Now all I need is to get my man.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
TROY
I don’t see Orlando or any of the players until right before the press conference. It was an incredible game, a fierce fight, and every member of the Force excelled beyond what seemed possible. The excitement is like a lightning storm, and every time I turn around, someone else is asking me a question about the team.
As we’re waiting for the press conference, Orlando and I finally end up in the same room. His skin is glowing, and his smile beams. When our eyes catch across the room, I feel the charge move between us.
The next time he wins a championship, I’ll be here as his man.
When I realize Zeke is next to me, I tear my eyes from Orlando. Zeke gives me a questioning look, and I fear I might have given something away.
Quickly, I steel my face again. “Fantastic game,” I tell him. “One of the best of your career.”
“Thank you,” he says. Zeke glances over to Orlando and back to me.
I try not to show any emotion.
“Junior agent,” Zeke mutters to himself, and his brow raises. “Is it him?” he asks finally.
Shit. What horrible timing. I can’t lie, but I can’t answer. And when I grit my teeth, Zeke coughs in surprise.
“Okay,” he says. “It is.”
“Zeke.” There are a million people around us. It’s impossible to talk. “I owe you an explanation,” I manage. “You deserve better.”
He glances back and forth between us one more time. Zeke steadies his eyes on me, and I can feel him working out his reaction, assessing me anew.
“Must be something special,” he finally says, “if you of all people are acting like this.”
I swallow. “It is,” I say, and Zeke simply nods.
He heads toward the front of the room without another word. Mel joins me, typing into her phone as she talks. “Zeke happy?” she asks.
“He knows about the situation. All the details.”
Mel puts her phone down. “Is it bad?”
I look after him. “Maybe not,” I say.
I feel strangely moved. Zeke’s sentiment was hardly approval, but he and I have built a lot of respect for each other, and I know he’s a man of few words. It lands strangely like an affirmation that he acknowledges my relationship with Orlando could be meaningful, and that his respect for me seems to hold through the bad decisions.
It doesn’t mean there won’t be more consequences, and I know he deserves more explanation and reassurance than I can give him here. But his words are something, a step in the right direction. And it does show me that I can live honestly with Orlando, that being out and proud doesn’t have to mean disaster.
Hell, how could I not be proud of Orlando?
“International media has come knocking,” Mel says. “Zeke’s the big story, but Orlando’s comeback is getting lots of attention.”
“We sent the talking points along yesterday. Everyone should be prepared.”
“That annoying man on TikTok has been livestreaming the game and talking crap on Orlando, but the actual press conference should be smooth. Orlando and the team will have an afterglow for the next few days,” Mel says and tilts her eyes toward me. “A good time to address other issues in the public, too.”
“Noted,” I say.
All of the details seem trivial now. The important clients know the worst of it, and I’m ready for whatever challenges might come. Now, all I care about is telling Orlando how I feel. Not the half-truths I managed to mutter in the locker room before his game. Everything.
The press conference starts, and I do my best to avoid looking at Orlando obviously while it goes on. It’s pretty standard, as far as these things go, and I’m only half listening to most questions while I answer messages on my phone.
