Doc's eyes drop to the floor. A faint flush creeps up his neck.
"Yeah," he says quietly. "I heard you."
"And?"
He doesn't answer.
"I want to be with you," I press on. "I don't want to break up over some crap my asshole dad said. And you were fantastic when you took Troy down, by the way. That pressure point thing was hot as hell."
The corner of his mouth twitches. Almost a smile.
Progress. That's progress.
"But losing your dad..." Doc finally looks up at me. "He's… your dad."
The words hit somewhere deep in my chest. Because he's not wrong. My dad is terrible, but he's still my dad. My mom is gone. My brother hates me. My cousin is a carbon copy of everything wrong with my family.
"Of course I want a relationship with them," I admit. "They're all I have."
Doc crosses the room, grabs my hand, and pulls me to my bed. Then he sits beside me on the edge. I go willingly, too freaked out to keep clinging to the door.
"That's not true," he says, and there's something fierce in his voice now. "Gavin, think about it. Tyler is your best friend. He'd do anything for you."
"I mean, yeah, but?—"
"Ethan." Doc ticks off on his fingers. "The other twink in your life."
A surprised laugh escapes me. "I only have one twink."
Doc's flush deepens, but he keeps going. "The frat guys. Drew, Jeff, Noah, Rex, Ian, all of them were ready to jump in when your dad showed up. I saw their faces."
They were, weren't they? Standing behind me like they'd throw down if needed.
"Jamal and Omar and Devin," Doc continues. "Your teammates. They completely had your back in the parking lot with your brother and cousin."
I shrug, but I'm listening.
"Coach Daniels and Coach Williams have offered to be there for you." Doc's eyes are bright now, intent. "You think they do that for every player?"
"I don't?—"
"You have so many people, Gavin." His voice softens. "And yeah, you still want your dad. That's okay. That's human. But only if he's willing to love you as you are."
Something in my chest cracks open.
"You're amazing," Doc says, quieter now. "Any man would be lucky to date you."
The panic surges back up. "That sounds like you don't want to date me. Did you hear me? I am in love with you. I want to be with you."
Doc's eyes go shiny.
Oh no. Don't cry. If you cry, I'm going to cry, and then we're both crying, and?—
"I love you too," he whispers.
The world stops.
"You… what?"
