Page 57 of Off Sides

“We don’t have to do anything tonight, but I want to sleep next you.”

I smile, kind of. My lip really fucking hurts. He pulls his shirt off and then drops his jeans but leaves his underwear on before approaching me. He stands between my legs as I sit on the bed, and I wrap my arms around his waist, just breathing him in.

He lets me hold him for a while before tossing the ice packs on the bed next to me and reaching for my shirt. He helps me out of it, and I only wince a few times when I move my sore, bruised ribs, and then he helps me out of my pants.

We’ve undressed each other many times, but this time just feels different. Weighted. Raw. I don’t think either of us is actually in the mood for sex, but intimacy seems to be what we’re both craving right now.

He turns off the light, and we climb under the covers together, his little spoon to my big as we lie on our sides with ice packs pressed against our faces. “I can’t believe I blew State for us,” I say quietly next to his ear.

He turns just slightly, so he’s looking my way even though the room is dark. “Did you really care all that much about the title?”

“No,” I say easily because even though it would have been kind of cool to go to State my senior year, it wasn’t that big of deal to me. I just like to play the game. Trophies don’t really matter to me. “I wanted that for you though.”

He scoffs and rolls back over. “Been there. Done that.”

I chuckle. “Cocky motherfucker,” I tease.

He laughs too, and then we’re both silent while I hold him. I almost think he’s asleep until he speaks, “Your parents . . . they were at the game?”

I nod, still holding onto him. “I’m sure they were. And there will be a lot of questions.”

He’s silent again for a while, and I let him think about what he wants to ask. I know there’s more bugging him. “Are you going to tell them the truth?”

I wish I could instantly say yes. I mean, it’s probably only a matter of time before it gets out to someone. I said it out loud. It’s going to get talked about. How they didn’t already hear something, I don’t know. But I would have known if they did.

I know I’m going to hear about it soon, so I should just man up and tell them. “I don’t know,” I say honestly.

He doesn’t argue or tell me that it’s stupid not to. I feel him nod. “You know you don’t have to, right? Not for me or anyone else. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. If you deny it at school, I’ll back you up.”

I hate that. I also hate that part of me wants that. To just hide. To pull it all back, even though I know this time, it won’t work. “I don’t want to do that.”

“But you can. It’s up to you and no one else.” I hear the protectiveness in his tone. I’ve never had that before him. No one has ever really watched out for me.

“I won’t do that,” I say firmly because I owe him that much. All this sneaking around. All this making sure that no one is paying too much attention. I don’t want to do that to him anymore. I want to be able to hold his hand in the halls like all the other couples. I want to give him what he deserves, even if it’s for just a little while before he goes off to do great things.

“What are your plans for after school?” he asks quietly. I don’t know if his eyes are closed or if he just looking away from me, but I know that I can’t feel those eyes. I would feel it if they were. And to me, that just means that he’s wanted to ask this for a long time but hasn’t allowed himself to.

“Depending on what happens after tonight’s game, the plan has always been to work for Duke Drilling. The family business. There are no other options.”

“But you could . . .” He stops himself, and even though I’m pretty sure I know what he’s going to say, and I can’t—I still want to hear it from him.

“I could what?” I ask against his ear, my body melting into his as the weight of the game starts to become heavier and heavier.

“You could go to Manhattan City University with me. I have a scholarship and a full ride to play on their football team.”

I smile and kiss his neck right below his ear. “Yeah. I don’t think college is in the cards for me.”

“Why not?” he asks abruptly, looking over his shoulder at me. “They would kill for a left tackle like you on the team.”

“Yeah, but my grades are shit. I don’t even know how the hell I’m set for graduation.” I am though. The counselor has told me that as long as I don’t fail math—which I have a solid C in, I’m golden.

“I’m sure they’d work around it. Somehow. They’d love to have you, and especially if their new star quarterback says we’re a package deal.”

I smile now, loving the sound of that. But immediately arguing because I can’t get lost in the fantasy. “There’s no way I’d let you do that for me. This is your path. Mine has been set in stone since birth.”

He looks away from me again but doesn’t pull away from me. If anything, he scoots back even more, letting his ass rest against my now semi-hard dick and teasing me a little bit, wiggling against me.

I wonder what it would be like to slide inside of his tight heat. To be surrounded by him fully. I wrap my arms around him tighter, holding his body to mine.