He nods. “Gotta love the lack of state income tax,” he mumbles around his food.
You take a sip of your mineral water. “Totally. It’sabsolutelythat and hasnothingto do with living in the same state as you.”
That makes him roll his eyes, playing along. “Who wants to dothat?”
“Not me,” you murmur, no longer able to wipe the silly smirk off your face.
Kai’s smiling too when he eats more pizza. He’s keeping it chill— “chill” should be Kai’s second middle name—but his subdued, low-key excitement is absolutely adorable. He’s never pressured you about the long-distance thing or complained about how often you two are apart, but you know him well at this point. The thought of being your neighbor has him downrightgiddy.
“Which reminds me.” You are totally taking advantage of his mouth being occupied. This next topic has been on the tip of your tongue for a few weeks, and now feels like the moment to stop being a baby and spit it out. “I want us to exchange test results.”
“Test results?” he repeats blankly, once his airway is clear.
“STI panels,” you say, willing your face not to betray your nerves.
He looks over his shoulder to where Stanley is, in the other room. He’s far away enough that you can't hear him on the phone, but Kai lowers his voice anyway.
“Umm,” he hesitates. “We’ve been sleeping together for over a year now, and you’ve always wanted protection. Not that I’m objecting, obviously. I didn’t expect. I mean, I hope I don’t need to tell you that there’s only been you. Ihavetold you that. I’m just surprised…”
It would be cute how flustered he was, if your heart wasn’t doing an awkward pitter-patter at the same time.
“I’m going to go when I’m back in Nashville next week,” you say. “Can you fit in some blood work around then?”
Kai looks dazed. “Yes?”
You can’t help but lean in and kiss the adorable disquiet off his lips, catching a taste of tomato sauce. Even with a net worth in the high nine-figures and three other homes, today’s been a big day. Buying two villas. Thinking about becoming fluid-bonded with a partner, which you’ve never done in your extremely over-cautious life. Living (part-time, at least) in the same metro area as Kai.
For the first time in months, you forget to be afraid.
Chapter Six
@MiamiCyclones:HBD to @k.reinhart! He’s #99 on the field, but he’s the #1 DE in our hearts. Can’t wait to see The Train take the field this season? You only have a little while longer to go, since players report for training camp NEXT WEEK.
***
Kai didn’t want a big to-do for his birthday, which, honestly, wasn’t exactly a surprise. It feels selfish to admit to yourself that you are happy he doesn’t crave the limelight, which would have meant you subjecting yourself to a big, flashy industry party and all the attention that comes with that. During mid-July last year, you guys were just getting to know each other. It was before he even came to see the tour for the first time, and quite a bit before you were official. His birthday was an offhand comment he made at the end of a FaceTime call before saying goodnight. This is your first year celebrating together. So you book a secluded little bungalow in Seychelles and whisk him away for a week. It takes the better part of a 24-hour day to travel from New York City to Mahé, but the sights that greet you upon landing are worth it: towering granitic mountains thick with greenery, and the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean on the other side of the runway.
Your bungalow is situated on a hilltop beneath a canopy of trees, affording complete privacy. The whole back wall is open to the vertiginous view of the cliffs below, with the ocean beyond that. There’s an infinity pool and a glass-clad shower facing the open air, and an enormous canopy bed surrounded by pale gauze. Other than birdsong, the air is blissfully quiet. Even the maids who leave breakfast trays outside your door every morning seem to move silently.
Kai is spread out on that canopy bed, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. If you linger too long in the bathroom, he’s going to fall asleep. You’ve never met a man who can doze off quicker, regardless of setting, and your plans for his birthday evening donotinvolve the kinds of dreams that happen when someone is unconscious.
Truthfully? You’re psyching yourself out a little bit. How is it that you can perform in front of 80,000 people in a sold-out stadium three nights in a row, but a stupid little surprise for your boyfriend is giving you hesitation? Not for the first time, you pivot in the full-length mirror and check your angles. Objectively, you look good. Your body is lean and toned, like it always is. Your hair is pulled back in a slick ponytail. Still, you can’t decide whether where the look falls on the line between “hot” and “ridiculous.” The guy in the picture on the website had looked hot. Lots of people think you are hot, but lots of them are teenage girls.
“Ster?” Kai’s voice drifts from the other side of the door. Fuck. He sounds drowsy.
“Coming!” you call back. In the mirror, your reflected self squares his shoulders and bites his lip. Resists the urge to make a face.
Kai’s rolled on his side, facing the bathroom door. At first, he doesn’t seem to comprehend what he’s looking at. Anxiety, foolish and unaccustomed, fibrillates your heart.Oh, god.This is stupid.Youare stupid.
“Oh, hi,” he says. And his voice doesn’t sound sleepy anymore.
The outfit can only be called a football uniform in the loosest sense. It’s a slutty version of the real thing, like girls wear on Halloween. Sexy nurse, sexy witch, sexy Little Red Riding Hood. This is Sexy Generic Football Player: the shoulder pads, which are attached to a harness, leave your chest and stomach bare, and the skin-tight pants are cropped at mid-thigh and lace up at the crotch. You weren’t able to custom-order it in Cyclones-issue green and gold, but the black-and-white uni does have a certain sleazyje ne sais quoi,especially when paired with the sweatbands at the wrists, the painted-on eye black, and the cleats, which are clicking on the wooden floor.
You’ve never dressed up for a lover before. As someone who plays dress-up for at least part of their living, this seemed, back home, like an oversight. Now, you are uncertain.
“Go team?” you quip.
Brow furrowed, Kai gets up off the bed and stands, facing you. His eyes drag up and down your body, lingering on the (multiple) places where the skimpy costume leaves you unclothed.
