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Turns out nobody thought about the fact that 11:30 Atlanta time is 10:30 Alabama time. The reporter’s here an hour early.
“Fuck!” Mills laughs, looking panicked.
"Shit.” I shove my dick into my underwear and button my pants as he does the same. He hisses, “Tuck it down more,” and I do. I check him out. “You’re looking okay.”
“Because I’m hard as fuck and I just tucked it up into my pants waist,” Miller says.
We stand there gaping at each other. He laughs and straightens the bedding. Then he rubs a hand over the roses.
“Dude, this is beautiful. You did so good. Thank you.”
“Open the nightstand drawer, Millsy. If you’re that hard, sit in here, let it deflate, and eat some Fun Dip.”
“Wuhhh!”
I’m chuckling as Miller opens the drawer where I stashed his V-Day treats. The doorbell rings again, and I hug him, kissing his hair as he sits on the bed, grinning up at me.
“I love you, angel. Thank you for the sugar high.”
I kiss his forehead. “Always.”
“Go slow with him,” Mills says. “Don’t let yourself feel pressured.”
“Are we having ‘the talk’, Dad?” I tease.
He stands up so he can hug me tight and kiss my cheek. His hand strokes my back. “I’m so damn proud of you, Ez. All the work that you’ve been doing…”
He must mean in therapy. I kiss his lips. “I love you more.”
“I’ve got your V-Day when this guy leaves.” Mills cups himself, and I get one more hug before I hustle to the door, pulling it open for a short, slim guy with black glasses, a paisley button-up, and gray slacks with what I think are…
“Doc Martens?”
He looks down. “Nice eye,” he says. He looks so nerdy in the glasses. He seems shy as I beckon him in. He seems so shy, I end up making tea for him and trying to make him feel at ease. When he says he likes my apartment, I take a deep breath and say, “Actually, it’s our apartment. Well, not really. It’s my boyfriend Josh’s. But I basically live here with him.”
Dirk’s eyes widen over the rim of his teacup, and I can’t help laughing.
“There weren’t any rumors,” he says, blinking, wide-eyed. “I saw nothing about this in all my digging. Heard nothing.”
I shrug. “Some people on campus know. And on the team. Maybe no one wanted to share it. Anyway, my boyfriend Josh is here. He’ll probably be out in a few minutes.”
Mills is clearly listening, because he’s out within one minute. He’s wearing a button-up and khaki pants and looking like the most gorgeous guy on the planet with his dark hair curling slightly on his forehead and his blue eyes and that smile. Polite and kind, as ever.
“Hi,” he says—and I make a note to rag on him for saying “hi” to our New York Times reporter. “I’m Josh Miller.”
“The boyfriend,” I tack on.
Dirk’s blond brows furrow, and he looks from Josh to me. “I have you down as the stepbrother.”
Miller’s face is priceless. He arches a brow and gives Dirk a wicked little grin without missing a beat. He says, “I’m that, too.”
Dirk’s hand goes to his cheek, and he mimes a swoon. “This story is getting interesting. Sorry to be glib.” He laughs, and I take Miller’s hand and lead him to the loveseat.
“It’s okay to be glib. We’re stepbrother fuckers. We’re okay with glib.”
“I won’t quote you on that,” Dirk laughs.
Miller squeezes my hand, and we all sober some as the reporter gets into what he’s really here to do. He’s here to do a so-called “human interest” profile on me—Ezra Masters, the Bama quarterback—but it’s one that will be tied into a big story the Times is doing about conversion therapy. Alongside the larger investigative piece, which is actually a four-part series, there’ll be a story about Alton. How the place closed at the end of January—under legal pressure following a victims’ lawsuit. A lawsuit financed by Evermore United Church, and one that has my name on it. A lawsuit that might not wrap before the FBI starts making arrests; Luke says those are coming soon, but I’m not telling Dirk that.
“We can do the profile on you and not link it to the series on conversion therapy,” Dirk tells me now. “I mean, my editor will be miffed with me since you said you were okay with it, but I’m willing to do that,” he says. “You don’t have to talk about it. After I leave here, I’m going to give you a day or two to change your mind. So you have time to think about it.”
I tell him I don’t need that. “I’m going to Pastor Luke’s church, Evermore, this summer. I’m not that religious, but they’re doing stuff there for survivors.” I say the word without a wobble in my voice, and I feel proud. “Everyone will know I’m out there, being part of that. I already have an interview with ESPN planned for next week. As soon as the suit got filed three weeks ago, they called me.”
