Chapter One
Rider
I tossed my keys onto the small table in the foyer, inhaling the scent of baked chicken, rice, and tomatoes mixed with okra that was filling the small apartment I shared with my roommate, Ash… Ash, who I was one hundred percent in love with. Head over heels, could never see anyone apart from him, kind of love.
Ash came from a family with more money than they knew what to do with, so living in dorms had never been a worry for him. I’d lived in dorms my freshman year of college, but I vowed to never live there again after all the parties that led to sleepless nights. And after spending half a semester in a frat house, I couldn’t deal with that either. Since I had a little nest egg of savings from endorsements I got from playing basketball, I went on the hunt for an apartment. Coming across Ash’s ad seeking a roommate had been a Godsend. He’d only wanted someone to go half on the groceries because all other bills were covered by his parents.
And the fact that Ash was hot as fuck, sweet, kind, and also gay? It made living with him so fuckingeasy. He was literallythe best roommate a guy like me could ask for. He cleaned up after himself, was chill and introverted, and he madedamn good food. I literally never had to eat anything on campus because Ash went out of his way every single day to make me breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to make sure I stayed on my strict diet for basketball.
Seriously, he took better care of me than my own parents did, and that wasn’t a joke. My parents wereamazing, but Ash was otherworldly. His love language was one hundred percent taking care of people.
“It smells orgasmic in here,” I announced as I made my way further into the kitchen.
“You think all my food smells orgasmic,” Ash teased. He lifted his head, turning to look at me. His dark brown eyes were warm and open, just as they always were. His dyed black locks flopped over onto his forehead in need of a trim, but I also knew nothing short of literally dragging him to the barber would get him to one. And those freckles sprinkled across his cheeks—which I fucking adored—added even more beauty to his almost androgynous looks.
Ash Trent was fucking beautiful.
“Well, it’s always so fucking good.” I patted my stomach and headed for the fridge to grab a sugar-free soda. “Did you remember to take your shot today?” Ash was on testosterone hormone therapy and had been on it since he was in high school, back when he first began his transition. His parents, who had always been supportive of him since I’d known them, paid for top surgery for him, as well as a therapist who specialized in the LGBTQIA+ community and trans people, and they paid for his hormone therapy without batting an eye.
I wished—and I knew Ash did, too—that all trans received the kind of support he did. But since he’d come out as trans masc, his parents had been hard at work doing charity functions, opening centers across the US for trans individuals, and providing free items like binders, packers, and educational materials to trans folk.
I seriously loved his parents to absolute pieces. They were two of the most accepting, loving individuals I’d ever met in my life—apart from their son, that was.
“Yes, I remembered to take my shot,” Ash said, rolling his eyes. He turned off the burners. “How was practice? You ready to eat?”
My stomach rumbled. “I’m always ready to eat. And practice was practice. Same thing, different day. We’ve got our rival homecoming game coming up on Thursday. You going to be there?”
Ash groaned and dropped his head back to stare up at the ceiling. It was near impossible for anyone to not know the homecoming game was coming up. At our school, basketball was just as big of a thing as football, if not more than, and the campus had been exploding all week with homecoming week celebrations.
“Come on,” I pleaded, folding my hands in front of me and giving him puppy eyes. “I know you hate the crowds, but Ireallywant you there.” Ash liked to stick to himself and watch my games from the comfort of our couch. But it was homecoming, a rival game,andone of the biggest games of the season. I wanted to look over and see him in the crowd, right behind my teammates… where I’d already gotten him a seat. I just needed him to agree.
“Rider…” he muttered. I exaggerated my pout, knowing he couldn’t say no to it. Finally, he heaved a very loud sigh, like he was fully put out with me, and nodded his head. Mentally, I fist-pumped. “Fine. But if I want to leave early because I’m overwhelmed, then you have to be okay with that.”
I immediately nodded. “Always,” I promised. Then, I dragged him into a hug and squeezed him tight, my world righting itself at the feel of him in my arms. “Thank you.”
He patted my back like he was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t hide how he sank into me, making my heart thump crazily in my chest. “Mhm,” he hummed.
Chapter Two
Ash
The stadium was already packed when I made my way past the ticket stand and into the seating area. The ticket Rider had given me seated me near the court, which was awfully thoughtful of him. Sure, I would still be seated around a bunch of people, but it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as being in the middle of the stands. And I also would be closer to the action, allowing me a better view of Rider as he played.
And Ilovedwatching Rider as he ran across the court. When he had the ball in his hands, he was a master. A pro. A god on the court. He definitely had the ability to play in the NBA, but I knew he didn’t want to. He was focusing on finishing his degree and becoming a veterinarian so he could work with animals. A man after my own heart, truly. He could chase millions and had decided on a drastic pay cut instead just to still chase whatreallymattered to him.
I found my seat and scanned the court. I’d gotten there at the last second to avoid the crowds that usually lingered throughoutthe stadium, so the players were already about to make their way out onto the court. And as soon as Rider did, his eyes scanned the crowd, and when they landed on me, they brightened. He grinned, lifting his hand in a wave. With a blush staining my cheeks—because now everyone was looking at me—I waved back at him, then quickly tucked my hands beneath my thighs.
Rider had pulled his blonde hair back from his face, the longer pieces tied back into a bun. His nearly olive-toned skin almost glowed under the somewhat golden lights of the arena. Tall and slim, Rider nearly had the perfect physique to play basketball, which was proven every single time he managed to score points for the team, even while surrounded by the other team’s players.
The game kicked off, and my eyes tracked every move Rider made as he raced back and forth across the court, passing the ball to his teammates, catching it back, and scoring points. But the other team was just as good as ours, making the score stay evenly matched throughout almost the entire game. By the time the last few seconds rolled around, I was on the edge of my seat, my legs bouncing as I watched Rider race toward the hoop once more. And literallyright beforethe buzzer sounded, announcing the end of the game, Rider dropped the ball in the net, scoring the team an additional two points, which officially put us in the lead and made us the winners.
I jumped to my feet with the rest of the crowd, clapping and cheering. Rider turned away from the scoreboard with a grin, doing some complicated hand thing with a couple of his teammates before he turned toward the crowd, his gaze laser-focused on me. My cheeks warmed under his attention, and I sucked in a sharp breath when he began jogging across the court to me. Without a care in the world, he pushed his way through the crowd, climbing across people’s seats until he reached me.
And then, he waskissingme. His hands cupped my cheeks with so much care and tenderness, my heart squeezed, then lodged itself in my throat. I was frozen. I had no idea what the fuck had gotten into him, but almost as soon as the kiss started, it was over, and then, his coach was shouting his name, demanding he get his ass back on the court.
He ran his eyes over my face, a frown tugging at his lips as he tried to figure me out, but then, his coach yelled for him again, and he sighed and turned, making his way back down the bleachers and onto the court once more without a word to me. And that was when I noticed the Jumbotron—the Jumbotron that had a fucking replay of Riderkissingme.
Sweat prickled along the back of my neck, and my heart began hammering so fast in my chest, for a moment, it made me lightheaded. I could feel the panic attack coming on, which meant I needed to get the fuck out—andfast.
