My heart swelled and tripped over itself. His look of utter adoration was humbling. It was something I wanted to be worthy of.
“Don’t thank me. It’s true,” I said, brushing my nose against his.
We sat quietly for a while. I wanted to know what he was thinking, but if he asked me the same question, I’d have to lie. There was no way I could tell him I was wondering if there was a way I could keep him forever.
6
Coach called a last-minute meeting a couple of weeks later on a Monday at seven a.m. I reread his text a few times hoping it might give me a clue. I was sure it had something to do with the game we lost on Saturday, but that didn’t seem right. I didn’t think he blamed me for the loss, and I hadn’t played badly anyway. However, a few things struck me as weird about the request, starting with the time and place. Seven was a harsh hour on a morning I didn’t have to be at class until ten. And he wanted to meet in his office at the athletic department on campus. But the strange thing was, it seemed like this might be a private meeting. I checked in with Javi and Minsky, but neither of them got a message.
“Maybe you’re getting a promotion,” Phoenix suggested from his corner of the sofa.
“It doesn’t work like that, but thanks.”
“It can’t be anything bad, Max. You’re the best player on the team.”
“How would you know?” I rubbed my foot over his calf and smiled.
“I read the school sports page online. Your part anyway. There’s usually a nice, sexy photo of you along with a headline about what a great game you had. You seem to be doing well, and no one else gets that kind of coverage, so why are you worried? He probably just wants to tell you ‘great job’ in person.”
“Hmph. Well, I’ll see tomorrow.” I picked up the remote control and absently changed channels while Phoenix read his script to himself. I settled on a basketball game but quickly lost interest. Studying my lover’s intent expression was more entertaining. His audition was coming up soon. I had a feeling he had the part memorized a month ago, but I liked his dedication. It was just his style. Whatever Phoenix signed up for, he put his heart and soul into. That went beyond school and theater. He went out of his way for me too. Hell, he’d started reading the fucking sports page.
The sudden wave of affection and admiration hit me hard. I nudged his calf and cocked my head when he looked up at me. “You should come to one of my games.”
He furrowed his brow and pointed at his chest. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. If you feel like it.”
“I think we agreed baseball games were a bad idea,” he said.
“Not quite. You said you wouldn’t go to any of my games unless I begged you.”
“Are you begging me?”
“No, but…it’s an open invitation. Bring Sunny if you want.” I picked up the remote again and stared unseeing at the action on the screen.
Phoenix kicked my foot until I glanced at him. “Okay. I can’t come next weekend but—”
“Surprise me.”
His slow radiant grin lit me up inside. I basked in it for a long moment before turning away. Fuck. He was on to me.
* * *
The fine layer of mist covering the grass and hedges gave the deserted campus a mysterious feel that went well with my mindset. I took the steps to the athletic department two at a time and knocked on the door to Coach Glenn’s office with a minute to spare.
“Come on in, Max. Take a seat. Would you like some coffee?” Coach asked cordially.
“No, thanks. I’m good,” I said, barely managing to hide my curiosity. An early morning private meeting and coffee? This was weird.
“Excellent. We’re expecting one more—there he is.”
Coach stood quickly, then moved to open the door. I twisted in my seat to see who he was talking to and immediately wished I hadn’t. My skin tingled like I’d walked through a spider web and my mouth went suddenly dry.
Fuck. Just…fuck.
“Hi, Max.”
I clenched my jaw and nodded curtly. “Hi.”
Sky Jameson was tall and blond with blue eyes and sun-kissed golden skin. He looked like a Nordic god, and he was built like one. I’d spent almost a year licking every contoured muscle on his body, so I definitely knew what I was talking about.
Maybe I should have expected this, but I hadn’t. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. Thankfully, after our awkward greeting, Coach did all the talking. He explained that he reached out to Sky and encouraged him to apply for late enrollment in the spring semester at Chilton. Sky was hesitant to return to the team for quote-unquote “personal reasons,” but Coach finally convinced him to reconsider. And wasn’t that awesome?