god is a woman

@ainsleydrover: oh wow he remembered he has an account 👀

#insta: hadley #hadley

photogrivy

↳INSTAGRAM: @ivy.rogers uploaded a photo:

my baby ♥️♥️♥️♥️

@ainsleydrover: everyone’s national otp

#insta: ivy #ivy

↳INSTAGRAM: @jamesyhan11 uploaded a photo:

I don’t like to encourage paparazzi but I have to admit, this is a pretty funny photo! Lol! 😆

@ainsleydrover: that’s my baby and he’s the cutest boy in the whole entire world

#insta: james #james

nurseoz

↳INSTAGRAM: @nurseozzie uploaded a photo:

twelve hour shift i’m coming to get you!

@ainsleydrover: there goes my baby off to save lives!

#insta: ozzie #ozzie

↳INSTAGRAM: @jamesyhan11 uploaded a photo:

Dinner with Coop! 🙂

@ainsleydrover: and he better be paying and taking good care of my baby 😘

#insta: james #james

She couldn’t help but freeze a little at his words. He wasn’t to know how much they had affected her, because James didn’t know about Hadley. Or rather, he didn’t know the Hadley that Ainsley knew.

“Yeah. Guess so,” she said quietly.

Heart pounding, she tried to push her thoughts about her old friend aside so she could focus on James instead.

“If things get bad with Aspen, you can tell me. You know it won’t get any further. But I’d like to help if I can.”

"Thanks, yeah. I appreciate it," he told her sincerely.

He wasn't sure what to make of the offer. Wasn't Aspen friends with them all, bar Cooper obviously. James didn't want it to seem like their bond was so close that it bordered on more than friendship. For James, it did, but it wasn't the same for Aspen. And nobody knew about the two of them, so how would James explain to Ainsley in two weeks, a month, or six months time that Aspen was spiralling after sex, his mind spinning out of control because James had accidentally called him honey or baby? How could he explain that Aspen had dissolved into a series of panic attacks because they'd gotten a little too intimate?

"Maybe one day we'll have a normal day at the rink, huh?" he huffed out a laugh, tone self deprecating.

“Where would be the fun in that?” Ainsley asked, trying to bring a little light back into the conversation.

She desperately wanted James to turn around and smile at her, but she wouldn’t push. Ultimately, she wanted him to feel okay.

“I can’t believe Holden was the best behaved today.”

Ainsley didn’t force James to look back her way when he turned. She didn’t cry often, but when she did, she did not want people looking at her. She figured James was the same, and she could respect that as much as every bone in her body was screaming to reach out and comfort him.

“You’ve got me,” she offered quietly. “You’ve always got me, baby.”

Gently, she rubbed his arm.

“You can’t carry Aspen’s pain for him. Not without sharing yours with someone else.”

James nodded slowly, head bowed as he reached behind him, hand searching Ainsley's. He gripped tight as he interlocked his fingers with her own, feeling the tension slowly dissipate.

"You have me too, okay? Even rockstars get sometimes, right?" James whispered. The whole team knew what a legend Ainsley was, so the title seemed fitting.

She couldn’t help but freeze a little at his words. He wasn’t to know how much they had affected her, because James didn’t know about Hadley. Or rather, he didn’t know the Hadley that Ainsley knew.

“Yeah. Guess so,” she said quietly.

Heart pounding, she tried to push her thoughts about her old friend aside so she could focus on James instead.

“If things get bad with Aspen, you can tell me. You know it won’t get any further. But I’d like to help if I can.”

Ainsley felt her heart ache. She brought James’ hand to her lips so she could press a kiss to his knuckles.

“And you’re his safe space?” she asked quietly.

Her vision blurred a little when she thought about James feeling lonely. For a moment, he looked a lot like Hadley until she blinked a few times.

“Who’s yours?”

It felt conceited to assume he could be Aspen's safe space, but he couldn't think of any other way to put it. James knew that Aspen had closer, better friends. He had Ellie and Mac as much as James and Ainsley did, and he had Alice, too. There was a whole multitude of lovely people in his life that adored him, but James knew that it wasn't always easy for him to see that. He recognised that same quality that he possessed himself. It was hard not to think they'd carved out something of a safe space for one another, their little world a safety blanket that they could bundle themselves into and hide away under.

"Oh. Um, I don't..." James stared back at her, unable to answer. He wished he could, but he simply didn't know how to.

James cleared his throat, swiping a hand over his face before turning abruptly. It wouldn't do anybody any favours if he kept standing there crying in front of her.

Ainsley didn’t force James to look back her way when he turned. She didn’t cry often, but when she did, she did not want people looking at her. She figured James was the same, and she could respect that as much as every bone in her body was screaming to reach out and comfort him.

“You’ve got me,” she offered quietly. “You’ve always got me, baby.”

Gently, she rubbed his arm.

“You can’t carry Aspen’s pain for him. Not without sharing yours with someone else.”

In answer to Ainsley’s question, James had no idea. It was that simple. He gasped out a low, pathetic sob, and just shook his head.

“I’m not sure,” he murmured, gaze unseeing as he disassociated where he stood. He felt wobbly on his feet, and all he could do was slump down, head dropping against Ainsley’s shoulder.

“Maybe I shouldn’t come tonight,” he whispered. He didn’t want to give Coop further cause to be mad at Aspen, but he also didn’t want to worsen Aspen’s mood. “I think I made things worse? I don’t know.”

Ainsley wrapped her arms around James the minute his head landed on her shoulder.

"Of course you need to come tonight!" she said. She'd always respected that James wasn't always much of a party guy and so she'd never pushed him before. This was different. She was not about to let him be self-sacrifical.

"You didn't make anything worse. Coop is fine, right? And as for Aspen..." Her gaze followed the other man on the ice. "I don't think it was you that caused anything there."

She was silent for a moment before she quietly asked, "Does Aspen suffer from depression?"

It was a blunt question, but one that needed to be asked.

James didn’t hesitate when asked. “Yes. I think so.”

He felt awful, like he was betraying Aspen’s trust by speaking it out into the world. But he worried about him so much, and he knew his bad days could spiral into something far worse than just a bad mood. He knew he’d contributed in some way to his current state of panic, but that didn’t change how extreme his sudden shift in demeanour had been.

“I don’t know why, but… He’s usually pretty responsive to me,” James frowned. It was true! Despite their arrangement, he genuinely didn’t know why Aspen was always so much faster to soothe when talking to James. But there was no mistaking that he was. “But I dunno. Maybe having Coop there made it worse, or harder.”

He sniffed, wiping his eyes for the umpteenth time.

“Maybe I said something to make it worse.”

With James’ confirmation, Ainsley knew that she needed to be careful with what she said next.

“Baby, please know that I think it’s good that he’s responsive to you. I think it’s really important that you’re such a good friend to him.” Two twin grooves appeared between her eyebrows. “But it can’t be on you.”

It was clear to Ainsley how much James had internalised Aspen’s bad mood, and now he was blaming himself. She didn’t doubt that Coop had probably exacerbated the situation without realising it, but this went beyond a petty feud.

“Does he have any help? Medication or therapy, maybe?”

She already knew the answer.

James wanted the ground to swallow him whole and wipe the last twenty minutes from memory. He should’ve let Aspen and Cooper go on the way they’d been going and just come to terms with the awkwardness on his own terms.

“But I antagonised them,” he murmured, though even James knew that wasn’t true. He was entitled to an apology, and well within his right to ask for one.

At Ainsley’s next line of questioning, he shook his head feebly. They’d never really talked about it to that degree, but James could piece together the clues on his own. Besides, with Aspen now his unofficial roommate, he’d never seen pill boxes or prescriptions laying around.

“I don’t think he really gets that there’s something wrong, or that he needs help. He just blames himself and spirals until it stops hurting,” he admitted. Should he be telling anyone this at all?

“You didn’t antagonise them,” Ainsley said, kindly. “You just asked for the apology you were owed. Aspen being unwell doesn’t grant him immunity from that.”

She nodded at James’ explanation and sat back down on the bench previously occupied by the three men.

Over the years, she’d seen different people wear the same hurt. It was easy for her to recognise it these days, but difficult to know what to do. She could only imagine that James was having a hard time seeing Aspen in a depressive spiral.

“Do you think Coach Hatch knows?” she asked, genuinely curious. “I’m guessing Dustin doesn’t. Or maybe he does and treats him like that anyway. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Looking up at James, she gently tugged at his hand to get his attention.

“You can’t blame yourself if Aspen has an…” She knew it wasn’t the word most people wanted to hear, but it was the only one that was both appropriate and applicable. “An illness.”

James shook his head in answer, though he was uncertain. He doubted Aspen’s family knew, considering he seemed nowhere closer to seeking the help he clearly needed. But Dustin was so cruel and seemed to get a kick out of taunting him, James didn’t think it would matter even if it was spelled out to him.

“Some of the guys can be so hard on him. Like they think that by being related it means he’s just as bad as Dustin,” he sighed, chewing nervously on his lower lip.

He let Ainsley take his hand, letting them swing freely in front of him. He wondered if Aspen was watching them now, gaze snagged and standing to attention the way he had been before. Maybe he was too wrapped up in his own self deprecation to notice this time. James didn’t know what was worse, but he knew he didn’t want to add to his worries.

“I wanna help him. I know what it’s like to need a safe space, to feel like you’re all alone,” he frowned. This was about more than his feelings for Aspen, but about being a friend.

Ainsley felt her heart ache. She brought James’ hand to her lips so she could press a kiss to his knuckles.

“And you’re his safe space?” she asked quietly.

Her vision blurred a little when she thought about James feeling lonely. For a moment, he looked a lot like Hadley until she blinked a few times.

“Who’s yours?”

In answer to Ainsley’s question, James had no idea. It was that simple. He gasped out a low, pathetic sob, and just shook his head.

“I’m not sure,” he murmured, gaze unseeing as he disassociated where he stood. He felt wobbly on his feet, and all he could do was slump down, head dropping against Ainsley’s shoulder.

“Maybe I shouldn’t come tonight,” he whispered. He didn’t want to give Coop further cause to be mad at Aspen, but he also didn’t want to worsen Aspen’s mood. “I think I made things worse? I don’t know.”

Ainsley wrapped her arms around James the minute his head landed on her shoulder.

"Of course you need to come tonight!" she said. She'd always respected that James wasn't always much of a party guy and so she'd never pushed him before. This was different. She was not about to let him be self-sacrifical.

"You didn't make anything worse. Coop is fine, right? And as for Aspen..." Her gaze followed the other man on the ice. "I don't think it was you that caused anything there."

She was silent for a moment before she quietly asked, "Does Aspen suffer from depression?"

It was a blunt question, but one that needed to be asked.

James didn’t hesitate when asked. “Yes. I think so.”

He felt awful, like he was betraying Aspen’s trust by speaking it out into the world. But he worried about him so much, and he knew his bad days could spiral into something far worse than just a bad mood. He knew he’d contributed in some way to his current state of panic, but that didn’t change how extreme his sudden shift in demeanour had been.

“I don’t know why, but… He’s usually pretty responsive to me,” James frowned. It was true! Despite their arrangement, he genuinely didn’t know why Aspen was always so much faster to soothe when talking to James. But there was no mistaking that he was. “But I dunno. Maybe having Coop there made it worse, or harder.”

He sniffed, wiping his eyes for the umpteenth time.

“Maybe I said something to make it worse.”

With James’ confirmation, Ainsley knew that she needed to be careful with what she said next.

“Baby, please know that I think it’s good that he’s responsive to you. I think it’s really important that you’re such a good friend to him.” Two twin grooves appeared between her eyebrows. “But it can’t be on you.”

It was clear to Ainsley how much James had internalised Aspen’s bad mood, and now he was blaming himself. She didn’t doubt that Coop had probably exacerbated the situation without realising it, but this went beyond a petty feud.

“Does he have any help? Medication or therapy, maybe?”

She already knew the answer.

James wanted the ground to swallow him whole and wipe the last twenty minutes from memory. He should’ve let Aspen and Cooper go on the way they’d been going and just come to terms with the awkwardness on his own terms.

“But I antagonised them,” he murmured, though even James knew that wasn’t true. He was entitled to an apology, and well within his right to ask for one.

At Ainsley’s next line of questioning, he shook his head feebly. They’d never really talked about it to that degree, but James could piece together the clues on his own. Besides, with Aspen now his unofficial roommate, he’d never seen pill boxes or prescriptions laying around.

“I don’t think he really gets that there’s something wrong, or that he needs help. He just blames himself and spirals until it stops hurting,” he admitted. Should he be telling anyone this at all?

“You didn’t antagonise them,” Ainsley said, kindly. “You just asked for the apology you were owed. Aspen being unwell doesn’t grant him immunity from that.”

She nodded at James’ explanation and sat back down on the bench previously occupied by the three men.

Over the years, she’d seen different people wear the same hurt. It was easy for her to recognise it these days, but difficult to know what to do. She could only imagine that James was having a hard time seeing Aspen in a depressive spiral.

“Do you think Coach Hatch knows?” she asked, genuinely curious. “I’m guessing Dustin doesn’t. Or maybe he does and treats him like that anyway. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Looking up at James, she gently tugged at his hand to get his attention.

“You can’t blame yourself if Aspen has an…” She knew it wasn’t the word most people wanted to hear, but it was the only one that was both appropriate and applicable. “An illness.”

In answer to Ainsley’s question, James had no idea. It was that simple. He gasped out a low, pathetic sob, and just shook his head.

“I’m not sure,” he murmured, gaze unseeing as he disassociated where he stood. He felt wobbly on his feet, and all he could do was slump down, head dropping against Ainsley’s shoulder.

“Maybe I shouldn’t come tonight,” he whispered. He didn’t want to give Coop further cause to be mad at Aspen, but he also didn’t want to worsen Aspen’s mood. “I think I made things worse? I don’t know.”

Ainsley wrapped her arms around James the minute his head landed on her shoulder.

"Of course you need to come tonight!" she said. She'd always respected that James wasn't always much of a party guy and so she'd never pushed him before. This was different. She was not about to let him be self-sacrifical.

"You didn't make anything worse. Coop is fine, right? And as for Aspen..." Her gaze followed the other man on the ice. "I don't think it was you that caused anything there."

She was silent for a moment before she quietly asked, "Does Aspen suffer from depression?"

It was a blunt question, but one that needed to be asked.

James didn’t hesitate when asked. “Yes. I think so.”

He felt awful, like he was betraying Aspen’s trust by speaking it out into the world. But he worried about him so much, and he knew his bad days could spiral into something far worse than just a bad mood. He knew he’d contributed in some way to his current state of panic, but that didn’t change how extreme his sudden shift in demeanour had been.

“I don’t know why, but… He’s usually pretty responsive to me,” James frowned. It was true! Despite their arrangement, he genuinely didn’t know why Aspen was always so much faster to soothe when talking to James. But there was no mistaking that he was. “But I dunno. Maybe having Coop there made it worse, or harder.”

He sniffed, wiping his eyes for the umpteenth time.

“Maybe I said something to make it worse.”

With James’ confirmation, Ainsley knew that she needed to be careful with what she said next.

“Baby, please know that I think it’s good that he’s responsive to you. I think it’s really important that you’re such a good friend to him.” Two twin grooves appeared between her eyebrows. “But it can’t be on you.”

It was clear to Ainsley how much James had internalised Aspen’s bad mood, and now he was blaming himself. She didn’t doubt that Coop had probably exacerbated the situation without realising it, but this went beyond a petty feud.

“Does he have any help? Medication or therapy, maybe?”

She already knew the answer.

In answer to Ainsley’s question, James had no idea. It was that simple. He gasped out a low, pathetic sob, and just shook his head.

“I’m not sure,” he murmured, gaze unseeing as he disassociated where he stood. He felt wobbly on his feet, and all he could do was slump down, head dropping against Ainsley’s shoulder.

“Maybe I shouldn’t come tonight,” he whispered. He didn’t want to give Coop further cause to be mad at Aspen, but he also didn’t want to worsen Aspen’s mood. “I think I made things worse? I don’t know.”

Ainsley wrapped her arms around James the minute his head landed on her shoulder.

"Of course you need to come tonight!" she said. She'd always respected that James wasn't always much of a party guy and so she'd never pushed him before. This was different. She was not about to let him be self-sacrifical.

"You didn't make anything worse. Coop is fine, right? And as for Aspen..." Her gaze followed the other man on the ice. "I don't think it was you that caused anything there."

She was silent for a moment before she quietly asked, "Does Aspen suffer from depression?"

It was a blunt question, but one that needed to be asked.

James could practically feel the tension rolling off Aspen now, but especially so when Ainsley offered to leave them alone. The thought seemed to horrify him, and something dawned on James. Maybe Aspen didn't want them all to head back to the apartment because he was worried about James, but because he didn't want to be alone with him at all.

"You don't have to- I'm sure Mac has everything under control..." James fretted, shooting confused glances towards Ainsley. He'd been foolish enough to think he could be the one to handle this situation, but now they both seemed out of their depth.

His veins fizzed with nerves as the other man's apology hit him. He frowned, shaking his head, immediately overcome with the urge to reassure him.

"Hey, it's okay. We're okay," he pressed forward, an urgency to his tone. He lifted his hand, letting it float feebly in the air before finally resting it on Aspen's shoulder. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Please can we talk later?"

It wasn't like Ainsley could make some sort of grand exit right now, not when Aspen was standing at the door of the box. If she wanted to head out the other way, she'd still have to move around them. She remained where she was, standing as still as possible and pretending to be super absorbed in her phone.

Her favourite TikToker had just had a baby, so she could invest herself in that for a few minutes. She pretended not to hear James' quiet words, and figured Aspen had simply nodded seeing as he quickly left the box after.

Slowly raising her head, she bit her lip and glanced over at James.

"He doesn't seem okay..." she ventured, as gently as possible. Then, she caught the look on James' face. "Hey. Baby. Are you okay?"

If things weren't so dire right now, James thought he might smother Ainsley's face in kisses. He was so grateful for her ability to always know how to react, even when she seemed entirely out of her depth. She could navigate pretty much any situation handed to her and he loved her immensely for it.

"I think we should give him a minute. He gets like this, but I think I can-" He glanced over his shoulder, stealing a look at the other man. "I think I can talk him down."

His heart ached with the worry that maybe he couldn't. Maybe they weren't coming back from whatever this was. But if he had to sit with Aspen for the forseeable future, he'd do just that.

"Hey, thank you. I really do love you," James told her.

There was no doubt in Ainsley's mind that James knew Aspen's moods far better than she did. She trusted that, if James said he could talk him down, then that's exactly what he would do.

"I love you right back," she smiled. If James was busy reassuring Aspen, then Ainsley would do whatever she could right now to reassure James. That was the whole point of a team, right? Everyone looked after each other.

"I'll leave you two alone!" she said, forcing a brightness into her voice.

She didn't mean anything by it. Really, she didn't. She hadn't thought there was anything suggestive in her words, but Aspen's head snapped up at once, eyes worriedly flicking to James. Ainsley had a private theory that Aspen's eyes would always find James first, which was nice to think about if she didn't take into account the strange mix of fear and protectiveness in Aspen's face.

"No, it's okay. I can go. I'll... I gotta get back out there. Make sure the kids get picked up by their parents," he said, hissing as he banged his knee off the door of the penalty box in his bid to get out as quickly as possible.

Ainsley frowned and, when Aspen caught the look, he must have mistaken it for something else because he immediately coloured and glanced back over his shoulder.

"I really am sorry, Freckles," he mumbled.

James felt his whole entire body tense at Aspen's outburst. He understood it, of course. He hadn't been thinking when he'd suggested pregaming, but he'd been in a panic. He just wanted to get Aspen home so they could talk, so he could scope out where they were at. But of course the thing that had broken him free from his trance was his innate need to protect James. That was how it felt, anyway. Whatever was happening here, he was loyal to the end.

"Okay, yeah. Let's, uh. Let's go straight out," James cleared his throat, shooting a frantic look towards Ainsley before his gaze landed back on Aspen. His voice got louder as he tried for more enthusiasm. "Yeah! Sounds great, actually. Invite the whole team."

He did not feel nearly as hopeful as he sounded.

Finally, he released his hold on both boys, and did something that he might live to regret for the rest of his life. But fear was a powerful thing.

"I'm gonna hit the shower, okay? And then... Just let me know?" He murmured, glancing between the three of them. Then, he bent his head low, and pressed a kiss to Aspen's temple. His heart hammered in his chest as he twisted on the bench, and enacted that same gesture towards Cooper, before sweeping Ainsley into a wider embrace, his lips brushing her forehead.

“I’m going to drink margs on top of margs!” Ainsley sang out, already dancing on the spot in ways a dance floor would surely see later.

And then James Han kickstarted his own kissing parade. Ainsley’s mouth fell open a little when he pressed a gentle kiss to Aspen’s temple, then Coop’s. By the time it was her turn, she was already leaning forward in a slight bow, presenting her forehead for him.

“Thank you, baby!” she grinned, quickly glancing at the two men behind him.

Coop seemed pleased and was already making his way back to the ice. Aspen looked like he was simply retreating back to his previous catatonic state.

“Should we put him in rice or something?” Ainsley muttered out the corner of her mouth, only half-joking.

James had never been so overstimulated in all his life, and that was coming from the man who’d had his first blowjob, first gay encounter, first gay crush, and first orgasm all rolled into one in the snowy confines of his Jeep.

With a stranger.

Who now lived with him.

Platonically.

But Ainsley was doing the right thing, and exactly what he’d hoped she’d do. Cooper seemed happier, which was a win, and James was genuinely pleased his friend still wanted to hang out. He didn’t know how to stir Aspen, not without outing their situation entirely and promptly climbing into the other man’s lap.

“I’d like that a lot,” James agreed, huffing out a laugh. He welcomed the weight of Cooper against him, wishing for a brief moment that he could hug his friend, feel the safety and comfort of the other man’s embrace.

Instead, he turned his head and lowered it, tucking his chin against Aspen’s shoulders. He didn’t release either man’s hand, and he hoped that Ainsley would hold this little display in the same category as hand holding and forehead kisses. He kept his voice low when addressing Aspen, not out of any secrecy or to hide, but so he didn’t startle him.

“How about it, buddy? We could pregame back at nine,” he laughed, his meaning buried behind the humour. He wasn’t a big drinker, Aspen knew that. Let’s go back to mine. Let’s talk. We can figure this out.

“We can invite the whole team!” Ainsley suggested, getting more and more enthralled by her own genius idea. Nothing brought people together like shots and loud music. At least in her experience.

Her eyes darted back down to James and Aspen, just in time to see Aspen give a fully-body flinch at James’ quietly-spoken words. Before she could comment on it, Coop got there first.

“Fuck yeah, bro!” he grinned. “I haven’t been to your place in weeks. Let’s fucking pre-game!”

“No,” came Aspen’s sharp retort.

Ainsley felt her heart sink as she watched Cooper’s face morph back into a scowl, displeased that Aspen was already trying to disagree with him. Admittedly, Ainsley herself wasn’t sure why Aspen was so vehemently against the idea. Or why he was giving James a wide-eyed look.

“I just mean… I…” he stammered. She watched as he tried to recover as best as he could. “I just mean, we’re all together already. Why don’t we head straight out?”

Ainsley took this into consideration, thought about happy hour at her favourite bar in the Village and realised they’d make it in time for half price cocktails if they went with Aspen’s idea. She glanced at Coop who still looked annoyed. To his credit, all he did was roll his eyes before nodding.

“Fine, whatever. Have it your way, I guess. I’ll let the guys know.”

“Oh, I’ve got it,” Ainsley reassured him, phone in hand and already tapping out a message on the team chat.

“I know that. I promise, I know that,” James insisted. He hated the look that crossed Cooper’s features, and instead tightened his grip on the other man’s hand, before carefully tangling their fingers so he couldn’t let go. He wasn’t releasing him any time soon, not until Coop understood just how vital he was to James.

But he couldn’t shake the fear and worry that had engulfed him alongside Aspen’s silence. He’d seen him hide away inside of himself like this before, his harsher moods burying him under and refusing to let him breathe. James worried something chronic, but they’d made great strides and progress in helping draw Aspen back to the real world. Now? Now, he was less certain of what to do. This seemed to be the first time he was the one responsible.

“Okay. Good, thank you,” James murmured, his voice soft as he tried to tread carefully. He didn’t want to spoon him, but he also didn’t want Cooper to think he was treating them differently. “Both of you. I don’t like seeing either of you hurting. I don’t like how any of this feels.”

He glanced at Ainsley, the shake of his head almost imperceptible. There was no way to explain what was happening with Aspen, particularly when he couldn’t put a name to it himself. His eyes were silent and pleading, like he didn’t know where to go from here.

She met the shake of James’ head with a nod of her own, a silent agreement that she wouldn’t push the matter with Aspen. But she didn’t like that glazed over look in his eyes.

“Okay! Well!” she piped up, loud enough for her enthusiasm to hopefully sound encouraging and enticing. “Now that you two have made up. Or like, agreed not to kill each other, we should all go out.”

She nodded in satisfaction at her own plan and looked expectantly at Coop.

“Bro, you know I’m always down for a night out,” he told her. He was now leaning comfortably against James, and shook their conjoined hands in the air to get James’ attention.

“What do you say, man?”

Ainsley also wasn’t above pleading either.