Page 58 of Tailored for Them

This would be the first time Taylor and I hung out with our mutual friends since we became, well,us.

Would they want me to kiss them hello?

Would they hold me like they have so many nights now?

I wasn’t sure. But I was excited to find out. I mean, theyaskedfor me to come. Surely that meant that they were excitedfor me to be there? That they wanted their current partner to sit with everyone? Their friends?

I drove over to the field, remembering to bring a flannel cover-up to protect me against the marine layer rolling in from the ocean.

My shorts and sneakers would cool me off if it didn’t get as cold as expected.

As I strolled down the pathway from the parking lot to the grass where Taylor and their team were already practicing, I saw a person waving.

It was the tattooed dad from weeks ago.

One of Taylor’s friends.

Still wearing his sunglasses and hoodie with the hood on.

He was sitting on a picnic blanket with his blonde-haired daughter. The one who made him pay her for swearing. I waved back, intending to find my spot to sit, when I realized Jacqueline and Signe were sitting on a blanket beside them, deep in discussion.

The dad and daughter were staring at me, and even though their expressions were polite and not leering, it made my nerves erupt in my gut.

Was this guy married? Did he have a partner? Was he staring at me because he liked what he saw?

One of my least favorite things in the world was explaining to men that I was very, very gay. Most men didn’t handle the rejection well.

Because they were men.

But he was friends with Taylor, and they wouldn’t be friends with bad men.

I quietly avoided eye contact and made my way over to Signe and Jacqueline. When I did, the tattooed dad and daughter started whispering to each other.

“Hi,” I greeted my coworkers.

“Oh! What are you doing here?” Signe asked, scooting over to make room for me. She even went as far as to cover me with some of the blanket she held on her lap. I happily snuggled in.

“I came to watch Taylor,” I replied.

Jacqueline turned to look at me, her dark eyes studying my face with that quiet intensity she was known for.

“What?” I asked her.

“Can we talk about you two now?” Jacqueline asked.

Signe dramatically leaned forward to catch my eye, and her dark red eyebrows practically disappeared into her hairline. “Talk about what?”

“Um—” I was cut off when the visual of the team running near our side of the field caught my eye. Taylor was ahead of the team. Their frame was much smaller than the men they played with. Taylor didn’t need to wear a sports bra, but they had one on underneath their oversized cutoff t-shirt anyway. It showed off the entirety of their waist and the lean definition of their muscles and back. One wrong breeze, and their top could expose their entire front. The plain black sports bra made more sense to me now.

When Taylor jogged by, glancing to the side to see me sitting between Jacqueline and Signe, they comedically skidded to a stop and backpedaled to stand in front of me.

Their smile stretched across their face, showing off all their teeth. Fine smile lines formed in the crinkles of their eyes, and they quickly scratched their septum piercing before stepping toward us.

“She’s here, T!” the blonde little girl called over. Her dad grinned before elbowing his daughter’s ribs and lifting his index finger to his mouth to shush her.

“Damn, be cool, Susie,” Taylor replied with a wink. Then they turned to me again, before crouching in front of our blanket, “Practice just started, and I only ran one lap so far.”

I glanced at Jacqueline and Signe just to double-check, but the way Taylor locked their eyes on me confirmed that they were talking to me, specifically.

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