Page 24 of Game Winner
We slip down the hallway. The door leading to Soren’s apartment is in shorter hallway off of the kitchen, beside the door to the laundry room. No one else is back here. He unlocks the door and waves for us to go ahead of him.
I lead the way down the stairs. We haven’t been home enough over the last eleven days for me to have spent much time down here. I’ve only had quick glimpses and want more time to explore further to see what the space reveals about the man.
Unlike the first floor, there isn’t a single holiday decoration down here. Black area rugs cover the floor. A large flat screen TVhangs on a wall above a table cluttered with two gaming consoles and a mix of controllers. Centered around the TV sit a long, light gray couch and two reclining chairs. The furniture is modern with clean lines.
A series of photographs showing a forest as it changes from day to night hangs along the wall over Soren’s couch. I stop in front of them, studying the play in color as sunlight shifts over the leaves. “I really like this series. Do you know where it was taken?”
“At Rhys’s cabin last summer. He and Sage spent a lot of time there and invited all of the housemates to visit. That was the view from the balcony off of my room. We were there for a week and I got the idea for the pictures when I was doing yoga out there.”
“You took those?” I reach out to catch his hand, squeezing to make up for the surprise in my voice. I move closer to get a better look. They’re stunning, something that should be in a gallery. The way he’s captured the light makes them seem almost otherworldly. “You’re an artist.”
Red tinges his ear tips, and he tucks his hands into the front pockets of his pants. “I don’t know about that. I liked being out there and wanted to capture the peacefulness. Someday, I want a place like that.”
Bax slides his hand to the small of Soren’s back. “Don’t brush off the compliment. They’re really good.”
Soren smiles, ducking his head. “Thanks.”
I turn to view the rest of the space. At the other end of the large space, tiny refrigerator like the kind I had in my college dorm room sits beside a shelf with a microwave and coffeemaker. He has yoga mats rolled in one corner by a rack of free weights. The open door to his bathroom reveals black towels hanging on a hook, stark against the white tiles and walls.
Black blankets cover gray sheets on his bed, and I wonder at their softness. The only spots of color amid the neutral palette come from the rainbow backlighting of his computer’s gaming keyboard, and the stuffed purple and orange monsters on his desk—our chosen characters from our favorite game. The purple one matches the keyring he gave me the day I moved in. We’ll have to introduce Bax to the game and see which character he chooses.
Bax nods at Soren’s travel bag, tucked off the base of the stairs. “I thought you didn’t have any games this week.”
“We don’t. Yesterday’s game in Chicago was our last one until next weekend,” Soren says.
“Four days to go until Christmas.” I sink onto the couch and let my head fall back with a sigh. “I’m glad we get to finish out the year with three home games.”
And I’m glad we don’t have any road trips for the next several days, but there’s a long one coming up in January. Living out of a suitcase isn’t fun.
I welcome Soren to my side with a smile then pat the open spot next to me for Bax. “Bax, are you doing anything for the holiday?”
Bax kicks off his shoes and props his feet in my lap. His red snowman socks are too cute. “My parents are hosting this year, so my grandmother, aunts, uncles, and some cousins will be there. Layne and his mom are having dinner with us since it’s their first Christmas without his dad. You?”
Soren stretches his arm across the back of the couch so he can link fingers with Bax. “My uncle invited me to his place for Christmas Day.”
“I’m planning on watching movies and relaxing.” Tucked against Soren’s side, I sigh, soaking up his warmth. “Phil and Gio invited some of the teammates who don’t have anywhere else togo, so I’ll have dinner with them. Flying to visit my family in Phoenix or my apartment in Calgary is too much right now.”
The housemates are separating for the holiday. Sage is flying to Chicago to spend the day with Rhys and his family. Morgan and Remy are spending part of the day here and the rest at Quinn’s apartment where the Metros captain is doing for his teammates what Phil and Gio are doing for ours.
Soren rubs his palm over my thigh. “Tyler, you should come with me. My uncle won’t mind.”
I don’t want to be in the way. And since I won’t know anyone except Soren, I don’t want him to feel obligated to hang out with me the entire time. “Thanks, but I’ll just stay here. Let you spend time with your family. With the trade and the move, I’m looking forward to just relaxing. But I’d be up for doing something later once you’re back home?”
“What about you, Bax?” Soren’s arm brushes the back of my neck as he plays with Bax’s fingers. I like how he always seems to need to touch one or both of us. “Would you want to come over when you’re finished with your family?”
“Definitely. I want us to spend time together.” Bax fidgets, his feet grazing my cock with every shift. But the way he’s chewing on his lip, it’s clear something is bothering him. I catch Soren watching with the same pinpoint focus he has while guarding the net. After a moment, Bax says, “I overheard some of your teammates talking about the three of us, wondering who is dating who or if we’re all dating each other. I know you told your coach and HR because you work together and had to follow policy…”
“Right,” I confirm. Before meeting with Coach the day we came home from the road trip, Soren and I called Bax, letting him know why we had to tell Coach and HR, and that we needed to do it right then because Stephens looked like he was burstingto share the information, so the three of us stayed on the same page.
“But you wanted to let the teammates find out on their own…”
“Again, right.” I rub my hand up and down his denim-covered shin. “If anyone upstairs made you uncomfortable?—”
“No. Not that. The opposite. I’m ready to tell anyone who asks.” He lays his hand atop mine. “But what they said made me realize I need further confirmation. Is it only us together? I’m not seeing other people, but if you?—”
“I’m not interested in anyone else.” Soren brushes a kiss to my cheek, then lifts my and Bax’s hands and brings them to his lips. When he lowers them to my lap, he leaves his hand on ours, linking us.
I drop my gaze to our joined hands, liking the way we fit together. “Me either. Just you two.”
