we decided to come watch some of the practice."

"Oh," he said. "Now this all makes sense. I was beginning to wonder why all the special treatment. The guys never usually make a big deal before my games."

"We were worried about you," I said.

"You were worried about me?" He sounded surprised.

"Of course we were," said Viggo. "It looked like you were really struggling. And your coach was on your ass. He looked like he wanted to kill you."

Red chuckled. "I'm sure he's wanted to kill all of us at some point."

"So... you were okay?" I asked. "Because it really did seem like you were having a difficult time."

"We've been training hard for this game. The team we're playing tomorrow is one that we've had a track record of losses against, so we've been pushing hard. It's been rough. And... I have been thinking about some stuff."

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to," I said.

"Actually, I do. I was thinking about what you said the other day, about you being part of what I'm going through. Of knowing what I'm thinking."

"Me too," I said. "I think... maybe I shouldn't have pressured you. It's okay to work through things on your own, if that's the way you do things, and I think I should learn to feel comfortable with that."

"I think I need to be more comfortable with sharing things. These guys know, I've gotten used to being able to keep to myself. I didn't need to share a lot that was going through my mind, because it just wasn't really necessary as part of our friendship."

"True," said Dane. "I think I've always just had an understanding that you would tell me if it was important."

"We're friends, all of us are, but we're also more than that now. And I want this relationship to be as good as it can be. Because this more than just a physical thing. It's more than just friends with benefits."

"I think we all feel that way," said Viggo.

"Definitely," said Dane.

"And I realized that in order to have that, I can't be the same and expect for things to work out that way. I have to change certain things about the way I do things."

I reached over and put my hand on top of his. I was touched.

"I can't expect you to change who you are," I said. "That's not fair."

"We are who are, but there are always things we can change for the better. I haven't done enough of that in my relationships, and that's probably why mine haven't ever been very successful. I wanted to ask all of you, but Brendan, in particular. What do you think I should do after graduation? Join the company? Or go abroad?"

"You've got your whole career set up for you," Viggo said. "I think that's an obvious decision. Make your millions and then do whatever the fuck you want later on. And it means we'll all be nearby. We can all stay in Elworth, keep the group together."

"I think it's up to you," said Dane. "It's your future. Do you really have a choice, though? I thought you were already locked into Vert?"

"I realized I've always had a choice," Red said. "We all do." He looked to me. "What do you think, Brendan?"

Red was seriously considering other options. I suddenly got the sense that my opinion was going to weigh the heaviest out of anyone's, even his own. He could make the choice, but he needed the push.

If he joined Vert, we would all stay together. We could continue this, and who knows, maybe we could even make our silly little home in the city a reality. But at what cost?

I saw Red in my mind, tired and worn down like he'd been at practice. Beaten, sucked of everything. I remembered the way he'd looked whenever he spoke about taking over Vert Fitness. He'd looked like someone moving towards an ending they had no control over, like someone who knew the date of their own death.

"I think you should go," I said. "If you feel a calling, you should go to it. In the end, I'll be supportive of whatever you decide. It doesn't have to separate us."

"Yeah, man," said Viggo. "I've got your back regardless."

He nodded and let out a breath. "Thanks. You know, I do feel a lot better now."

I gave him a hug. "Thanks for talking about it."

Dane patted Red's shoulder. "Yeah."

Red stretched out his shoulder by making broad circles with his arm. "So, about that massage, Viggo?"

Viggo groaned and got up from his chair. "Yeah, I guess I did say I'd give you one. C'mon, into the living room..."

Red followed Viggo out of the dining room, leaving Dane and I. Dane came over to stand next to my chair and rested his hand on the back of my neck, squeezing me gently. I relaxed into his touch and slipped my arm around hips.

"That was really big for him," he told me. "He's never really opened up like that to Viggo and I before."

"Mm." I hugged Dane tighter and rested my head on his thigh. I could feel it so clearly; something had changed between the four of us. It was slight, but I knew that we'd transcended to a deeper level of our relationship, one that I'd never experienced with anyone before.