AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A bad idea.
For Alex, it would be an experiment, claims to the contrary notwithstanding. Lee, though? Lee risked putting his heart on the line. And yeah, maybe that was a little dramatic, but with Giovanni, things had been easy from start to finish, right up until they’d said goodbye at the airport. With Alex, on the other hand, easy didn’t even seem to feature in Lee’s vocabulary.
He’d made the right call. Even if it didn’t really feel like it, not when his attention kept tripping over the bow of Alex’s upper lip and the gentle curves of his biceps, over the subtle scent of his cologne. What was it Alex had said—he’d been bred for desirable physical qualities? Well, it would have been a breeze if it had been just the looks, but it was more than that. It was Alex’s understated sense of humour too, and how they’d found a rhythm that worked for them. How, initial impressions aside, Alex didn’t need to be the centre of attention at all times. The way he listened, and that he didn’t shy away from difficult topics. That he was smart.
Jesus, Lee needed to get a grip.
He uttered a “Gracias” when his plate was taken away and leaned back in his chair as he looked around the terrace. The air was heavy with an impending rainstorm, dark clouds gathered over the nearby mountains about to swallow the evening sun. Some of their teammates had already wandered off, the terrace slowly clearing around them, Kieran in the process of making his usual goodnight rounds.
When he stopped by their table, Lee braced himself for a remark, and the way Alex sat up a little straighter suggested he did the same. It seemed like Kieran had already drawn his own conclusions, though. He merely told them to get a good rest and that he’d see them at breakfast tomorrow before he moved along.
Unfortunately, Oliver appeared rather less convinced that things had been sorted out—or maybe he’d drawn his own conclusions as well, but they pointed him down a different path. Either way, when they all got up shortly after, Oliver held Lee back with a hand on the shoulder. “A word?”
Briefly, Lee met Alex’s eyes. Then he nodded at Oliver. “Yeah, sure.”
As Alex and Jeff ambled off together, speculating about which movie the team would be shown tomorrow for a surprise advance screening, Lee propped his hip against the table, crossed his arms, and tilted his head to signal that he was listening.
Oliver’s brow creased. He waited for another few seconds until Alex and Jeff were safely out of earshot. “You and Alex,” he started, then stopped. “Did you, like … make a move on him? Is that what this thing was about?”
Ah, shit.
Alex’s sexuality wasn’t Lee’s information to disclose. But then, given the fairly impermeable state of Lee’s closet, getting to kiss a guy, any guy, was kind of a big deal for him personally, and Oliver was his best mate. Lee wasn’t in the habit of keeping secrets from him.
“Who says it was me?” he asked in an undertone.
Oliver blinked. “Hang on. Are you…” He trailed off, glancing at where Alex and Jeff had disappeared. “So Alex is…”
“Bisexual,” Lee finished.
“Sincewhen? I mean—” Oliver shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just, wow. So you guys...”
“Are friends,” Lee said firmly.
Oliver’s eyes narrowed. “Friends with benefits?”
“Just friends.”
“You fancy him, though.”
“Yeah.”
“And he fancies you?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re just friends.”
“Well.” Lee hesitated. “Yeah.”
“Why?” Oliver sounded genuinely confused when he, of all people, should get it. He was the captain of the bloody team, after all.
“Because it’s a potential for disaster?” Lee raised one hand, palm up. “Because this isn’t a dating show—we’re here to win the fucking World Cup.”
Oliver shrugged. “Don’t see why one has to exclude the other. Given the circumstances, rooming with Alex will be a distraction anyway, so why not make the most of it?”
That was … something. Unexpected, mostly, and uncharacteristically reckless for Oliver, who tended to check both ways on a one-way street.
“Since when are you so—” Lee cut himself off as a server approached to clear the remaining glasses off the table. They’d outstayed their welcome, it seemed. Fair enough.
