“Thanks Dad.”
“You don’t ever need to thank me, you know we’re always here for you.”
He hugs me a bit tighter, before releasing me just in time for Paul to return, wheeling in a clothing rail full of black suits, before leaving us again.
“There is another downside to this,” Dad murmurs.
“What’s that?”
“I’ve got to go home and admit to your mom that she was right; she predicted something would happen between you and Donovan from the start.”
I laugh, which after everything we’ve talked about was the last thing I expected, but it’s been good to get this off my chest.
“You don’t have to tell her.”
“But I do, you know we don’t keep secrets,” he chuckles. “Although, it also means I owe her a foot massage too, so maybe you can throw some of those Warrior dollars my way and I can book us into a spa instead.”
Paul returns, this time with a rolling table of shirts, ties, shoes, and jewelry boxes.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford that after today,” I murmur.
“Yeah…” Dad says, “I forgot to factor in the cost of inflation from when I was last here, my bad.”
I let out another laugh and elbow him, before going to meet Paul by the rail of suits, which even if they look identical to me, probably aren’t, so I’m in for a very long day.
“Where do you want this veggie tray?” I ask, once I’ve finished arranging the snacks around some dip.
“Just on the table in front of the TV,” Marcus says.
“You got it. Are you sure it’s a good idea to host a video game night before a big game?”
“Trust me,” he says, “it’s the best way for everyone to relax. The guys who live alone might be by themselves, stressingor worrying, at least this way we can hang out together. It’s just healthy snacks, no alcohol, and a group of us trying not to over think tomorrow, it works, I promise.”
“I trust you,” I chuckle.
And he’s not wrong, about ten of the guys show up and it’s perfect. Relaxed and calm, no one is even talking about tomorrow, which is good for me, a chronic over-thinker. Even Joel seems to be in good spirits.
He’s kept his distance these last few weeks, which has been fine, I’d rather he does that than be an asshole the entire time. But tonight there’s something off about him, he’s almost being too friendly. I put it from my mind though; trying to work out what’s going on with him is definitely not the best use of my time. Instead, I spend the evening with Jordan and Tyler, taking it in turns to battle Marcus and Austin on old-school Mario Kart.
My phone buzzes with a notification and I pass the controller to Tyler. Jamie’s made a social media post, and I can’t resist opening it to check, wondering if there’ll be a photo of Donovan. It’s a carousel of photos, him sitting on the laps of various men in dark shirts and leather vests, with the caption: Spending my Saturday night with some real leather daddies ;) #BikerFriends #TheyWillBeAtPride #Hot
I zoom in on a couple and see Donovan in the background with who I’m assuming is Beth, going by his description of her. Jamie and Max must be in Tynerston tonight with Donovan, and the motorcycle club. Knowing they’re all close by sends a pang of jealousy through my chest. Donovan’s in the same town as me, we’re not separated by distance anymore.
“Is that a dude in a dress?” Joel asks loudly, peering over my shoulder.
A few heads turn in my direction at his words. I can’t be fucked with this tonight.
“Yeah actually, that’s one of my best friends, Jamie. And he’s wearing a dress.” I stand and face Joel, knowing I’m taller than him. “You got a problem with that?”
“Woah, calm down, Choi.” He raises his hands. “No need to get defensive.”
“Really, because it sounded like you were judging my friend, so yeah, I’d get defensive about that.”
“No judgment here,” Joel smirks, “you do you!”
I don’t like the way he says it, the undertone in his voice is too smug, but the last thing I need the night before my first game is drama. I ignore him and sit back down, accepting the controller from Tyler and jumping back into Mario Kart.
“You okay?” Jordan asks, as Joel wanders off.
