Can they…not? I already gave my info when I applied?—
This is for a job. This is for a job. This is for areallygood job that a lot of people would kill for.
Gritting my teeth, I do what the message asks, shooting Nick a tired look when he snickers at the ridiculous expressions the facial verification process asks me to make.
And then finally,finally, the screen flashes green.
Identity verification complete.
Background check against national databases complete.
I put my phone on the dining table.
After what, two months of limbo, it’s done, and I have the tiny morsel of certainty I’ve been craving—I’m going home. My one remaining grad school application should make a decision by the end of the month, and then I’ll know for sure.
“What was that all about?” Nick asks, and my initial excitement, or rather,relief, molds into trepidation and sinks into my stomach.
“My job got back to me and asked for a few checks.”
His gaze flicks to my phone, the screen still glowing green with the automated approval, and even though he maintains his usual smile, his eyes can’t lie. “I guess those went well?”
I nod. There isn’t anything for me to say, at least nothing that would make sense, or defuse any of the nervous tension in the air. I simply sit still, resting against the dining table, when Nick rises from the bed and walks over.
He stretches out toward me in the familiar way I’m so used to by now, and my body works on autopilot, coiling my arms around his waist when his wrap around my shoulder. We’re well past thepoint of shrugging things off with horny jokes, so neither of us comment when I lean my head instinctively into his body and place my hands right above his crotch.
There’s a time and a place to get physical, and outside of those, I can’t force it, even if I still need a distraction from the inevitability of April. I don’twantto force it, even when Nick still smells like the same mix of laundry detergent, musk, and shower gel. It’s amazing, sure, but it’s beyond just hot—it’s familiar.
It’s familiar, and I never want it not to be.
“That’s great!” Nick says, and if I didn’t know him, the enthusiasm in his tone would be enough to convince me. His usual enthusiastic voice is paired with a higher pitch than usual, and right now, he’s speaking in what might as well be a deadpan. “So you’re all set, then?”
“I sure hope so,” I mumble, forcing my racing mind away from the million other things this job could throw at me. “I can finally start planning shit for real.”
He sighs into the top of my head. “Hey. I know we said we weren’t going to talk about this, but I can’tnot.” He paused to gulp in a shaky breath. “I’m not going to break up with you just because of any distance. I should say it outright. Just, like, because.”
The unease in my stomach settles, if only a little, and I exhale gently into Nick’s stomach. “Me neither. When I said yes to being with you, I meant it. Without an end date.”
He tightens around my shoulders, and the sheer tenderness of it all makes me want to cry. I bury my face deeper into his core and my emotions deeper into mine, running my hands up and down his solid back, slipping underneath his shirt not because I want to move things along, but because I need to be as close to him as I can.
This is what I was afraid of with everyone before—the kind of soul-deep affection that hurts in the best way. It’s everything I’ve craved, and finally having it is life-changing, but the difference with Nick is that I couldn’t resist him if I tried. And even thoughnavigating everything coming our way is gonna be hard as hell, we’re both aligned: we aren’t gonna give up.
My god, I’m gonna miss him, but the way I feel wrapped in him right now? Worth it. Fucking worth it.
“And hey,” he mumbles, “even after next year, I’ll probably end up working in seasonal sports, even if I don’t end upplaying, and I’ll have a nice, long off-season of lazing around your apartment.”
All I can do is blink up at him. He’s smiling, for real now, and the sheer affection he’s dishing out is so heavy, it’s making me want to collapse into a puddle. “You really thought through it all, didn’t you?”
“I did. I didn’t sleep a wink on the plane, so I had fifteen long hours on our second flight to come up with a simple plan.”
Someone pinch me? Please? Nick is something else.
“You’re the best,” I mumble into his chest. “But if you want to stay here instead?—”
“Hey, look at me.” He tilts my head up with his fingers. “What the fuck else am I gonna do for six months in a new city where I don’t know anyone? I just need a gym, warm weather, and stress relief.”
I give him a weak smile.
“Besides,” he continues, “if everything goes well, we’ll both live our best lives. Me in pro ball, you as a douchey little finance bro.”
