However, the kiss ignited something within that I couldn’t keep locked inside anymore. My body ached for affection, and I needed to find someone I could actually connect with, or I’d do something stupid like try to kiss my best friend again. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a relationship; I just wantedsomeoneI could be real with, which prompted me to create one of those cryptic down-low profiles on Grindr. The picture was of the back of my head, donning a backwards baseball cap.
We all love a backwards baseball cap, right?
That’s how I met Ross. We were the same age, lived close enough that seeing each other regularly wasn’t a huge inconvenience, and he was hot as hell. Fortunately, it seemed like he felt the same way about me. Did I feel that spark of something monumental when I was with Ross? Not really, but it was so nice to not be alone for a change.
He was way more comfortable with his sexuality than I was. He’d come out when he was sixteen, and I admired his courage. I wished I could be that brave—to just say fuck it and be me without giving a rat’s ass what people thought about it. I justwasn’t there yet. Ross possessed a level of self-assurance that made me weak in the knees, and that’s where I usually ended up when we got together.
On my knees.
I shook the thought of Ross’s perfect cock out of my head to focus on the game. The game we were inches away from losing.
Inches. All nine inches…
Fuck! I had to get it together. How could I be that distracted during such a pivotal game?
The puck hit the ice, and their center swiped it from me. I cursed myself for being so distracted. What the fuck was happening to me? Losing a faceoff? Thinking about dick during a game? My horny ass was about to cost us the Fall Classic.
He passed it to their left winger, but Cody was right there, defending hard. They battled fiercely along the boards. Cody managed to take control of the puck and then passed it up to Rafael, who was streaking toward the net. Just as Rafael approached the crease, a defenseman came in and checked him, causing him to lose possession of the puck.
I was already racing to help and scooped up the loose puck, but the same defenseman hit me with his shoulder. Pain shot through my side from the hit, but I maintained control of the puck. Our sticks clashed as we battled for possession. I used my shoulder to push him off just enough to make a quick pass to Cody.
Cody took a shot, but it deflected off the goalie’s pad. The defenseman who had hit me earlier grabbed the puck and skated around the corner.
Rafael covered their center to prevent a breakout, so Codyand I skated after the defenseman, but he quickly reversed the puck and passed it to their right winger.
The winger carried the puck around the net in the opposite direction, and the shift’s momentum caused the ice to spray as I stopped and changed directions. Cody and I worked together to try to cut him off before he got around the corner, but he then made a quick pass to their center, who promptly hit a crisp breakout pass to the defenseman.
In a flash, the defenseman rushed toward our zone. I pumped my legs, backchecking with everything I had, but it wasn’t enough.
They scored just as the buzzer sounded, ending the period with us down by one.
* * *
The mood in the locker room was somber. It was the first time the Vipers had made it to the finals in the Fall Classic, and to lose when we were so close was devastating. I couldn’t pay attention to Coach Hughes. He was half-admonishing us for playing sluggishly and half trying to lift our spirits, which left a weird feeling in all of us. Were we sucking or doing our best? It felt like the former, and I kind of wished Coach would just lay into us and give us the tongue-lashing we deserved.
I looked at Theo because we usually connected in moments like that and spoke silently to one another, but his eyes were downcast with disappointment. Fuck, we were in bad shape. When Theo was depressed, you knew shit was dire.
Coach wrapped up whatever he was saying, and I rose toconsult with Theo, Cody, and Rafael. Cody took Rafael by the hand and led him to the far end of the locker room, out of sight from the rest of the team.
I don’t know why, but something told me to follow them. They’d been acting so weird together. One moment, they despised each other, and the next, they were looking at each other like…
Wait a minute.
I crept toward them, trying to ignore the chatter of my teammates and listen to what they were saying. I casually leaned against the wall that was shielding them from the rest of the team. Cody was saying something, and then the speaking stopped. Heavy breathing replaced their conversation, and I rounded the corner to see them making out.
YES!!!!!!
“I fucking knew it,” I whispered-screamed.
They parted instantly and looked at me with abject terror in their eyes. Rafael’s hand slowly found Cody’s, and my heart nearly melted.
I closed the distance between us and whispered, “I want to hear everything when this is done.”
Cody put his hand on my shoulder, a look of fear and desperation mixed in his eyes. “Please don’t say anything.”
I can’t even describe the giddiness coursing through me. I would have done a cartwheel if I knew how to do one.
I’m not the only gay one on the team!
