After The Snap

by Peyton Miller

  “God, he attacked you?”

  “Yeah. He got my jeans unsnapped, but that only pissed me off more. His fist did connect with my cheek and I’m going to have a huge bruise, but I’ll be okay. The doctor said it wasn’t too bad. I’m a little bruised and shaken, but physically I’m fine.”

  “Did—what else happened?”

  “My neighbor knocked after they called the cops and that distracted Neil. I was able to shove him away and get out of the apartment. The cops were pulling into the lot then, and that was it.”

  “Colby. God Colby, I can’t—shit, babe, are you really okay?”

  “Yeah, I am. Talking to you helps.”

  “I’m glad you’re leaving there on Thursday.”

  “Actually, I’m leaving on Wednesday. I’ll be there late Saturday.”

  “Shit, I have to work next weekend.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment filled Colby.

  “I’ll be off on Monday. And maybe, you could come over on Sunday night. I don’t know. Do you think you could spend the night on Sunday?”

  Colby smiled, his heart felt lighter. “Yeah. I have to go to a party for work, that’s why I’m leaving early, but I’ll call when the party is over.”

  “Cool. I’ll be done around three or four. We can eat dinner and talk.”

  “I’d like that. With me living there I’m sure there’ll be plenty to talk about.”

  “Are you really okay?” Seth asked.

  “Yeah. I’m exhausted though. I still haven’t adjusted back to this time zone.”

  “And you’re about to move here.”

  He laughed, his whole body relaxing a bit more because just talking to Seth made him feel better. “Yeah, but I’ll be driving and that will help set me right.”

  “Go get some sleep. I’ll talk with you later. I’m working late tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be finalizing the move on Tuesday.”

  “So then, on Wednesday. Call me when you check into your hotel that night and I’ll know you’re safe. And could you text me when you wake up and go to sleep, maybe a few more times during the day until you leave Atlanta. I want to make sure you’re safe.”

  “Sure. I can do that. And Seth.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you for caring.”

  “I do care about you, Colby. Don’t ever question that.”

  Colby hung up and stared at his phone for a short moment before getting ready for bed. Just talking to Seth had made him feel more secure. Maybe he was being a fool since they’d only seen each other a few times. But hell, those few times were freaking amazing. When he’d met Neil he’d been taken in by his age and his money, maybe with Seth everything would be better. He didn’t really know the guy, not really. Hell, he wasn’t really sure what Seth did for work, but once he moved to San Diego he would find out.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Seth hung up his phone and wished that he could fly out to see Colby tonight, but he couldn’t leave California. He had a contract and people depended on him. Instead of heading to the airport to catch a plane to Atlanta, he stretched out on his bed for the night and drifted off. They were getting together downstairs to eat dinner and watch a movie, but he just needed a little rest before he went down.

  Justin was coming into town next week, and he was set to do a commercial too. His life was a little crazy and Colby was moving to town. Hearing that Colby had been attacked made the stress ramp up even more. Somehow he needed to find a balance.

  He slept for about forty minutes before waking to head downstairs to the private room where they were dining. The team manager took good care of them, keeping them up until exactly ten thirty, then it was up to bed and lights out. He slept later than usual and woke in a good mood.

  After stretching, he went for breakfast which also doubled as lunch. He had his meeting and then watched a movie, before the entire team did a stretching session. They loaded onto the buses and headed to the field. They were on Monday Night Football, which meant longer commercial breaks and more lead up to the big event. They happened to be in a good position, holding first place in their division. Midway through the season it didn’t matter much, but soon the games lost versus the games won would be a big deal. Seth wasn’t into counting his chickens before they hatched, but he was excited about the game.

  They were against the Browns, which always was a tough team to beat, but he knew they could do it. He played hard, scoring two touchdowns to match the Browns’ points on the board. By the end of the third quarter, they were down by three. He couldn’t connect on a pass and transfer it to points. He needed to win and was getting frustrated. If Colby was watching, what would he say?

  When the Chargers gained possession of the ball with six minutes left in the game, he thought he could pull it off. He threw a great pass to Wayne who carried it thirty yards down the field, but then disaster struck. He’d tossed the ball to Pete who carried it five yards before he was hit and the ball flew free. The Browns had possession and they were up by three with only four minutes left on the clock. Anger filled him and he had to bite his tongue to keep from cursing out the other players.

  The clock ran down and though the defensive line held the Browns, he didn’t have enough time to formulate an actual play when he had the ball in his hands again. Will snapped to him, he ran back and found Wayne, but it was too little too late. Wayne tried, but he was brought down, and though he and the offensive line were rushing down the field to try to put together another play, the horn sounded, signaling the end of the game.

  Seth dropped to one knee, his eyes closed. He’d lost his first NFL game and it hurt. Tears were close to the surface, but he wouldn’t let them fall. His guys had played well, but he’d failed them. This week he would do better. Tomorrow he was going in for hydrotherapy and a massage. He would study the plays and figure out how to do better. Maybe he was distracted by Colby, but he didn’t think that was the reason. He had to take responsibility for his failures. Blaming it on Colby being injured was immature.

  The locker room was quiet, and he gave a few interviews, telling the truth. The Browns had played better. That was the bottom line. He didn’t try to bullshit the reporters, instead he took responsibility and promised to play harder the next weekend.

  When he arrived home, he wanted to call Colby, but he knew his boyfriend was tired. He did have a few texts from Colby stating that he was okay. Seth hadn’t been able to do much about Colby because of the game, but in the morning he really wanted to have a long talk with Colby. Even though he was in the process of moving, Seth was going to call. He didn’t want Colby in danger. It pissed him off that Colby had been injured. He was thinking of Colby as his boyfriend, but he wasn’t sure that moniker fit.

  He slept restlessly, pissed at himself for failing to win, pissed that Colby had been hurt, and pissed that Channing had taken advantage of him. He woke angry and with a general feeling of unrest. After a quick shower he sat on his couch palming his phone. Should he call Colby?

  “Fuck it,” Seth said as he pulled up Colby’s contact information and dialed. His knee shook as he waited, energy pounding through him as he thought of Colby being vulnerable by himself. The line connected and he heard Colby breathing like he’d been running.

  “Hey, just caught it. How are you doing?” Colby asked.

  “I’m—dammit, I’m worried about you.”

  Colby chuckled a little and then Seth heard a car door slam. “I’m fine, really. It’s weird having you worry though.”

  Anger flashed through him, but Seth didn’t know if that anger was really directed at Colby or if it was left over from his dream. “Weird?”

  “Yeah, weird as in nice weird. It makes my body tingle. If I wasn’t sitting in the parking lot of the moving company that is shipping my stuff I would ask you what you’re wearing, or maybe try to hint that I wanted a repeat of the other night on the phone.”

  “Fuck, Colby.” Seth ran his hand down the center of his chest to his cock, palm
ing it through his sweats. He’d not worn underwear because he knew at some point during the day he would be doing exactly this.

  “Are you naked?” Colby’s voice was low and sexy.

  “Might as well be. I have sweats on, no underwear.”

  “Oh fuck. I have to drive back to my apartment, which is in a really shitty location but apparently it’s not those people I have to worry about.”

  “Are you really safe?”

  “Yeah, I am. I’m good. Neil is out of jail, but he’s been warned to stay away. Also, I won’t be opening the door once I’m in for the night.”

  “What are you doing right now?” Seth asked.

  “I’m headed back to my place to pick up my last load of boxes. I don’t have much, but my car is small and I could only carry a few boxes this time. I have my TV, which is the biggest thing I’m shipping, and it took up all of my trunk and back seat. They’re charging me way less since I’m driving my stuff to the packing facility. I’ll watch it go on the back of a truck headed to California that’s leaving in a few hours but has just the right amount of space for my things.”

  “Moving sucks.”

  “This part does, but I’m happy to be leaving here. I’ll be driving tomorrow, so no calling and telling me that all you have on is shorts, or that you’re naked, or I don’t know, that you have football pads on or a baseball uniform.”

  Seth froze, his heart hammering wildly. Was this the time to tell Colby that he was a football player? “Um, okay.”

  “Oh, I need to let you go, it looks like there’s a cop waiting for me.”

  “Whoa, you can’t say stuff like that and hang up.”

  “Sorry, I’ll call you back once I’m finished.”

  The call disconnected and Seth growled in frustration. He stayed put, waiting for Colby to ring him back. Had he really been thinking about telling Colby he played football? If Colby would have stayed on the line, could he have spilled his secret? Just when he was ready to get up, Colby called him back. Seth answered but said nothing.

  “Okay, so Neil is being an ass. The cop said it was okay for me to leave town, but that I’d probably have to come back a few times for court dates and such. They’re going to have a guy drive by a few times tonight to make sure everything is safe. I told them that wasn’t necessary, but they’re going to anyway.”

  Seth stood up and walked to his window, staring out at the city below. “How bad is this Neil guy?”

  “Before he attacked, I would have described him as a pushover, a real wimp, someone who couldn’t hurt a fly. The day I found him and Deshaun in bed together, he didn’t try to stop me and he wasn’t aggressive. Actually, I’ve never seen him be aggressive before.”

  “God, it sucks that you’re there and I’m here.”

  “I know, but in the morning I’ll be on the way to California. Oh, I have to get my boxes to the shipping company. I’ll call you this evening, is that okay?”

  “Sure, I’m having dinner with someone I work with, but please call.”

  “If I miss you, it’s no big deal. I’ll talk to you later, and I can’t wait to see you on Sunday night.” Colby made a noise that sounded almost like a giggle. “It’s so close I can almost taste it. I’m so freaking excited. I get to see you in just a few days.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “Bye, have a good dinner.”

  “Bye.” Seth hung up and tossed his phone on the couch. “Fuck.” He couldn’t call anyone and ask them to look in on Colby. If Colby knew he was a professional football player, then maybe he could call one of his friends who was playing for Atlanta, but how would he explain that? My boyfriend is in trouble? Then everyone would know he had a boyfriend and he’d done a good job keeping that quiet. Even straight guys kept their girlfriends out of the picture, some going so far as to have secret phones, and post office boxes for their addresses. He couldn’t imagine the backlash if it got out that Colby was his man. The media would have a field day with that and rip them both apart.

  Seth headed to the field house for some work on his shoulder. He had the commercial shoot in the afternoon and then he was meeting with Kristen. They were going to go over strategies for future endorsement deals.

  When he showed up at the photo shoot he thought he’d be able to walk in and just do the job, but when he saw the lights and the cameras, all of the people, the stylist, and makeup people, his heart started to pound and his head began to spin. Then Kristen was there, making him laugh, standing up for him when the makeup people wanted to change his hair color, getting him water, and keeping him from going insane. He posed, said a few lines for a short commercial, and was done in a few hours.

  Kristen met him outside of the warehouse where the shoot took place. He guessed that if he was into women he would find her attractive enough to hit on. It was understandable why her husband didn’t want her meeting with men in private.

  “Hey Kristen, will I ever get the chance to meet your husband?”

  “Whoa, that’s not the question I thought you were going to ask.”

  “Let me guess, most of the guys want to take you for a drink, maybe dancing, then something more private?”

  Kristen laughed and shook her head. “Yeah, that’s about right.”

  “That’s got to suck.”

  “It does. You can’t imagine how—” Kristen laughed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Would you like to go out to dinner?”

  “I’m exhausted. I know we have a business meeting tonight. Is there some place that neither of us will be hit on where we can talk quietly about business?”

  “I know just the place. Let me send you the address.”

  Seth nodded and unlocked his car before glancing around and stepping close to Kristen. Her gaze shot up, fear evident in her eyes. He lowered his head, placing his lips next to her ear. She’d balled her hands and pressed them against his chest, trying to push him away.

  “I’m gay.”

  Kristen pushed for a second, then her eyelids narrowed. “What?”

  “I know your husband won’t allow you to have private meetings with clients who are male. I don’t know if that changes anything.”

  The door to the warehouse opened and the cameraman along with his assistants stepped out. Seth waved at them and then turned his focus back to Kristen.

  Seth raised his eyebrows, his eyes staying on Kristen. “Can we keep this between us?”

  Kristen nodded, her gaze on the ground as she lifted one finger and chewed on the nail. She gave her head a quick shake before she glanced up and rolled her eyes.

  “Fine, let’s just head to your place. I’ll call in an order for food and have it delivered.”

  “Thank you.”

  She shook her head. “I wish Justin would have told me. It doesn’t matter other than we can have private dinners. I’ll be there after I pick up the food. Shoot me your address.”

  Kristen slid into the driver’s seat of her car and blew him a kiss before shutting the door. He slid in behind the steering wheel of his car and cranked the engine, happy that he’d told her. It could have gone wrong if she wasn’t supportive, but she didn’t seem to have an issue with him being gay. He sent her his address before pulling out of the parking lot.

  Once home, Seth turned on the lights and went to his bedroom to change into sweats and a T-shirt. After using the restroom and picking his dirty clothes up off the floor in the bathroom, he heard a knock.

  Kristen held up a bag of food when he opened the door, her smile wide. “Here we are.”

  “Come in.”

  His neighbor across the hall was a woman who was around thirty-five. She was single, and he knew this little piece of information because she’d asked him out more than once. He’d said no each and every time she asked and he would continue to say no, but he wasn’t going to let her ever know he was gay. Her door flew open and she had her arm around a young man. He made eye contact with his neighbor and then her date. Recognition fired in the young man�
�s eyes and Seth stepped quickly into his house and slammed the door.

  He turned to Kristen and shrugged. “There may be rumors swirling. Have you called your husband?”

  “I told him that I was having a meeting with a gay client. Don’t worry, he won’t say anything about you being gay. He keeps all of my secrets and all of my clients’ secrets.”

  “Okay, I trust you.”

  “My oldest brother was gay.”

  “Was?”

  “He was born fifteen years before me. I barely knew him. My parents weren’t supportive and he ran off when he was seventeen. He sold himself and ended up with AIDS. My mom and dad found him before he died but it was too late for medicine to do much. He lived in our house with his boyfriend for the last three months of his life. He was nice to me. By that time, I was six. I remember the day he died.”

  “What happened to his boyfriend?”

  Kristen shrugged and pulled open a few drawers. Seth stepped into the kitchen and grabbed plates while Kristen found silverware. “He moved out and we lost contact. When I graduated from college I went searching for him but only found a tombstone. His parents never accepted him, but they did bury him in the family plot. It’s so sad.”

  “It is.”

  “You’re safe—careful all the time?” Kristen narrowed her eyes as she stared him down.

  He chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, not that I’ve had many partners, but I’m always careful.”

  “Good. Watching someone die like that is devastating.” Kristen’s eyes closed as she shivered.

  Seth stepped close and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry he passed away like that. It must have been terrible.”

  “It was. He always tried to be nice, but he was so sick. Some days were worse than others and he yelled a lot.”

  “It must have been horrible. It’s something he could have prevented. I think that’s the harshest thing about it. If only must have been a scary set of words for him.”