Page 133 of The Locker Room

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that it would be fine, Leo would be there to help him sign papers, and

that it was only until the end of the season, and that they would

reevaluate their contracts then, Xander came to a very sudden, abrupt

realization.

They couldn"t be grown-ups if they were faking it. There was a

reason for the hoopla and the two people in the center of attention,

announcing to the world that they were going to, by golly, be grown-ups

for the whole rest of the world to see. There was a reason for the

traditions and the music and the flowers and the celebration. There was a

reason to make God a witness and to say vows and all that shit that

seemed damned silly if you were two men who stood over six feet tall

and didn"t like attention and just wanted to live your life in peace.

The world didn"t know you meant it, unless you made it official.

“I can"t do this,” he said into the blue. “I can"t just watch you get

on a plane and leave our home. I—”

“If you say you quit, I"ll knee you in the balls!” Chris growled, the

life slamming back into his eyes, his posture, his voice. “Your whole life

you worked for this season—”

“To be with you!”

“And it"s my dream too, dammit!” Chris cried, pulling on his

slacks and dashing his hand across his eyes. “You, you"re always so

generous, giving the whole rest of the world the ball, making the shot for

the rest of us, carrying the damned team on your back!You"re a fucking

act of God, Xander!And youlovewhat you do. Just once… even if it"s

just this season, and after that we quit the game, tell them all to fuck off

and die and we"re who we want to be, but just once—you have got to be

the star. You arenota little boy alone in the box, and the whole world

lovesyou, and youdeserve it,dammit, because you and me, we have

sacrificed and we have worked and we haveearnedeverything we have

here, andyouhave earned it too!”

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