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It was my agent who called the meeting with Coach Baker, Larry Dixon, our team owner, the GM, and Paul and Cynthia from PR. I wasn’t one to beat around the bush, so the second we were seated and Larry asked, “What can we do for you Malik?” I spit it out.
“I’m in a relationship with Patrick Whitt.”
“What do you mean a relationship?” Paul asked as Coach Baker cursed.
“He’s my partner…boyfriend…mine, whichever way you choose to see it, but I’m pretty sure you knew what I meant.”
“Malik,” my agent warned. I was coming in hot and knew I needed to relax, but I was pissed that it came to this. That I didn’t know what was going to happen and knew that no matter what it was, Patrick would blame himself.
“How long?”
“Who knows?”
“Has he told the Royals?”
“Patrick Whitt?”
They all volleyed questions in my direction at the same time, not giving me enough time to answer before someone asked me something else. I opened my mouth to respond to one of them—I didn’t even know which one—when the walls of the room vibrated with Larry’s “That’s enough!” The whole room went silent. I’d been with the Rush my whole career and had never heard him use that stern of a voice. Larry turned to me. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it…this isn’t good. You’re telling us you’re in a relationship with a player from our biggest rival team.”
“There’s nothing in the rule books against this,” Travis said.
“Who the hell thought it would ever happen?” the GM tossed out.
“Why not? Because football players can’t be queer?” I bit out. That wasn’t what he meant, and I knew it, but I was already over this.
“That’s not what he said,” Coach added. “We’re just trying to figure this out.”
“But it needs to be figured out without any discrimination.” Travis had come to play. He was definitely making sure they knew that they had to tread carefully here.
“Have you ever shared private Rush information with Patrick Whitt?” Cynthia asked.
“No.”
“Has Patrick ever asked you to? Has he asked you about plays? Game plans when we play them?” she continued.
“Fuck no.”
“Has he asked you to go easy on them…screw up a play…I mean, he’s your boyfriend. It would just be a favor, right?” She cocked a brow, and I knew she wasn’t asking me those questions herself—well, maybe partially she was—but she was also telling me what was to come, what everyone would ask, and what they would think.
“We didn’t do that. We would never do that.” I rubbed a hand over my head, frustration making my muscles twitch.
“How important is this to you?” Larry asked. “How important is he to you? Once this ball starts rolling, we can’t stop it, and I can’t promise you’re going to come out of this unscathed. I’m not telling you to end it. I can’t do that, but if this isn’t the real deal, maybe you cut your losses now.”
I didn’t have to think about it. Being with Patrick was more important than anything to me. “It’s the real deal.”
There were a lot of groans around me that made it clear they wished that wasn’t my answer.
“Get the Royals on the phone. We need to figure out how to handle this together before it gets out.”
* * *
I wasn’tthe type of guy to let nerves get the best of me, but my stomach had been tied up in knots ever since I left the Rush facility. The first thing I did was send a message to Ramsey, Baby G, and Atwood, asking the three of them to meet me at my place. I wasn’t sure how long it would take the Rush and the Royals to decide my and Patrick’s fate, but I wanted to tell them before shit got out on its own.
I cared about the whole team. We were a family in a lot of ways, but it was different with the three of them, and I couldn’t in good conscience not go to them first.
I was still trying to wrap my head around all of the possibilities. I wanted to wring the PR crew’s neck when they were asking me all those questions about throwing games and shit like that, but it was the first thing Barker had said to Patrick, too.
Everyone would think it…wonder about it. Fans would be fucking livid. This was just the beginning.
