“Tell me, baby.”
Asher looked at me, then said, “I wanted to come out on my own terms. Mason took that from me.”
Asher rested his head against my chest, his hands clutching my shoulder. I didn’t care what people thought about me. Sure, I was absolutely enraged that someone did this to us, but I didn’t spend my whole life being conditioned to believe I was wrong. Asher had. His mother and those awful men she kept around screwed my baby up. I couldn’t imagine how vulnerable he felt.
“I’m scared, Theo.”
I pulled him closer and kissed the top of his head. “No matter what, you’ve got me. We’ve got each other. Hockey is great, but my love for you surpasses any dreams I had about hockey. We’re going to get through this together, Asher. You’re not alone anymore.”
He looked up at me and asked, “Are you sure? This isn’t too much for you?”
I pulled Asher as close as possible and kissed the top of his head. “Losing you would be too much for me. This is a blip in time. It’ll pass, but my love for you is way stronger than this.”
I felt the tension in his body release when I said that.Good, he’s calming down.He had every right to be furious, but we couldn’t let the actions of some asshole like Mason diminish the love we felt for one another. That’s how those fuckers win.
Asher looked up at me with those emerald eyes and said, “I love you so much, Theo. I’m so lucky to have you.”
“The feeling is very mutual, baby. You’re mine now. Nothing is going to stop me from loving you. Our love is stronger than their hate.”
Asher’s face brightened. He didn’t look crushed anymore; he looked determined, and it made my whole chest fill with pride. “You’re right. They can’t hurt us if we don’t let them.”
Asher rested his head against my chest again while I rubbed his back.
My life had been so superficial for the longest time. I had no reason to worry about anything. My folks were great, and I was an athlete. I didn’t have a whole lot of reasons to think outside of myself before I met Asher. But all that changed when I realized that he was the one. You kind of grow up when you meet that person because, for the first time, someone else is just as important as you are. When you’re a kid, it’s all, “Me!Me! Me!”
But it wasn’t just about me anymore.
I was mad. I wanted to rage, but Asher needed stability. So, that’s what I intended to give him.
Chapter 24
Asher
Coach Wilson’s office was a drab grey that matched my mood. Harsh overhead light gave a fishbowl effect, and the seats were the most uncomfortable things ever. It all felt very fitting for what would surely be the end of my hockey career.
There was a very strong possibility that we’d be kicked out of the league, but that wouldn’t even be the worst punishment. The hockey community was tight-knit, and word traveled fast. NCAA punishments were taken seriously, and everyone knew that certain infractions could ruin a player’s prospects for the pros. Nobody wanted to deal with a problem—not when there were so many good players out there who would work hard and not royally fuck up.
Like we did.
I had pushed myself so hard my entire life, and it was all crashing down around me. My cheeks were ablaze with shame as Coach’s eyes traveled back and forth between Theo and me. It was humiliating. Coach Wilson, a man I respected and admired, saw a picture of Theo eating my ass. It pretty much didn’t get more embarrassing than that.
Coach took a deep breath and said, “Boys, you know you can’t do shit like that in the locker room. For Christ’s sake, I don’t care what you guys do off the ice, but you can’t do it in the damn locker room.”
My eyes trailed to the floor because it was too hard to meet his gaze. I was so embarrassed.
“We’re so sorry,” Theo quietly said.
I nodded and added, “Yeah. We’re so, so sorry.” There was silence for a moment, and when I looked up and met Coach’s gaze, there was sympathy in his eyes. Relief washed over me. This man, a paragon of masculinity and athleticism, wasn’t looking at me like I was a freak, but like a twenty-year-old who did something dumb. That’s all. My chest loosened a little.
“Well,” Coach finally said, “you’re both suspended for the next three games. I argued hard on your behalf. The league officials originally wanted more, but I told them that was unfair, considering we’re only two weeks away from the championship. You’ve both played well and deserve to see this season to the end. Personally, I don’t think what you did was that egregious. Everything was consensual. It was just… You got caught.”
I couldn’t believe it. I was sure we’d get kicked out. My eyes trailed over to Theo, and I saw his big smile, which made my heart skip a beat. He turned to me and, together, we released a verbal avalanche of gratitude that bounced off the walls and created a cacophony of echoes in the tiny office.
Coach put up his hand, “Enough, enough. Just don’t do it again.”
“We won’t, sir,” I exclaimed while shaking my head.
“Definitely not,” Theo added.
