Page 26 of Tutoring Mr. Hotshot

I frown at the thought. Andry reaches up and presses his fingers against the scrunched part of my face.

“It's okay little genius. I know it's hard to understand. Give it time.”

His words have Ma sighing. Then she rushes over to continue cooking whatever she's working on.

There are so many pots and bowls going I can't make sense of it. Then again, I never really do because trying to figure out a meal before she's completely done with it is pointless.

The woman keeps her secrets in the kitchen. Her recipes are definitely a part of that.

By the time she finishes, and we sit down to eat, she's asked Andry a litany of questions about himself. I now know where he grew up, how he started to play hockey, and what his family is like.

“I'm sorry they weren't accepting,” Ma tells him. “It's sad to have to live in secret. You won't feel that way here. You can consider me your American mom.”

There's a tilt to her lips that she says that cheeky woman knows exactly what she's doing.

“I would like that very much, Ma.” he replies, his accent making the word into something different.

I can't fight my smile anymore. I know I have to look like I'm losing my mind with how wide it is. I can't help it.

He's just so adorable.

The honesty with which he answers Ma and engages in conversation with her, asking things about her in return, is intoxicating. I've always wanted a partner who could interact with my family.

My mind wanders to my brother and Raymond. Would they get along with him just as well? I'm sure Aries would tease him a bit, but then the two of them would instantly bond over being athletes.

And Raymond is so sweet. Everyone loves him. He’s not one of those people that you could hate. His shy nature will probably make Andry a bit softer in his approach.

I have no doubt that he would be welcome as well.

Then I catch myself.

Why am I thinking of him with my family this way? Why am I going into thoughts of something that can't happen?

No matter what he says about wanting to be with me or wanting to get a chance to date me, it's not really possible. Like I said, we're from two different worlds and his team, the men he lives with, are not going to be happy with him dating me.

They're going to give us shit all the time. They might not give him the best passes to play either. Their bullying has no end.

Andry mentioned earlier that he wants to play professionally. He's hoping to get a spot on the Bears since they're a local team.

I wonder if that's due to liking Bellport or if there's some other reason he'd like to stay local.

My heart aches at the idea that it might be because of me, that maybe he wants to stay close to me and my family and the place that I’ve called home my whole life.

But no. It can’t be that.

It’s far too soon for such a decision to be based on me alone.

If the team doesn't work with him and tries to go against him, he'll never make it that far. He'll be stuck having only experienced college hockey, all because he went after someone that's not his true forever. There's also the issue of there not being that many out players.

Bellport is the exception to the rule. It's still not a large number.

You've got Brutal Bishop, who was the first one to open up. More recently the coach, Luke Swift, has come out dating his temporary assistant, Timothy. It made local news, and even a few national sites picked up the story because they all were confused as to how many people came out.

Oh, and then there's Leon, Maddox, and Jake, the throuple that threw everyone for a loop.

Okay, so maybe there are more out players than I thought. And maybe Bellport is the place for him to be.

I still feel as if I'm hindering him in some way.

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