Page 8 of Swim Crush

“What do you mean? We’re doing a cool down swim. Even if I had the green Speedo today, cool down doesn’t mean swim as fast as I can.”

“Whatever.” Danny was naked again. “Wear the green one at the next meet. Hermes obviously believes it’s true. Maybe it is?”

I changed into my Speedo and we headed to the pool. “How many laps?” I needed to clear my head. These notes had me all over the place.

“I dunno. Twenty?”

“Sounds good.”

Danny had a student government thing, so I found myself alone for dinner, preparing myself for tonight’s session with the chemistry TA. I was better with concepts than concrete principles, so I was getting all the help I could since it was basically science-math. Ecology was doable; organic chemistry was hell.

I liked to get there early, so I scarfed down the rest of my tacos as fast as I could and scurried over to the science building. It was one of the oldest buildings on campus, so there were lots of little nooks and crannies for studying. Sam, the chemistry TA, always had us meet on the third floor at the back since it was only a few hundred feet from his lab. I didn’t pretend to be smart enough to know what he was working on.

It’s not that I liked chemistry that much, but I had noticed that the closer you sat to Sam, the more help you received. It was a theory, but one I was unwilling to test. I needed the help, so I always sat close.

I don’t think he was doing it intentionally. It just happened that way.

I took the stairs two at a time, using the old wooden banister to keep my balance. It was one of the few buildings with carpet, so it helped keep it quieter than anywhere else. Plus, with the smaller spaces, there just wasn’t a lot of room for things to echo.

“Hey, Cap, good to see you.”

Sam, of course, was already there.

“Cap?” I took the seat to his right.

Sam kind of grimaced. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, until he said, “Sorry, you kind of remind me of Chris Evans. You have this whole all-American corn-fed white-boy vibe – not that I should’ve said that – but he played Captain America.”

“I got there once you said Chris Evans…and thanks? I think.”

“Trust me. It’s a compliment.”

Well, well, well. Sam had just moved into the lead as the anonymous admirer. It was hard to ignore a come-on that strong.

I knew it was a compliment. If I ever met Chris Evans, I’d have a hard time forming a coherent sentence let alone resisting the urge to strip, bend over, and wink at him.

Not that I felt like a bottom, but for him, I’d do just about anything.

I felt the tension between us build, the heat radiating off his leg, which had brushed mine when I sat down. He licked his lips, then glanced at me, meeting my stare. I hadn’t stopped looking at him since he said it was a compliment. He had a flawless jawline, accompanied with a little bit of scruff. It certainly wouldn’t be a detriment to be with an older guy for my first time. I’m sure Sam had more experience than me.

“What?” he asked.

I took my chance, grabbing the back of his neck and pressed my lips against his. I started to probe with my tongue – that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?

“Whoa!” Sam pulled back, out of my grip, and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “Is it like a TikTok trend to kiss a straight guy and see his reaction?”

Straight guy?

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.” I felt the heat rush to my face. “You’re straight?”

“It was the nickname, wasn’t it? I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I thought you’d just be flattered. I have a nickname for everyone. They’re not all nice ones.” He chuckled, but all I could think about was how fast I could run away. Right now. “And yeah, I have a girlfriend.”

He must’ve seen the six thousand emotions on my face.

“But kudos to you for having the balls to do that, man!”

I couldn’t sit here. I was mortified.

“Don’t go!” He grabbed my arm as I stood up, which gave me pause. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not that it was a bad kiss. It was just a misread, right?”