Page 84 of Everything's Better With You
“Coach Judd, care to join in on the wagers for the game?”
Joe raised his eyebrow. “Who’s betting against your team?”
“No, no no no, it’s not like that. We have more important things to bet on. Like, will Brother Leslie swear? Will Brother Randy throw down his clipboard?”
“Ah,” Joe said to Randy. “Of course. Put me down for yes to both.”
Leslie turned on him with mock shock. “I can’t believe you’d betagainst me.” He blinked his big blue eyes and Joe wanted to kiss him until his pout went away. He didn’t really need an excuse to want to kiss him, though. He never thought he’d be so sappy as to want to kiss all the time, but he really did. He loved kissing Leslie…
“You could always add to the bets whether or not Coach Judd bites his nails during the team’s performance.”
“Ooo, I’ll put fifty on that,” Randy said, pulling out his phone and typing into a spreadsheet.
“You guys are like bookies here.”
“Yeah, but it’s all harmless,” Sandy said. “It’s all in fun.”
Joe turned to Barry who was shaking his head. “And you allow this type of Paytonfoolery?”
He shrugged. “The alternative is them pulling pranks. Like the time they filled Leslie’s water bottle full of saltwater, or the time Randy kept dropping wads and wads of chewed gum on the ground so Leslie kept stepping in it.”
“That was funny. He was like stomping around the sidelines, wiping his feet on the grass—”
“It was not funny! I got that shit everywhere. Ruined my shoes.”
The brothers continued laughing about it as they walked into the stadium together, but Joe and Leslie hung back.
“You all packed for tomorrow?” Leslie asked. They walked close together and spoke in low voices.
“I’ve still got room in my duffle if you want to come with,” Joe said with a wink.
Some kids came running through and knocked into Joe. Leslie’s arm came around his back to steady him. Joe smiled up at him, but then he noticed a couple of his kids from his beginning dance class watching the two of them wide-eyed. Joe raised an eyebrow as if to say, “carry on” and they giggled and skittered away.
Leslie noticed it too and removed his hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not,” Joe said. “I’d walk in here right now holding your hand. Hell, give me your varsity jacket. Wait, what’s the college equivalent of that?”
“I don’t know, Joe,” Leslie said in a mocking voice. “Since we aren’tcollege students—”
“Ooo, I should wear my number thirteen Payton 49ers football jersey. I love that thing. It’s huge on me.”
“Stop it. You do not have one of my jerseys.”
Joe giggled. “It was an impulse buy. I was with some dance friends in San Francisco and we went to the 49er team store at Pier 39 and I justhadto get it.” He leaned closer and spoke next to Leslie’s ear. “I also bought one of those ladies crop top versions, the mesh ones? Somewhere there’s a whole photoshoot of pictures of me in that and barely there trunks.”
Leslie stumbled and turned to glare at him. “You can’t tell me that right now!”
Joe smiled sweetly at him. “Love you.”
And Leslie’s cheeks turned that lovely shade of pink that Joe adored.
They may not have been college students, but he felt the internal butterflies like a young person in love. The way Leslie looked at him, not even trying to hide how much he felt for Joe, made Joe feel like he was flying. He hoped the flight was smooth and not careening out of control.
“I gotta head into the locker room and make sure everyone is all set,” Leslie said. “Will I see you after?”
Joe wrinkled his nose. “I’ve gotta be up by four. Bus leaves at five. But I’ll call you before bed.”
