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“Being gay isn’t a scandal. Sleeping with your assigned roommate on the other hand…” He arches a sly brow at me. “You dog.”
“Being gay when you’re trying to get into the NFL could be considered a scandal,” I say.
“Is that why no one knows?” Tommy draws an imaginary line between me and Liam.
“For now.” I get up and stomp across the room, pulling on a pair of jeans as Liam does the same.
“For now,” Tommy repeats with a bemused expression. “I hope you aren’t planning to be one of those closeted athletes who has access to a huge platform that could advance our acceptance but doesn’t take it.”
“First, I have to get there, dumbass.” I shrug on a hunter green Henley because Christmas. “And I don’t know yet if having a boyfriend will make that impossible or just harder.”
Liam pauses in the act of putting on his own shirt and says quietly, “You don’t have a boyfriend.”
“What if I want one?”
He shrugs his shirt on. “Do you?”
“Of course, I do.” I cross the room until I’m standing just a foot away and rest my hands on his hips. “I know that’s not fair to you, but I don’t know what that means for getting drafted, and until I do, I’m not comfortable being out. But do I want that? Hell, yes.”
“Not cool, Cuz.” Tommy shakes his head at me. “You can’t ask him to go back in the closet for you.”
“I know.” I heave a frustrated sigh.
“Give him some slack.” Liam tells Tommy while looking at me with so much understanding it’s like he’s living inside my head. “He’s new to the gay thing. And every baby gay gets a grace period to figure their shit out.”
“What if at the end of the grace period he’s not ready?” Tommy asks. “You two live together for God’s sake. How is that gonna work?”
It’s hard not to wince when I hear it that way, but it’s the smart thing to do, right? Make sure your future is set before you make decisions that could alter it?
Liam answers before I can. “It might not. But Cruz deserves the chance to figure out who he is and what he wants without anyone pressuring him one way or the other. I won’t take that away from him.”
After years of pretending, I didn’t feel any pressure to figure myself out. He has no idea how much it means to hear him say he won’t put me in that position. Or maybe he does?
“Thank you.” I breathe against his lips as I give him a tender kiss.
“I guess since you’re already living together, you don’t have to worry about the sneaking around part.” Tommy snorts. “But why the fuck are you hiding it from your family? Do you think we’d out you?”
“No. I think it’s not fair to ask you to keep a secret.”
“Should’ve thought of that before fucking around in a house full of your relatives,” Tommy scoffs and heads toward the door.
“Or you could not enter locked doors. Just saying,” I tell his retreating back, before turning to Liam and brushing his soft hair away from his eye. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. I think it’s a right of passage to get caught in a compromising position by your boyfriend’s family when you meet them for the first time.”
“So, you are my boyfriend, then?”
“I mean, you keep saying I am, so I guess I might as well go with it.”
“I say it because I want it to be true, but I know how selfish that is. I get it if you aren’t okay with that.” My thumb grazes his cheek as I stare into the hazel eyes that I’m starting to know better than my own.
“I’m pre-med, Cruz. I’m smart enough to realize if I start hooking up with a guy that’s in the closet, chances are I’ll be living there, too. At least until one of us decides to make a change.” He gives me a smile that’s almost wistful before popping up on his toes to give me a searing kiss. “Now, let’s get downstairs before Grandpa loses his shit. I scored points for trading presents in Bingo, but I bet I’ll lose them if we don’t get our asses downstairs soon.”
“Last one down has to sit next to him at breakfast.” I kiss Liam’s cheek and sprint for the door, so I’m not tempted to walk out of the room holding his hand.
Chapter twenty-two
Liam
