Now playing: Heaven - Julia Michaels
Thehotelsuitewasridiculous. It wasn’t a room; it was a compound in the sky.
Management had put theWrestle Empiretalent up in a luxury high-rise in downtown Los Angeles, but because of the “New Blood vs. Legacy” angle, they wanted to keep Cal and me separate from the main roster. So, they stuck us in the penthouse.
Marble floors that echoed when you walked. Floor to ceiling windows that looked out over a city of smog and dreams. A living room bigger than the entire first floor of my grandfather’s house.
It was Friday afternoon. We had just touched down, escaped the swarm of paparazzi at LAX, and had a three-hour window before the media junket started.
I stood in the center of the room, staring at my suitcase. Buried deep in the side pocket, tucked inside my toiletry bag between my deodorant and my toothbrush, was a box of condoms and a bottle of water based lube.
For the last two weeks, since the night in Chicago, we had been playing a sick, dangerous game. A game of chicken.Who would snap first? Who would cross the line from “messing around” to “all the way”?
We’d kissed, frantic, bruising sessions in rental cars and locker rooms, but we hadn’t gone further.
But I knew it was coming. I could feel it in the way he looked at me across the ring, the way his hand lingered on my neck.
And I had been… researching.
I’m a technician. I’m a strategist. I don’t go into a match without knowing the holds, the counters, and the risks. So, I applied the same logic to this. I had spent late nights on Reddit threads, scrolling through incognito tabs on my phone, reading about mechanics, prep, and sensations. I had watched videos, gay porn that made my face heat up and my stomach swoop, trying to understand the logistics of how two men fit together.
I had even practiced. In the shower, slick with soap, using my fingers just to see if I could handle it. To see if I liked it.
I didn’t know if Cal had experience with guys. He said he was bi, and I assumed he had been with men before, but I didn’t ask. The thought of him with someone else made my chest tight, a jealousy I couldn’t justify, so I pushed it away.
I walked over to the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the balcony.
It was private, shielded from the neighboring rooms by high concrete dividers. We were so high up that the noise of the city was just a hum. The LA skyline stretched out before me, a grid of endless potential. It felt fake. It felt consuming. In forty-eight hours, I would be climbing a ladder in front of seventy thousand people, putting my body on the line to prove I belonged to that skyline.
A gust of wind whipped around the building. I shivered instantly. The California sun was deceptive; the air up here was biting.
“Oh, fuck me,” I groaned, realizing my mistake.
Cal peeked over the back of the white leather couch where he was lounging. I couldn’t really see him, just his long, muscular legs clad in black denim hanging over the armrest, and his hand extending a phone into the air as he scrolled.
“You good?” he asked, his voice lazy, amused.
“I think I left my hoodie at the damn airport,” I said, frustration spiking. “The charcoal one.”
I loved that hoodie. It was broken in, soft, perfect for sleeping in. I was more mad that I wouldn’t have it for tonight than anything else.
“Here.”
Cal hopped up, phone sliding into his pocket. He walked over to his duffel bag near the door, rummaged for a second, and pulled out a black zip up. He tossed it to me.
I caught it, unfolding the fabric.
It was merch.Hismerch.
The creative team had designed gear for us to launch atWrestle Empire.Mine was classic, black and gold, stylized text that saidTIMELESS.
Cal’s was edgy. It looked like a band tee. Scrawled across the back in jagged, scratchy font was the phraseNO ONE LIKE US. On the front left chest, a small American Traditional style lock withDEADLOCKarced around it. It looked exactly like the ink covering his skin.
I rolled my eyes. We weren’t supposed to wear this stuff yet.
“Really?” I laughed, looking at him.
Cal looked excited, like a kid showing off a drawing. “Yeah. I snagged one to keep in my bag. Put it on.”
