"That was also exactly what I needed," he said.
I almost laughed. The relief of hearing him say it—not regret, not panic, not the careful backpedaling.
"Me too," I said.
He studied my face.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. You just—you look different right now."
"Different how?"
"Relaxed." The corner of his mouth pulled up. "It's a good look."
We stood there for another few seconds. And I wanted to say something about what I'd felt—the wanting more, the image that had flashed through my head of being inside him—but the words didn't exist yet.
So instead I said, "Next time I want more of you."
Alex's eyes darkened. He knew what I meant. I could see it, the want echoing back.
"Me too," he said.
Then he leaned into me and pressed his forehead against my chest. Something cracked open in my ribs. Like a door I didn't know was closed swinging wide. Nothing had felt this right in a long time. He kissed my sternum and I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him in, resting my chin on top of his head.
The water cascaded over us for what felt like forever.
"We should get dressed," Alex said.
"Yeah."
Neither of us moved.
"Liam."
"Give me a second."
He looked up at me with those blue eyes. "We've been in here for—"
I pressed my finger to his lips. "I know. Just—one more second."
I couldn't believe it, that I was with him. I couldn't help myself—I wanted to feel his lips one last time, so I kissed him.
Perfect.
Then I turned off the water, and the sudden silence was loud, just the drip from the shower heads and the echo of the drain and our breathing returning to normal.
We grabbed towels from the bench outside the shower area. Dried off. The transition from skin-on-skin to separate bodies felt like losing something. The towel around my waist. The distance returning.
I walked out of the shower area first.
Empty.
The locker room was empty. Benches bare. Lockers shut. No voices, no footsteps, no one sitting in the corner scrolling their phone. Just the hum of the overhead lights and the faint drip of the showers behind us.
We'd gotten away with it.
The relief hit my chest like a physical thing—a loosening, a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I almost laughed. Alex came out behind me, saw the empty room, and I watched his whole body unclench.
