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“Their lease is up at the end of the semester.” Jagger tosses another handful of nuts in his mouth and washes them down with a swig of beer. “We could probably take it over then, so we don’t have to live in the athletic dorm over the summer.”
Cruz’s eyes are filled with hope as they find mine. “You could get a job here over the summer, and maybe that would help you qualify for a student loan.”
“Screw that,” Cameron snorts before I can respond. “If Cruz scores just one NIL deal he could cover your tuition and then some.”
“What?” Cruz and I say in unison, although his voice is intrigued while mine is incredulous.
“Bet.” Jagger nods. “I started posting training tips on my SMs, and a shoe company and an apparel company signed me to endorse them. I can’t wear their shit on the field since it’s different from the team sponsors, but I’m pulling in five figures from those two alone, plus they give me stuff.” He lifts his leg to show us the tennis shoe he’s wearing.
“Cruz is not paying my tuition,” I insist.
“If someone will pay me five figures to wear their stuff, why shouldn’t I?” he objects.
“Because you’re my boyfriend, not my sugar daddy. I’ll take you up on the room since it’s covered by your scholarship and we’d probably try to room together anyway, but I’ll cover my own tuition.”
“What else would I spend my NIL money on if not you?”
“A, you don’t have any NIL money yet, and B, you have your whole family you can spoil if you want to.”
Cruz twists sideways so he’s facing me, one arm resting on the table while the other is propped on the top of the backrest, caging me in against the wall as those blue eyes flare dangerously. “They don’t need anything.”
“Neither do I.” I stand my ground.
“You don’t have to do everything on your own anymore, you have me,” he grits.
“And you don’t have to play hero all the time.” I stare him down.
“Aw, is this your first fight?” Jagger crunches on another handful of nuts.
“It has to be. They’re being too polite.” Cameron grins behind the glass that’s on its way to his mouth.
“Who do you think’ll win?” Jagger leans against Cameron, bringing their faces together like he’s whispering, though his volume barely dropped. “I’m going with Cruz. I bet he’s a top, so he’ll come out on top.” He sniggers at his own joke.
“I disagree. Everyone knows that the bottom wears the pants in the relationship. Liam’s a top from the bottom guy all the way. Plus, he’s proud. Look at how Liam isn’t cowering with Cruz hulking over him.”
With an exaggerated eye roll I hold my middle finger up in their direction, though it’s only when they burst out laughing and pointing at us that I realize Cruz is doing the same thing.
“They’re so in sync they even tell us to fuck off the same way.” Jagger snorts, burying his head against Cameron’s shoulder as he cracks up.
I huff out a frustrated breath as I watch them chuckle like a couple of teenage girls, but when I let my gaze shift back to Cruz, he’s wearing the same goofy smile I am.
***
“Are you ready for this?” Cruz rubs his hand up and down my back while my finger hovers over the call button.
We may have come up with a plan to keep me from going to Cornell the same day I last spoke to my dad, but we figured a few months to put that plan in motion would go a long way toward making sure he couldn’t mess it up.
We’re far enough into the semester that he can’t take his money back—I checked—and we signed the lease for our new place a few days ago. I still have to figure out how to pay my tuition, but I signed up for a work study program, and I lined up a job as a medical assistant with a small family practice for the summer. It’s mostly filing paperwork and taking the occasional temperature or blood pressure, but it pays well and it’ll look good for my med school application.
“Sunshine?” Cruz’s gentle voice reminds me he’s waiting for my answer.
“I don’t know.” I try to give him a reassuring smile, but can’t make my face do it.
“Are you worried he’ll be disappointed?”
“He absolutely will be, but I don’t care about that. It’s more like this call might be the last time I ever speak to him, and...”
“And if you don’t make it, it can’t be the last time you talk.”
