“I love you, Kyle, but you’re not as friendly to other people as you might think,” AJ adds.
I grunt and let out a scoff.
“You just proved your boyfriend's point.”
“Boyfriend?”And now it is our turn to speak at the same time.
“Oh, let me guess, you both don’t want to put a label on it?”Trish says, using air quotes.
“I was actually going to say I like the sound of it,” I say.
“Me too,” AJ chimes in, much to my relief.
I go over to him and plant another kiss on his lips.
“Okay, so your original plan was to come out at the end of the season.Due to the media being assholes, we’re going to have to accelerate that or else you’re looking at a potential prison sentence,” I reaffirm.All of this over a fucking photo.My mind doesn’t let me think it’ll come to nothing.No, my mind likes to seep in the darkness and the implausible ‘what if’s.’I hate my mind most of the time.
“I’m aware,” AJ says, looking sheepish.
“We’re over halfway through the season anyway, so I say we start working the media now and, in a few weeks, hit them with the truth.Call a joint press conference.We need both of our clubs to be on board with this, though.I don’t want to blindside them, because then they will be pissed—and rightly so.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” AJ says, getting up from the sofa and stretching his back.
AJ stays for dinner, and we talk over the plan some more before sitting down to watch a movie.By the time we know it, it’s almost 1:00 am, and I don’t want him to go.Having him curled up on the sofa with me has made me realize how far away he’s been and how much I've missed him.I’m so close to having everything.It’s time to be brave and take what’s mine.
Chapter 31
AJ
Waking up next to Kyle in his bed will never not feel incredible.I prop myself up on my elbow and watch him sleep.He has a slight smile on his face, a lovely change from his scowl.I brush his fringe from his forehead and plant a kiss there.
“Good morning, handsome,” I say as he rouses.
“This is a lovely wake up.Much better than my alarm.”
“Good,” I say, planting another kiss, this time on his lips.
He props himself against the headboard, hair askew, and his brilliant eyes shining bright at me.
“I know that look, what are you thinking?”
“Come for my morning run?”
“What?I can’t.The media will spot us,” I say, feeling a pit in my stomach.
“Good.And besides, Trish will be with us; we can say we’re ‘building relations back up.’Don’t forget, the media knows we were friends before we were football stars.”
I mull this over in my head for half a second before jumping up out of bed in all my naked glory—much to the delight of Kyle, by the look on his face.
“When we get back, I know exactly what I’m doing with that,” he says, eyeing my length.I pull back the covers, and he’s hard as a rock.
“Good, we can play my favorite formation—sixty-nine.”
We head downstairs, and Trish has prepared us a healthy-start breakfast.Her hair is in a bun, which I have been told means she is all business this morning.
“This is incredible,” I say, taking a bite of what she has dubbed a ‘protein pancake.’
“Finally, someone who appreciates my skills,” she says, shooting Kyle a look.
