Page 87 of Perfect Storm
“Ramsey,” Wes said slowly. “My friend? The hockey player? We met him at the bar.”
“Oh yes. Yes.” That guy.
Wes looked appalled and then Aidan realized he thought thatyes, Ramsey was the person Aidan was sleeping with.
“No,” Aidan said forcefully. “No, definitely not. Not that I give a shit about that. Not that I don’t . . .” He’d come out to so few people, he wondered if it would ever be easier or less awkward. Today was not that day. “I do, actually. Uh. Like guys, that is.”
Wes raised an eyebrow. “Okay,” he said. “You do realize I’m gay, right?”
Aidan knew, which made his awkwardness even worse. “Yeah.”
“Then it’s all good, man,” Wes said, patting him on the shoulder. “Not that Ramsey wouldn’t show you a real good time, but I always got the impression you want more than a hookup, and that’s all he’s ever interested in.”
How was that possible when Aidan had only had fleeting hookups in his life, and in the last few years, while Wes had been around, none at all?
Well, that was probably why. There’d been none at all, because he’d been too busy pining for Mo.
“Uh, well, yeah. I guess so.” Because it wasn’t like hookupshadever done it for Aidan. But then, he wasn’t entirely sure if this thing with Leviwasa hookup. They hadn’t defined it; they’d only both grabbed for it.
Maybe that meant something. Maybe it didn’t.
“It’s really all good, Flynn. Glad it’s going good.” Wes patted him again, absently, then gestured at the screen. “You wanna go over these coverages again?”
“Yes,” Aidan said with certainty. He’d probably only play a series or two—if Zane felt they needed more to look at—but Wes was going to be in the rest of the game.
They finished up in the next hour, and when Aidan glanced at his phone, he saw that Levi had finished up early and had caught a ride back downtown with Lane and Trevor.
Aidan ignored the spike of disappointment and sent a thumbs-up response to Levi and then another text to Riley.You free in a few?
Riley sent back a response almost instantly.Yeah, give me ten.
That was just about perfect. Aidan gathered his bag, picked up a chicken caesar wrap he’d supplement with a protein shake when he got home, and headed towards his car.
Riley called six minutes into his drive back, just after he’d finished cramming the last of his wrap into his mouth.
“Perfect timing,” Aidan said, a little garbled as he chewed and swallowed.
“Yeah?” It was only a single word but Riley sounded good. Happy and upbeat. Typical Riley.
Sometimes Aidan was slightly envious that he could be like that, but whenever he was, he remembered that Rileycouldbe like that. That he’d protected him from the worst of their parents’ bullshit, and Riley’s sunshine had never been dimmed.
“Yeah, just finished eating. Well, part one anyway.”
“I’ve never heard anyone sound so happy about a protein shake,” Riley teased.
“It was a good day,” Aidan said, and because he didn’t say it enough—and hehadn’tsaid it enough, before, which meant he always went out of his way to say it now—added, “Even better now.”
He could practically hear Riley beam through the phone. “Yeah, you guys kicking ass this year? How’s Levi on your line? Landry’s been weirdly close-lipped about it.”
“Not sure Levi’s been telling him much,” Aidan said. Levi had told him over dinner last night that he’d decided to be more circumspect. It was one thing to play for teams on opposite sides of the country that played each other maybe every few years. It was another thing entirely to be in the same division.
Landry wouldn’t take advantage, but Landry wanted to win the same way that Levi did. That Aidan did.
“Makes sense,” Riley said. “We never had that problem, though.”
“I think it’s just gonna take some getting used to. You want me to talk to him?”
Riley was quiet for a moment. “No, no. It’ll work itself out. Landry’s just neurotic about it. Worried about Levi, even though he shouldn’t be.”
