Page 76 of Hidden Plays
Turning his head, he kissed my palm. “Thanks, that’s what I needed to hear.” He lay on his side, tucking his hand under a pillow.
I mirrored him, gazing deeply into his stark blue eyes. “Is that all?”
His brows twitched. “Yeah, for now.” His gaze dipped and then came back. “Thank you, Holden. It means a lot.”
Placing a hand on his shoulder, I rolled in and pressed a lingering kiss on his mouth. “We’ll work this out, JJ. I promise you that. Go play on the best team you can. Remember, I want you to succeed.” I gave him my best grin. He shouldn’t worry about me when his career was on the line.
He shifted toward me, pushing me to my back and resting his head on my chest, circling my nipple with his fingertips. “It’san enormous weight off my shoulders to know you’ll stay by my side. I feel like I finally found my person, and the big dream I’ve carried my whole life might destroy it.”
“I won’t let that happen, JJ.” I held his head to my chest. “I’m here for you.” The more I said the words, the more it felt right.
The next morning,we’d given each other amazing shower blow jobs and spent the day studying or cuddling on the couch. Things were so easy with him. We’d disagree eventually, right? But I couldn’t fathom a reason for it to happen.
After a nice dinner made by Eli, I said my goodbyes to JJ and his friends and drove home. It was time to face the reality of school and training work tomorrow, and I wanted a well-rested start to it.
I strolled over the concrete walkway to my apartment, a soft glow spilling from the main windows and onto the landscaping rocks outside. The air was chilly at night now that we’d hit November, and Thanksgiving was right around the corner. I shivered under my hoodie and swung the door open.
Arden looked up from his laptop, a smirk stretching his mouth. “’Bout time you came home. Where the hell have you been?” He tapped a mechanical pencil on the side of his head.
“I uh…” Shit, I should tell him the truth. My heart pattered into my temples. “I came by a few times.”
“And? You had a game on Saturday.” He narrowed his eyes. “Did you hook up with one of those hot cheerleaders?” His smirk widened. “I see you have a weekend bag with you. Must have been one hell of a hookup.”
“No…” After dropping my duffel on the kitchen island, I stepped to the table and fell into a chair across from him. “I need to tell you something.” I scratched the side of my head. How would he take this?
“Shoot.” He sat back in his chair, straightening his legs and resting his hands on the table’s edge.
“I am seeing someone.” With a nod, I stared at the back of his laptop. Why was this so hard? He was the first straight person I was telling. Noel didn’t count, since he walked in on JJ and me.
“Good. I assume she’s someone from school. A classmate, maybe?” Barking a laugh, he said, “Fucking Lori from class? Damn, dude, you know she’s had her eye on you the entire semester.”
“What?” I blinked. “Why didn’t you tell me that?” Why did I care? It didn’t fucking matter. “N-no, not her. Not a—” I sucked in a harsh breath. “—not a girl.” I snapped my gaze to his.
Lines formed between his brows, and his lips parted, his smirk falling. “If it’s not a girl, then…it’s a guy?” His stare ricocheted over my body. “Dude, you told me you were straight.” He pitched forward, his forearms landing on either side of his laptop. “Were you lying to me?”
“No, I wasn’t. I was straight. I thought I was straight.” Fuck, this was hard. I shrugged. “Turns out I’m not.”
“Who the hell are you fucking then?” He blinked a few times.
“Um, it’s JJ from the football team?” Freeing a stuttered laugh, I brushed my hand down the back of my head. It was obvious I’d blown his mind. Would this pale compared to my parents’ reaction?
“The guy you hated? Who accused you of being homophobic?” He stared at me with his mouth open and then closed it. “The guy who forced you to go to the gay bar. Did it start there?”
“Yes, that JJ and sort of.” I rubbed my finger on the table. “Turns out I’m bisexual, and he, well, he brought it out of me. I don’t know how else to describe it.” Would Arden move out now, or would he be cool with this?
“I can’t fucking believe it.” Smiling through a huff, he shook his head. “Give me a minute, man. I need to wrap my head around it.”
As my mouth went dry, I swallowed hard. What did thatmean? “We’ve been dating for a couple of months now. We’re boyfriends, and I love him.”
“You love a dude?” Arden’s stare cut back to me. “I’m so fucking confused.” He threaded his fingers through his bangs and pulled. “How can it happen that a totally straight fucker falls for another dude?” As his wide gaze met mine, he gulped air. “Could it happen to me?”
“I don’t know, maybe.” I snickered. My old buddy Arden was coming back. “If you find the right guy, I suppose.”
“Fuck, man.” A warm smile swept his mouth. “I’m still shocked as fuck, but I’m happy for you. I guess you like dick now, huh?” He swiped his hand across his mouth. “I don’t know why I said that.”
Barking a laugh, I said, “But it’s true. I like dick. You should try it sometime. It’s amazing.” Now I was fucking with him. “And gay men are outstanding in bed.”
“Duuude….” He gaped. “Stop. I need a few days to unpack this.” He held his palms out to me.
