Page 51 of Tangled Up In You
“I don’t want to lose you either,” I whispered, too emotional to talk any louder. My chest fluttered and my bottom lip trembled uncontrollably.
One thing I knew for sure?
Losing him again would shatter me completely.
Chapter 16
Corbin
“Some advice is don’t neglect your studies,” I said to the group of football guys hovered around our table at lunch. “Most guys think that athletics is all that comes into play, but they want leaders in the pros, both in the classroom and on the field. If your grades aren’t there, they doubt your determination.”
“Well, shit,” Joel said, crinkling his brow. “I’m fucked then. And not in the fun way.”
“Hey. Language,” Hunter chastised him.
“Yeah, watch your profanity,” Daniel said, shoulder bumping his best friend.
For the past two weeks, I’d started having lunch with Hunter almost daily at the high school, and within that time, I’d talked more to his students. A lot of them were still star struck, but for the most part, once they’d hung out with me a bit and saw I was just a regular guy, they’d begun to relax more and not look at me like I was God or something.
The girls still looked at me like that, which admittedly, weirded me out a little. But I was somewhat used to fan girls. I didn’t get as much attention as a rock star or movie stars, but since I’d done theUnder Armourphotoshoot, I’d definitely been thrown more into the spotlight.
Other than my career in football, the modeling had sparked most of my fame and put me in the public eye, causing me to appear in magazines and on billboards. I’d never get used to girls approaching me with posters of me in just my underwear wanting my autograph.
Signing footballs was one thing. Signing pictures of me all sexed-up and with my junk almost falling out was another.
“Are you really dating Veronica Cortez?” another kid asked whose name Ithinkwas Seth. “She’s so freaking hot.”
Hunter averted his gaze at the question, and heaviness settled in my gut.
I’d told him Veronica was just a friend and that she and I’d never had sex, but his insecurity made him still have suspicions I was lying. It hurt that he didn’t fully trust me, and I knew when the time came for me to leave, it’d cause another fight. Because he didn’t trust me enough to do the long distance thing.
“We’re friends,” I answered, wanting to finally put the rumors to rest. “But we’re not together.”
“You must get a lot of hot chicks all the time,” another guy said as if it was something to be admired. For teenaged boys it was, I supposed. “And just go through them all, a different one every night. Dude, I wanna be just like you someday.”
I looked at Hunter, who was paying extra attention to his salad and avoiding eye contact with me. If the roles were reversed, I’d probably be a little upset too, hearing about all the people he’d been with.
“Some guys do that,” I said, regarding the group of boys. “Fame comes with all kinds of temptations. But I’m actually seeing someone right now, and not to throw away mycoolcard, but they’re the only one I want. So as awesome as it is toget lucky, a real relationship is even better.”
Hunter looked at me then, and the awed expression in his brown eyes nearly made me forget where we were and kiss him.
“That’s so romantic,” Tara, one of the cheerleaders, said, resting her chin on her hand and staring at me with big, dreamy eyes. “She’s a lucky girl.”
Just like that, the sadness flashed again on Hunter’s face. One day I’d find the courage to publicly come out, and when that day arrived, I’d kiss him in front of the whole world if it made him happy.
When lunch was over, I walked with Hunter back to his classroom. Kids high-fived and knuckle-bumped me as we went down the hall.
“Just like when we were in high school,” Hunter commented with an amused shake of his head. “No matter what, you’ll always be one of the cool kids.”
“I can’t help it that I’m so lovable,” I said, winking.
Entering his classroom, I saw there weren’t any students in there yet, so I sat on the edge of his desk.
“They’re going to miss you when you leave, you know,” Hunter said before grabbing a marker and writing that day’s assignment on the board. After capping the marker, he placed it back on the tray and faced me. “So will I.”
Despondency crept up my spine.
The topic of me leaving had been the one thing we’d avoided.
