Page 9 of Hidden Plays
“So, your friends won’t know I’m there with you.” Weren’t his friends on the team? I picked up my burger and bit into it. I wasn’t considering this, was I? “And you won’t take pictures of us together.”
“No, they won’t be there, and hell no, I don’t want them finding out it’s you.” He glanced at me while sipping his drink. “Don’t worry, I’m sure no one you know will be there.” He lifted the edge of his lips. “Think you can handle seeing men dancing and kissing? Or having someone grab your ass?” He hooked a brow. “Or will it disgust you?”
I didn’t know how I’d feel about it. “It won’t disgust me. I’m not homophobic, like I said. Love is love, right?” I ate more of my burger. If an hour in a gay bar with him would earn his trust, then I’d do it. “If I do this, you have to trust me. You need to do the stretches I gave you and listen to me.”
Covering his mouth with the back of his hand, he chortled. “Ican’t believe this. You’re actually agreeing to go to a gay bar with me and pretend to be my boyfriend?”
“I am.” I ticked my head and crossed my arms over my chest. Would I regret this later? Probably. I’d chalk it up to new experiences. What the hell. “But no one can know, right?”
“Right.” He lifted his palm, and I high-fived him. With a roll of his eyes, he said, “God, I can’t wait for the guys to leave me the fuck alone about the gay bar.”
“Why are they pushing for you to go there?” I took the last bite of my burger and wiped my hands on a paper napkin. This hints at a deeper story.
“I was dating a guy on the hockey team, Myles Cummings?” His brows twitched together for a beat. “And he left me for Cooper Hayes.”
I blinked. “Cooper Hayes, the tight end?” I drank more of my tea. I knew Cooper was bisexual, but knew nothing about this boyfriend business.
He scowled. “Yes, that Cooper Hayes. He went to high school with Myles, and I guess Myles always had a crush on Cooper.” He clucked his tongue and stared out the window. “I didn’t have a chance, but I was too stupid to see it.” His gaze returned to mine. “The guys keep telling me to get over it with hookups, and I tried, but it’s just not my thing. I’m a fucking relationship guy.” He puffed out a breath.
“You’rea relationship guy?” I freed a stammering chuckle. I’d never seen him with a boyfriend in high school, but then I’d never paid much attention.
“Guess so. I don’t know. Maybe it relates to the dude I fooled around with in high school.” His gaze flicked to mine. “Yes, you knew him, and guess what? He was in the crowd you hung out with.” He ticked his brows. “You all let him in, but probably only because he kept his sexuality a secret.”
“What? Who?” I dropped my jaw. How many of my high school friends had been in hiding?
“Colton Larson. Remember him?” He ate the last bit of his burger.
“Uh, yeah.” I hadn’t been close to Colton, but he’d been at all the parties we’d had and was always around. I eyed him. “When did you two hook up?”
“At my house. Shit…” Dipping his head, he scoffed. “He was the reason my family found out about me.” He stuffed the rest of the fries into his bag and crumpled it.
“Yeah?” I watched him. Something important was about to drop in this conversation, something I could use.
“We started hooking up over the summer, between sophomore and junior year.” He tensed the edge of his mouth, his gaze trailing over the diner like he was afraid someone else would hear him. “My mom caught us together in my room. She was supposed to be out shopping, but…” He huffed a long sigh. “She was shocked, but cool with it.”
“Okay.” I’d never heard a coming-out story before. I sipped my drink. “And?”
“And she wanted me to tell my dad. She assured me he’d be fine with it.” He ran his finger along a fold in the bag, his brows furrowing. “He said he supported me, but our relationship was never the same.” His gaze rose to mine. “Why the fuck am I telling you this?” With a scoff, he leaned back in his chair and raked his fingers through his dark bangs.
I parted my lips. I didn’t know what to say. “I’m uh, I’m sorry?” Would that help? But wait, the timing was right before football season would have started. “So, when you said it changed, how did it change?”
Glaring out the window, he said, “He became distant. It’s like he tolerates me, and that’s about it. He said nothing bad to me. He’s just not there.” His gaze swung to mine. “Thing is, he’s the reason I started playing football. He loves the sport. We used to bond over football all the time.”
“You had an uncle in the Niners or something, right?” I ate more fries. I’d heard that part of his history. A lot of players hadfamily in football. Except me. Maybe I was never meant for the NFL. I glanced at JJ. My family didn’t have the money his had. He had all the advantages.
He breathed in deeply. “Yeah, my uncle played for the Forty-Niners, and he’s helped me a lot. But my mom’s the one who really pushed me after…well, after my dad decided he wasn’t interested in me anymore.” He shook his head. “Fuck, now you know my inner demons.” With a smirk, he peered at me. “Don’t use it against me.”
“I’m not like that, JJ.” An ache ghosted across my chest. Was this the reason he’d been so full of himself in his junior year? He’d been trying to impress his father, and then—shit, getting the MVP would have meant a lot to him. “Is that why you’re so salty about the MVP award?” I rubbed a finger along the table. Coach was right about this lunch. I’d learned a shit ton about JJ and what made him tick.
With a shrug, he said, “Yeah, I guess. Maybe I thought it would have helped.” He stood and tossed his bag into a garbage bin in the corner. “Are we done here?”
“Sure.” I stuffed the last of my fries into my mouth and crumpled my bag into a ball. “I feel like we made some headway, don’t you?” I stood and gathered my backpack, throwing it over a shoulder.
“Sure, if you call me forcing you to a gay bar headway.” With a soft snort, he swung his backpack onto his shoulder. “Guess I’ll see you in the gym in the morning. We can work out our arrangement then.”
“Yeah, sure.” Fuck, I still had to do this. I clenched my jaw. I had committed myself. “See you in the morning.” I watched him leave.
After classes,I strolled into the apartment I shared with Arden,my best friend, and working toward the same degree as me. Closing the door, I examined the surroundings.
