Page 23 of The Coach

I scratched the back of my neck, offering him a guilty smile. “Uh, sorry, bro. Chris wanted to show me this club he’d talked about, so we snuck off. We were, uh, drinking and talking, and… I lost track of time.” It was the last thing I remembered before waking up in Blake’s room, so the story was mostly true. I felt bad for lying to my best friend, but I wasn’t yet ready to share what happened between me and Blake. Not even with Finn.

“You didn’t text me,” Finn shot back, his expression sharpening. “I thought you were dead in a ditch or something. I was just about to go to Coach and report a missing person.”

Well, that would’ve been awkward. “I would’ve called you but my phone died.”

Finn squinted at me, his head tilting slightly. “Uh-huh.” His face remained dour for another moment before an infuriatingly smug grin stretched across it. “Well, at least you got laid, finally.”

“How—how do you know?” I blurted before I could think better of it. My cheeks burned, and there was no masking it in the bright morning light.

“Because your face is glowing, dude! It’s like there’s a neon sign on your forehead, sayingsigned, screwed, delivered. Also, you reek of sex. Phew!”

I checked my hoodie but I couldn’t smell a thing. Still, having been drenched in Blake’s cum less than an hour ago—twice—I believed Finn was telling the truth. I started digging through my bag in search of a deodorant, using the action to avoid his gaze, when he spoke again.

“So, was it good? I could see the sparks flying from across the bar.”

“Knock it off, man,” I said, throwing a balled-up sock at him. “I’m not giving you details.”

“Oh, come on, bro. You vanished all night, didn’t tell me where you were, and now I’m not even getting the dirt?”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “It was… fine.” The understatement of the century. “Now can we drop it?”

“So, who did whom?” Apparently not. “Or did you both go for a round on each other?”

“What is it with straight guys being so obsessed with gay sex?” I countered. “If you’re so curious, why don’t you try it and see for yourself?”

That finally shut him up. “Fine, fine.” Finn held up his hands in mock surrender, but the teasing glint in his eyes didn’t fade. “I’ll let it slide. But next time, maybe shoot me a text before you disappear with some unknown hunk. Common courtesy, you know?”

“Noted,” I said, already zipping up my bag. My ass was sore, but it was the good kind of soreness, the kind that reminded me of how I’d spent the morning. Of Blake’s hands on my skin, his mouth, the way he’d looked at me like he was drowning and I was the only air left in the world.

Finn muttered something else, but I didn’t catch it, my thoughts too tangled up in the memories.

* **

The bus ride back to campus was quiet, the kind of collective exhaustion that settled over a team after a hard weekend. Some of the guys were asleep already, heads lolling against the windows or on each other’s shoulders. Others had headphones in, their gazes distant.

Finn sat beside me, flipping through something on his phone, occasionally nudging me with his elbow to show me a meme or a funny video. I played along, laughing when appropriate, but my focus kept drifting. The ache in my ass was getting worse, aggravated by prolonged sitting and all the bouncing as the bus sped onward. I kept fidgeting and squirming in my seat, searching for the best position, but nothing helped. Still, it was a small price to pay. And I couldn’t wait to pay it over and over again.

Blake was at the front of the bus, a few seats ahead, his head tilted back against the headrest. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed, but I knew better than to think he was asleep. He was probably running through match stats in his head or planning the next practice. He never really stopped working. Only once did he turn and look back at me, and I think I saw a corner of his lip curling before he looked away.

I kept stealing glances at him, my chest tightening with something too big to name. The memory of his mouth on mine, the way he’d moaned as he came insideme—God, it was all still there, vivid and electric. I could feel the ghost of his touch, the heat of his skin against mine, and it made my stomach flip in a way that was equal parts thrilling and terrifying.

“Earth to Tyler.” Finn’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Huh?” I turned to him, blinking.

“I said, are you and Chris staying in touch, or was this a one-time thing?”

My gut twisted. “Uh, I don’t know. We exchanged numbers, so we’ll see.”

Finn gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t press. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, stretching his legs out into the aisle. “Well, whatever. Just don’t get too attached. Those long-distance things never work.”

I forced a laugh, nodding like I agreed. But the truth was, I was already attached. Too attached. And it wasn’t Chris I was thinking about.

Hours later, the bus pulled into the campus lot just as the sun was starting to set, the light warm and soft, casting long shadows across the pavement. The guys shuffled off one by one, their movements sluggish, their bags slung over their shoulders.

Blake lingered near the front, his expression unreadable yet focused. He was talking with Ms. Millson, the Athletic Director, who came to greet us and make sure everything went well. I waited until Finn wasdistracted, laughing at something Scott had said, before letting my gaze drift back to Blake one last time.

He caught my eye, just for a moment, and it was like the world narrowed, the noise around us fading into nothing. There was no smile, no outward acknowledgment, but it didn’t matter. I knew.

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