Page 40 of Pitch Prince

“Call him,” I said. “Call him now.”

I waited as Rhys dialled and called Finn’s number but no answer came. My heart felt like it had migrated up my throat and into my mouth as I thought of what Finn was going through. And how he’d been so stupid as to let this get out. “Does he live nearby?” I asked.

Rhys nodded. “We’ll walk, see if he’s home. I worry that where the video was taken…he might not have made it home.”

Oh shit. Of course. Rhys’ concern had been instantly with his safety, mine with his sexuality. My priorities were all fucked up.

We both dressed quickly and Rhys led me down Westgate Street and back toward the station. Instead of getting on a train we took a few side-streets that led us to a long promenade. At the end, I could just about make out the blue glint of water. “He lives in a flat above Cardiff Bay,” Rhys said in explanation.

We walked past some high-rises, much more modern than Rhys’ place from the outside. When we got to the right one, Rhys tapped out a code at the front door and then pulled out a key as we ascended the stairs.

“You have a key to his place?” I asked. It was stupid that I was getting jealous over something like that, but I wondered why.

“I have several in a drawer at home. You wouldn’t believe how often he loses his keys and I have to get him a new one, so I made him get a whole load cut.” Rhys smiled as he opened the front door. “Now prepare yourself.”

He opened the door, stepping inside and beckoning me in before closing it again behind the both of us. The smell of alcohol and sweat was immediately an assault on my nose and the place didn’t look much better. It was a studio flat with just a door off the main room that I presumed led to a bathroom, but the rest was all packed into one small living space. Finn was snoring, as naked as the day he was born splayed on top of the mattress, a spilt beer bottle soaking into the bedding. There were cans of energy drinks and beer bottles littering the floor and the whole place was disgustingly untidy.

“Oh, mate,” said Rhys gently. I squeezed his hand in reassurance before he stepped forward to open the curtains to let light into the room.

“Fuck off,” groaned Finn. Rhys opened all the windows along one wall to get fresh air into the room and then went into the kitchen to grab a recycling bag, picking up cans and bottles as he did. I realised this wasn’t the first time he’d done all this. It was all so routine. Finn really was in a bad place.

“Get some fucking clothes on,” said Rhys. “I’ve tried to help you but it’s time for some fucking tough love.”

“What the fuck have I done this time?” asked Finn. “It’s not a crime to get drunk after a game is it? Just because you’re a boring twat doesn’t mean the rest of us have to be.”

“Lose the tone, get some clothes on and we can talk. Or I’ll set the Scotsman on you.”

Rhys looked pointedly at me and Finn followed his gaze. He flinched as soon as he laid eyes on me. I did my best to put the same stern tone on that I adopted when Olivia and Logan refused to share the XBOX. “I suggest you do as Rhys says.”

Suddenly aware of his own nudity, Finn grabbed at the sheets to cover himself and grabbed a pair of pyjama shorts from the floor. Rhys put the full recycling bag to one side of the room and started boiling the kettle in Finn’s tiny kitchen. Tea was his answer to all of life’s biggest problems.

“I. Thought. You. Were. Dead.” He punctuated each syllable with a sugar in one of the cups. I gently nudged him out of the way and distributed the sugar evenly between the cups to avoid any of us having a heart attack. I laid one hand on the small of his back and rubbed it gently in the hope of calming him down. He seemed to deflate and sank into my side. Finn’s eyes followed every movement. I handed him two mugs and he took one over to Finn. Rhys pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Finn. I watched as the colour drained from Finn’s face.

“What the fuck?” he said. “Where’d you get this?”

“Twitter,” Rhys said. “It’s all over the place at the moment. Twitter, Reddit, some news sites are going to pick this up.”

“But…that was weeks ago! That wasn’t last night!” Finn half shouted.

“Don’t think it matters when it happened mate, it matters that it did. And I don’t know how you’re going to get yourself out of this one.”

I felt like I was intruding on a very private moment, like I wasn’t meant to be there. But neither of them asked me to leave. Finn rested his head on Rhys’ shoulder and groaned. “What are they going to do, fire me for sucking cock?”

Rhys pushed him. “I’m gay, that is not the problem hare. The problem is you having sex in a public place with someone willing to post it all over the fucking internet. Theproblemis that at some point, something you do is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and fucks up your career, or worse.”

None of us said anything for a minute. I took a too-loud slurp of tea and Finn looked up like he’d forgotten he was there. “What’s Callum Anderson doing in my kitchen?”

“Moral support as I save your sorry arse,” Rhys said.

“So he’s been…staying with you, has he?” Finn asked. Rhys looked hopelessly at me for a second like he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Rhys and I are together, if that’s what you’re implying. Unlike you, we’re not having too much trouble keeping it quiet now.”

Rhys glared at me for my harshness but Finn gave a humourless laugh. “Fair play, mate. Fair play.”

“Right, get your phone plugged in,” said Rhys to Finn. “We’re going to tackle the problem, and tackle it head on. You’re going to need to tell me if there are other videos like this, I’ll call the coach to get ahead of the news and keep your place on the squad, and-”

Finn put a hand on Rhys’ chest. “No offence, mate, but I think I’m done.”

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