Thankfully, Omar jumps in.
“Okay, guys, I’m gonna need you to kiss and make up now. No fighting. We need both of you in top shape this season.”
I can always count on Omar to be the most level-headed of the bunch. He’s the team captain for a reason. The guy grew up in a big family, and he says he had to be the voice of reason whenever things got heated. I guess that skill carried over into his college years.
Both Cole and Diesel relax their shoulders and turn away from each other. They might not admit it, but they need each other. Cole needs someone to ground him, and Diesel needs someone to fire him up. They balance each other out.
“We’re not fighting, bro,” Cole says. “Just messing around.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
I hope Omar’s words are enough to steer the conversation away from Lumen and everything related to it. I’m just about to ask what everyone thought about today’s practice, but to my surprise, it’s Micah who brings the topic back up.
“I’ve been there. Once.”
A hush falls over my dorm room.
I look at Micah, sitting alone in the corner. He’s still staring at his phone, like he didn’t just drop a bomb on us.
“Say again?” Cole asks.
“Lumen.”
“For real?”
“Yeah, once.”
“You gay, bro?”
Micah lifts his gaze, blue eyes wide behind thick-rimmed glasses.
He looks a little like a lost puppy, and I feel that same tug in my chest from when he first joined the team. The urge to protect him, even though he probably doesn’t need it.
“It’s a spa, isn’t it?” he says. “I went there to relax. They have saunas and pools and shit.”
“They’ve got a sauna and a pool at the gym too, buddy. Why’d you have to go all the way to Lumen for that?”
Micah blinks, and the blush deepens.
“Leave the guy alone,” Omar cuts in. “It’s none of our business, really.”
Cole lifts his hands in surrender. “I’m just asking. No harm in that. I’m not some homophobic asshole. I don’t care what he does, as long as he can play ball, you know?”
“Playing with balls is exactly what’s happening at Lumen,” Diesel quips, and another round of laughter rolls through the room.
Micah sets his phone down on the coffee table. “I’m telling you, it’s actually a nice place. If you guys are so curious, maybe you should see it for yourselves. But you wouldn’t dare go there, would you?”
This gets a few raised eyebrows.
His tone catches me off guard. I’ve never heard Micah talk like this. He’s usually quiet, reserved, the kind of guy who hangs back and lets others lead. But now there’s an edge to his voice that has me sitting up straighter.
Cole scoffs. “Why the hell would we do that?”
Micah shrugs. “I don’t know. For fun? You’re all so curious about what goes on inside, but none of you has the balls to go there and find out.”
“As far as I know, all of us here are straight, my dude,” Cole says. “So no, we can’t exactly enjoy the fun and games there. It’s a gay thing.”
“And? Straight guys can’t handle being around gay guys?”
