Page 17 of Game Winner
We have a game tonight again our biggest rival. My pre-game nap refreshed me. I’m halfway through my yoga routine, and once I finish it, I’ll make a bowl of spaghetti, my favorite pre-game meal.
I check my form in the mirror. Since I tore my hamstring last season, I’ve been careful with my warmups and pre-game ritual. Yoga has helped my flexibility so much.
A knock sounds from the door at the top of the stairs. I twist toward the sound of footsteps jogging down the stairs.
Gio comes off the last step and walks into my living room. His hair rumpled either from his pre-game nap or sexy times with Phil, he shoves his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and in absence of his smile, lines fan across his forehead and from the corners of his eyes. “Hey. I need to talk to you.”
His expression isn’t one I often see, and sets alarm bells off in my brain. “Uh oh. You have that look on your face. Do you needto talk to me in your capacity as team captain, or the guy who I rent from, or as my friend?”
“Right now, all three.”
“I hate to lose momentum and don’t want to get tight, so I’ll keep stretching, if that’s okay.” Not looking at him doesn’t help with the nerves holding a kickboxing tournament in my gut. The song changes to “Make You Mine” by Flame Shade as I move into downward facing dog. “What’s up?”
He grabs my phone from the side table by the couch and lowers the volume on my playlist. “I need to know what the deal is with you and Tyler.”
Moving up into warrior two, I jolt out of form. Questions and worry swirl through me as I get into position again. “What do you mean?”
“Soren, I’m not stupid. I saw you kissing him and Bax at Layne’s party. Then, he got traded, and you suggested he move in with us. I was in favor of the idea because we help our friends, and I felt he needed to be here with us and not stuck somewhere on his own… but all of us housemates can see the way you two act around each other.”
Exhaling, I cartwheel my hands down and step back into downward facing dog then lift my right leg toward the ceiling. The nerves in my stomach have turned into an MMA cage match, and it takes everything I have to keep my tone level. “Okay?”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “I know you tend to keep things to yourself, so I figured I’d wait until you came to me.”
Annoyance rears fast, and I huff a laugh as I slowly lower my leg. I may be twenty-five, but when he gives me that look, I feel like a scolded teen. “Tyler’s only been here for what, nine days? That’s not much time, G.”
“After the morning skate today, Stephens asked me if you and Tyler were turning into Sage and Rhys. That’s why I’m here now.”
“Stephens is an ass.” I repeat the move on my left side. He was one of the disgruntled, demoted Metros last season, bitter about Remy, Morgan, and especially Sage earning their spots with the big club. Though Rhys spent two weeks with the Slash as he recovered from an injury, his romance with Sage mostly developed when Sage was called up to the Metros, the second half of last season.
“Even so. He said he saw you and Tyler looking cozy, and asked me.”
“He’s nosy. Did you tell him to fuck off?”
Gio sits on the floor so we’re more eye to eye. “I brushed him off, then redirected the conversation.”
“Thanks.” I shift into a high plank, stretching my body out and clenching my core.
“But the guys aren’t stupid. More people will notice. Are you keeping your relationship quiet? In case one of them asks you, or if Coach Nivens or HR hears about it from them and asks you, you better think about what you’ll say. Or what you want me to say, if anyone asks me again.”
“We’re taking it slow. We haven’t discussed how we’d handle things yet.” Inhaling, I drop onto my stomach and bring my forearms out in front of me in sphinx pose. “I didn’t really think about the team. I mean, I thought about how Tyler isonour team now. And I don’t want him to feel pressured in any way. But I didn’t think about the other guys at all. They aren’t a part of this.”
“Except they see you interacting nearly every day. What if you kiss him? Grab hold of his hand? Get caught coming out of his room on the road?”
Keeping my upper body in line with my elbows under my shoulders, I move into half frog pose, creating a ninety-degree angle with my left leg. “We haven’t slept together yet. The only reason I’m coming out of his room late on the road is video games. Not that it’s anyone’s business.”
He just stares at me.
I can’t help adding, “Do you think Quinn questioned Rhys like this when he started dating Sage? I’ll have to ask the next time everyone’s here for dinner.”
“Soren.” He gives my shoulder a quick squeeze. “I’m not trying to be a dick here. You’re my friend. I have your back. I just need to think about this other stuff too. We need to be prepared.”
Repeating half frog on my right side, I think about how Tyler and I have behaved over the three games and practices. A lot of our teammates are affectionate guys. Hugs, leaning on each other, sharing food and drinks, even falling asleep against each other on the bus. We haven’t held hands or kissed or done anything out of the ordinary in front of anyone on the team. “I can’t think of anything Tyler and I have done that would stand out.”
Gio plays with the corner of a furry throw pillow at the end of the couch. “It’s the way you look at each other.”
“What way?” I come into downward facing dog again, then walk my feet up the yoga mat toward my hands in a forward fold.
“I can’t explain it. Sometimes there’s a softness, other times a spark. You clearly have a connection.”
