Ice flooded my veins as I slowly turned my head, nausea suddenly churning my stomach, to see West fucking Russell looking at us with wide eyes and a shocked expression. He had the decency to look embarrassed too, although I guessed I was the one making out with Ezra in public.
“Sorry,” West said quietly. “I, er… sorry.”
He turned away, training bag swinging on his shoulder.
And my body reacted instantly.
Overwhelming panic took hold of me, making nothing but white noise echo in my ears. My stomach lurched and my eyes burned, my limbs shaking as I tore myself away from Ezra. I thought I vaguely heard my bag hitting the floor. And felt his fingers graze my wrist as he tried to grab me.
But I was a winger for a reason, and it was easy to slip through his grasp as I sped towards the door.
I didn’t even know where I was going.
All I could focus on was the fact that West knew.
West knew and he was going to tell everyone.
West knew and he was going to make my life hell for being a dick to him.
West knew and my life was over.
At some point I let myself into my flat. But I didn’t know how I’d gotten there.
I was too busy listening to my dad’s voice screaming in my ears as I sank to the floor and curled into a ball.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Ezra
“Danny! Wait!”My yells were pointless as he slipped through my fingers and made for the front door with a burst of speed I’d previously only seen on the pitch.
My blood pounded in my ears, my mind spinning as it tried to catch up with everything that was happening. Should I go after him? Yeah, shit, I should do that. But I didn’t have my keys; they were in my office along with the rest of my stuff. I’d need to get them first.
And find somewhere to put down the cup of coffee I was still holding.
I had no idea what the fuck I was meant to say to Danny, but I’d have to think of something. Maybe I’d start with an apology for putting him in that situation, and then we could go from there. But the cat was out of the bag now, and I didn’t think there was any way to put it back.
Unless West decided not to tell anyone…
The poor guy was still stood there, completely bewildered, as he looked between me and the door. “I’m sorry,” he said,running his hand through his damp hair. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“It’s fine,” I said, although I wasn’t sure I meant it. I knew I couldn’t blame West for this situation, Danny freaking out had nothing to do with him personally, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t angry. Frustration swelled in my chest, anger crackling through my bones, ready to be unleashed.
I hated that anyone had ever made Danny feel lesser, hated that people had made him doubt, hated that his father had made him afraid of being who he was. Nobody should ever be made to feel that way. Being gay didn’t make Danny less of a man or less of a person or less of a rugby player.
He was fucking perfect, to me anyway, and if anyone said different, then I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions.
“It’s not,” West said. He looked sad, like there was a heavy weight suddenly resting on his shoulders. I didn’t know anything about him beyond our brief interactions and what Clive had told me, but there was a sorrowful air of understanding to his expression and slumped figure, and I wondered if West’s experience was more like Danny’s than he knew.
He turned and looked at me, studying me for a second. “He’s afraid, isn’t he? Not just about us finding out but all of this.”
I nodded. It seemed obvious to me, but I understood why West might want clarity. “Yes. He thinks he might be one too many.” The words made my stomach turn as it recoiled at the idea of talking about Danny behind his back. But West needed to know.
“Why would he think that?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask him.”
He nodded, still looking at me appraisingly. It felt like I was being sized up by a large dog who hadn’t decided whether they were going to growl at me or not. “I’m going to find him,” West said firmly, his cold blue eyes boring into my soul. “If he meansanything to you, I’d suggest you get your stuff and meet me at his flat.”
