Page 18 of A Layperry's Heart
“Holy shit! Is this what it’s like to be tall? You all look like ants down there!”
“That’s how we feel when we have to look down at you, Aldo!”
I pull Aldo off my shoulder and set him on the ground. My brain feels light, overwhelmed by how it felt to have Aldo’s body against mine like that with only a pair of shorts separating us. I shake my head, trying to expel the thoughts, not wanting to have an erection while running down the field.
Aldo gives me a look, like maybe he knows exactly what I’m thinking. My purple cheeks darken and I take off running down the field, chasing after the ball before I say something I shouldn’t, like asking him to come back to my apartment with me and shower with me so we can get dirty all over again a different way.
I’ve never had urges quite like this before. Aldo makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I want to explore these feelings with him, but would he actually want that?
We play for about two hours and by the time we’re done, the sun is peaking in the sky, making all of us pink and sweaty. Even my purple skin has a red tint to it that it didn’t have when I woke up this morning.
Hector and Sal both slap my back. “You did great out there!”
“Yeah,” Benny says with a grin. “Especially for your first time playing.”
Carlos nods his head. “Aldo can bring you anytime. Open invitation to keep playing with us.”
My chest feels near bursting with happiness at the invitation. Eventually, Aldo and I pack up our things, get our shirts back on, and head back towards our apartment building. Aldo digs through his bag and hands me an orange.
“These always hit different after playing. Somehow they taste even more delicious than usual. Trust me,” he says, taking out his own and starting to peel it. We’re careful to hold on to the peels, placing them in a little baggie that Aldo has.
I take my first bite and immediately have to agree with Aldo. The juices are refreshing after so much running, the sweetness making my mouth water. It’s the perfect snack for our travel back home.
“We have a fruit that is very similar on my home planet,” I tell Aldo, popping another slice into my mouth. “Though it’s green in color and more sour.”
“That’s so interesting.” Aldo takes a bite before looking up with a tentative smile. “I’d love to try it someday.”
He says it so easily. I stop in my tracks, my body locking up. Aldo makes a surprised noise and stops with me.
“Truly?”
Aldo looks down at the orange in his hands and I so desperately wish I could dart into his mind and hear what thoughts are moving around inside his head. But I don’t. Aldo deserves privacy from me. I’ve not been welcomed inside his head.
Finally, he looks up. “Truly,” he says, just barely loud enough for me to hear. “I really enjoy your company, Gendry. I shouldn’t be talking about feelings yet, it’s way too soon. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t have feelings for you already. I don’t know where this is going, especially with your departure just around the corner, but I don’t care.”
My heart is pounding inside my chest, making it hard to breathe. Aldo has said everything I’ve been feeling since I’ve met him.
“You are the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on and I can’t stop thinking about you. You make me feel things I have never felt before.”
Aldo smiles, his cheeks brightening. “I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he finally says, starting to walk once more. I quickly follow his lead, not wanting to be left behind.
I have no idea what this means, only that we both have feelings for each other. Back home, I would talk to Ghenie about this, even ask him to arrange my matron ritual so that I could properly win Aldo’s hand in front of my people and the ancestors. I would dive into the maze below our town square and find Aldo waiting for me at the end of it.
I would show myself worthy of his affections.
But we’re on Earth and he is human. I have to win his affections in other ways.
Quickly finishing my orange, I reach out and take his free hand in my own. He startles for a moment before he squeezes my hand, carefully lacing our fingers together. My stomach feels like I might throw up and my head feels light enough to lift me right off the ground.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “Today was everything I hoped soccer would be and it was made even better by you sharing it with me. I enjoyed getting to know your family.”
“I’m glad they behaved themselves,” Aldo says, shaking his head. “It’s a high compliment that they invited you to come back. I once invited a boyfriend who was banned from ever stepping foot on a field with my cousins in the future. I broke up with him afterwards because he reacted like an entitled brat.”
I hum as I listen. “He sounds like, umm what’s the word? Right. He sounds like a douche nugget.”
Aldo sputters, almost spitting out the last slice of his orange. “Oh my god! Who taught you that?”
“Christian. Did I say it wrong?”
