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Cory looked at me shocked. “Why, is that a thing?”
“It’s a stereotype.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Why would you, Mister I’m-A-Boring-Straight-Guy?”
Cory looked at me hurt. I didn’t know why?
“Sorry. You’re not boring. I’m just… I don’t know what I am.”
“You’re scared you’re gonna lose the guy you like,” Cory said with empathy.
His words pierced my heart spilling its contents onto the floor between us.
“I am,” I admitted slowly melting into tears. “What is it about me that no one can love?”
Cory put his arms around me gripping me tightly. I put my head on his shoulder. As heartbroken as I was, I knew how lucky I was to have Cory. If only he was into guys… and not practically married.
Cory didn’t let me go the entire night. We slept like that and it did help. When we both woke up, it was a little awkward. It probably had to do with the both of us having morning wood. I had been the little spoon so it didn’t matter. But with him pulling me onto him, I was sure I felt something. What made it weirder was how little he did to hide it.
What was going on with Cory? I had always dismissed the things he said over the years as signs he rejected toxic masculinity. But was I missing the forest through the trees?
I knew I shouldn’t have done this considering how kind he was being to me, but as we laid there, I slowly pushed my hips back. I wanted to see if he was really spooning me with an erection.
It didn’t take me long to find it. Cory wasn’t small. And as soon as I made clear contact with it, he pulled away and quickly left my bed.
“Sorry,” he said unable to look me in the eyes.
What was going on with him? I watched as he collected his towel and bath supplies and scurried towards the door.
“Should we talk about…”
“No!” He said startling me.
Realizing how harsh he had said it, he calmed himself.
“I told Kelly I would meet up with her for breakfast. I gotta go,” he told me before exiting for the showers.
Figuring out what was going on with Cory was a good distraction. But eventually, my mind turned back to what was going on with Nero. Picking up my phone, I still didn’t find a reply. He wasn’t going to text me back. What we had had really was over. I had no idea what had gone wrong between us. My chest ached thinking about it.
Getting out of bed to get breakfast, I went through my day like a zombie. I didn’t understand. It was just a week ago that I was lying in Nero’s arms. Why had this happened?
Mercifully, the day eventually ended and I fell asleep. I was not looking forward to seeing Professor Nandan for my 8 AM class. Trying to hide in back, there was a moment when our eyes connected. Crap! He had seen me.
“Please reference your syllabus for this week’s reading. And, Kendall, can I see you before you go?” The professor said collecting his notes and packing his bag.
I did not want to speak to him. Last week he had warned me about mixing counseling with relationships. It didn’t even take a week for him to be proven right. I thought I had it all under control. But now Nero wasn’t even texting me back. Everything was a mess.
“There’s a video with Nero circulating online. Have you seen it?”
“What?”
“I think it’s from the away trip he just took. Anyway, it’s become a national story.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because Nero is considered to be the best draft prospect at his position. ESPN has been keeping an eye on him for a while. So, when they found the video, it gave them something to talk about.”
