Page 44 of The Way We Swing

Gavin’s face had turned a deep shade of red, though he was trying not to let it show how upset he was. He squinted at the wall behind me, giving away his embarrassment even more.

After Aunt Cathy’s quick exit, my parents came over to the table and said their good nights. The only people left in the basement were Gavin, Jake, and Easton on one side of the table, and Zach and me on the other.

“Tanner, I have a question for you,” Gavin whispered.

“What’s that?” I said.

“Don’t laugh,” he said, looking me straight in the eyes.

“Spill it,” I said.

“Do guys really get hair on their balls?”

It took all of my willpower to not laugh at my thirteen-year-old brother’s question. Easton and Zach didn’t have the same control, and their laughter filled the basement. After they settled down, I kept a straight face and said, “Yeah. I think you need to have a talk with Dad.”

“That’s weird. Why can’t you tell me about that stuff?”

“Because it would be even more weird for me than it would be if you asked Dad. Let’s go back to playing cards.”

“Easton will tell me,” Gavin said, turning to his cohort.

“Any questions you have, I’ll answer. And I’ll give you the best girls to follow on Instagram,” said Easton, draping his arm over Gavin’s shoulder.

“Stop! Deal!” I said. I didn’t want Gavin to grow up and stop being my annoying little brother.

Gavin dealt, cards flying through the air. Brandon’s abandoned stack disappeared, and eventually Gavin lost, too, leaving just me and Easton. My brothers and Jake all went upstairs after Gavin’s eyes fell closed at the table.

“Just the two of us,” I said, smirking at what I could guess was going to happen later.

“Again,” Easton said, fidgeting with his chip stack.

“I’m going all in,” I said. Screw this poker stuff. We were alone.

“Sure. Call.” I beat Easton’s queen-four with my jack-six. Neither of us cared at that point. The game had gone on long enough.

“We can play one more hand and make it interesting,” Easton said, his voice lower now.

“Oh yeah? How?”

“If I win, you do something for me. If you win…I’ll do it for you.” He winked at me.

My blood started to pump harder. I arched an eyebrow. “Sounds like a win-win.”

He grinned. “Exactly.”

I knew what he meant. It was in the way he looked at me—his eyes bright with excitement and his dimples popping. As if he were as excited about what would happen as I was.

I dealt; I lost.

He didn’t say a word, just walked over to the couch and leaned back. He locked eyes with me, which made my stomach tighten. My new favorite color was hazel, and I couldn’t stop looking at the only thing that color in the room.

I stood and followed him, the tension between us growing stronger with every step. “Still sure?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

He nodded, the smirk gone now. He’d been so much better since we’d talked after the courthouse, no longer saying he wasn’t gay or that it was the last time. We still weren’t out, but we were finally in this together.

I dropped to my knees in front of him and pulled down his shorts, which caught slightly at the top.

My hands moved slowly, resting on his thighs. His breath hitched. I looked up at him one last time, waiting for any sign to stop. None came.