Tyler: That means that you and the girls are invited.
Tyler: Youdidplan to come over tonight, right?
Tyler: I want you to come.
Jace: I’ll definitely be coming ;-)
Tyler: Could’ve expected that response
Jace: Expect more. See you in a few.
Tyler: Bring an overnight bag
“Subtle,” Missy says, leaning over my shoulder and reading my messages. “He really is into this guy-thing is he?”
“Seems like it.” I shrug, my stomach already in flutters because I’m going to see him, stay the night. I do wonder how he’s going to pull that off with the guys.
She sighs and gets up to leave, the stands are all empty now, leaving a mess of empty cups and loose pieces of papers behind. “Just be careful, okay? I know you think I’m being annoying, but I’m your friend and I care about you. You’ve played inside the closet before, remember? It ended with you in the hospital.”
I follow her lead, get up and make my way up the steps to get to the exit. “I know,” I say over my shoulder, where the girls are following me. “But this feels different… It’s not like how it was with Max,” I explain, naming the guitarist of my former band who proceeded to punch the shit out of me when we got caught in an embrace.
She sighs again. “I know that as well. I have known Tyler for a while now, he’s a good guy. I just don’t want you to get hurt, you understand that, right?”
“I don’t think Tyler is going to beat the crap out of me if I accidentally out him. He almost outed himself involuntarily just now, remember?”
“I don’t mean hurting you in the literal sense…” she trails off.
We’re outside now, and I turn around to look at my long-time friend. She grimaces and she never grimaces. “Just spill it, Pissy Missy.”
She scoffs at the immature nickname I only use when I want to be annoying. “Fuck you. I just mean that you shouldn’t forget that he’s bound to go to the NFL. It’s not only you who’s aiming for a contract after college. He’s very busy with building a career himself. And his, in comparison to ours, is more likely to succeed. You know how the draft works, right? After he gets his degree, he has no choice in where he’s going to end up. Just remember that.”
My heart beats faster now. But I don’t want her to know it. And I’m not going to acknowledge this little fact either, it’s way too soon.
“Missy?”
“Yeah?” She responds as she leads us to the parking lot to find her car.
“Stop talking. We’ve barely started this. We have plenty of time. And I don’t know how it will work out. I’m a day-to-day guy, I live in the now, and rightnowthings are pretty good. Stop ruining this for me and try to be happy for me, okay?”
“Fine. Iamhappy for you,” she relents as she opens her Mini Cooper, a black one of course. “But I’m also going to save you a tub of ice cream when both our boys leave for the NFL to be big football stars.” She smiles sadly at me when we’ve taken our seats, Ava is silent in the back, knowing when to be silent when it comes to Missy’s and my friendship.
Feeling like a dick now, having forgotten a bit that she’s partly in the same boat as me, I now rubherknee in comfort. “I’ll hold you to that. Are we going to ugly cry into their old jerseys every time there’s a game on and throw insults at the tv-screen?”
“Deal.” She holds her fist out and I tap it. “Can we make some very sad breakup songs as well? And look awesome while performing them?”
I snicker. “I can think of some good lyrics, looking forward to it. Now take us home, so I can grab my bag. Then we can ravish our men.”
“As much as I love to be the third wheel, can you drop me at home instead?” Ava chimes in from the back. “I’m staying with Asher tonight. You guys have fun, though.”
I give Ava a rub over her–still purple–hair while she’s leaning in between Missy’s and my seats, and she laughs and swats my hand away. Making the mood in the car turn positive again as she starts poking and tickling me in the side.
Good. Because I don't want to doubt this very, very, new thing I have going on with Ty. I don't want them to plant any negative seed in my mind while me and him are still figuring this out. I won’t. He’sjuststarting his bicurious experience, and I’m here to help him through it. I’m already way too deep if the sinking feeling about this conversation in my gut is any indication.
But a year and a half is a very long time away, and I’m not going to start having doubts when we’re just barely one week into this thing. This relationship. With my boyfriend.
I have a boyfriend. Me. It’s perhaps my first boyfriend, but I like him very much and I intend to keep him. However long I can have him. Record deals and NFL contracts be damned.
TWENTY-TWO
