Page 123 of The Locker Room
lies had just broken, and Xander refused to do it anymore. He might not
just defy the gods and come out, but he wasnevergoing to go home with
another stranger, and he was hoping Chris was with him on this, because
he didn"t think he could bear to see Chris do it either.
One way or another, this charade was going to end with this
season. Xander hoped it would end with a championship under his belt,
but at this point? Hell, he felt like he"d defied too many odds as it was.
He wasn"t going to ask God for another goddamned thing. He"d always
said, “Chris and basketball.” Well, he"d had his basketball, and now all
he wanted was Chris.
Chris"s newest car (something fast, purple, and without enough
legroom, that"s all Xander knew) was sitting outside the smaller practice
building on the side of the arena. There was another car out there in the
fog, but Xander couldn"t see it well, and he thought it might have been a
maintenance worker, or even a dead battery, waiting for daylight and
better visibility before someone came to collect it.
It didn"t matter. Inside the locker room it would be warmer, and
there would be a big fridge with some water, and Xander was thirsty.
The locker room was eerie as he entered it, lit only by service
lights, the pristine white tile echoing with every footfall. Xander headed
for the fridge, calling, “Chris?” softly as he went.
“You"re early!” Chris said, and Xander followed the sound to
where he was sitting, one long leg extended up on the bench, his back
against his own locker, with his smartphone in front of him. He was
probably reading—they shared e-books like crazy, usually science
fiction, which satisfied Xander"s interest in politics and Chris"s need for
fantastic geekiness and gave them something to talk about as well.
“Easy to be early,” Xander said, sitting and downing his water in
one gulp. “Especially when you don"t do anything.”
Chris frowned at him, and Xander frowned back.
