I was home.
Before that moment, I wasn’t sure how it’d feel moving back to Willow. I had suspected I’d be happy, of course, because it’s where Hunter was, but actually being there and knowing it wasn’t a temporary stay but a forever one, I saw things differently.
Most people would be eager to leave the clutches of small town life, and there I was thinking of nothing I’d love more than to sit in that room with Hunter by my side as the years passed. Growing old together.
I’d lived the glamourous, big time life. And it was nothing compared to spending the rest of my days with the one person who made me feel whole. Or at least that was the plan.
I needed to ask him to actually move in with me first.
The sun was hot that day, making it feel more like early summer than spring. The humidity was high too, which only added to the heat and made me feel weighed down. I had missed it.
It was April, and I had another few weeks before the offseason workouts began back in KC. Since Hunter was a teacher, the last day of school in May meant he got a summer break as well, so he could come stay with me. We wouldn’t have to be apart as much as we’d thought.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it from my pocket, smiling when I saw the text.
Hunter: Hey, stud. You coming to the school 4 lunch?
Me: Yes, ur majesty. Anything specific u require for ur meal?
Hunter: …are you my knight in shining armor now?
I grinned, having way too much fun with this. After shooting another text to him—confirming that yes I was, in fact, a knight—I left the sunroom and walked down the breezeway toward the house. I checked myself in the mirror hanging in the hall before grabbing my keys and going back outside.
In the days following my coming out article, I’d received a lot of support from people; some I knew, most I didn’t. A few of the comments had stung, like one from a gay high school kid who was upset I hadn’t donated to any LGBTQ charities and how I hadn’t attended any pride events in years past. I planned to change all of that and be a voice for the community, but it didn’t change the fact that it’d taken me so long to do so. The price of hiding who I was had been bigger than I’d thought, not only to myself, but to those who looked up to me.
Like Daniel.
I’d tried talking to him the other day when I’d arrived back in town, but he hadn’t wanted anything to do with me. His anger was justified. When he opened up to me that day in the workout room at school, I should have done more to help him. Even if it’d meant telling him the truth about myself.
I stopped at Thai Curry to pick up the to-go order before driving to the high school. After finding a spot to park, I walked into the building and went to the office as usual.
“There’s my sugar,” Kelly said when her green eyes landed on me. “You know the drill.”
I signed in and slapped the visitor’s sticker on my chest before telling her bye and leaving the office. The energy in the hallway was different than it usually was. Not in a bad way, but just different. I received way more high-fives than usual, even from the more introverted and emo-styled kids who used to just look the other way when I passed them.
One kid, a guy with long black hair and heavy black eyeliner, fist bumped me and said, “Thank you.”
“For what?” I asked, stopping by his locker.
“You were right. We do deserve to be happy,” he answered, looking down at his feet as a shy smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Thank you for the reminder. Life isn’t as shitty anymore. I hate all jock sports, but you’re a role model to a lot of kids now. Freaks and jocks alike.”
Then, he shut his locker and walked away.
Such a small interaction, but one that impacted me beyond words. My eyes stung and my chest tightened as I continued down the hall. I’d been called a role model before…but to know I’d helped a kid who was struggling with accepting himself? To know I’d made a difference in someone’s life?
That helped me forget about all the negative shit that had been spread around about me lately—the hatred from religious groups, and some of the football fans who didn’t like the fact a gay player was on the field with their team.
I’d just come out to the world, and the world expected a lot from me.
But that kid who’d just said I’d made his world a little better did the same for me.
Hunter wasn’t in his classroom, so I went to the teacher’s lounge. He was standing at the window, holding a can of soda in one hand as he talked to Christina. He hadn’t seen me yet, so I took a second to check him out. He wore his glasses that day, which added to his sophisticated look of a dark gray button-up shirt and slacks.
But his greatest asset was his smile, one that made my heart beat just a little faster.
His brown eyes then focused on me, and it was like time slowed down.
Memories from the night before flashed through my head—me grazing my teeth down his neck as he kneaded the muscles in my back, and the sounds he’d made as I thrust in and out of his heat, becoming more his prisoner with each pumping of my hips into him.
Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to remember our fuckfest from last night, but it was there in the teacher’s lounge, seeing the way his face lit up when he noticed me standing in the doorway, that I knew I wanted to marry him.
Without a second thought as to who was around, I strode forward and placed the food on the table before pulling Hunter into my arms and kissing him. It was the first time I’d even hugged him in public since coming out.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and tugged him closer, meeting his lips in a slow kiss that had my heart fluttering like crazy.
Hunter was the one to pull away first, and one look at his flushed cheeks had me grinning.
“Sorry,” I said, giving him some space but still reaching and taking his hand. “Making out in front of your co-workers probably wasn’t my most brilliant idea. But I missed you.”
Hunter’s face softened and he squeezed my hand. “Did you get the rest of your things unpacked?”
For the past few days, he’d been helping me unpack, but there’d been a handful of boxes we hadn’t touched yet that I’d said I would do that morning.
“Yeah,” I answered, leading him over to the table so we could eat. “It was just kitchen stuff. Your tools for when you cook for me.”
“Oh yeah?” Hunter arched a brow and sat down, sliding his box of food over. “What about when I’m not there? You’ll have to learn to fend for yourself.”
“Guess that’s just why you need to move in with me.”
That stopped him in his tracks—well, from shoveling the Pad Thai in his mouth—and he gaped at me. “Cor…I don’t know if—”
“Just think about it,” I said, smiling even though my chest cracked a bit. Was the idea of living with me so bad? “You don’t have to decide right now.” I reached across the table and lay my hand over his. “I just thought it made sense, seeing as how we’re hardly ever apart these days.”
“I do okay for myself,” Hunter said, withdrawing his hand. “I might not make as much money as you, but I get by. I don’t need you paying for me.”
So that’s what’s bothering him.
“Hunt…that’s not what this is about,” I said, not taking my eyes off his. “I don’t want you moving in with me because I think you can’t take care of yourself. I want you to because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I love you too,” he said, still with a scrunched brow. “I’ll think about it.”
I changed the topic to my plans I had for the house—fixing the cracked fountain on the terrace and planting more flowers. I also wanted to get hanging plants for the columns out back, trim the hedges, and make the yard look nicer.
When I’d been younger, I had loved helping Gramps do yardwork, and I knew he’d love to see the place liven up again.
After we ate, we left the lounge and went outside to where all the students were hanging out. Th
ey had another fifteen minutes left before they had to go back to class, so Hunter and I thought we’d enjoy some fresh air while we could.
Daniel and Joel were standing with all the other football guys, and they were laughing and playfully pushing each other. However, when Daniel saw me, his smile fell and he glared before turning back to his friends.
“Just give him some time,” Hunter said, brushing his hand against mine before letting it fall away.
“He hates me,” I pointed out.
“No, he doesn’t.” Hunter faced me. “You’re just his hero, and it always affects us more when someone we care about hurts us. He’ll come around eventually.”
I stayed with Hunter through the rest of the day, hanging out in his classroom and playing teacher’s helper. Something funny was all the girls that used to be flirty with me were now all swoony, as if knowing I was gay made me more appealing to them. When I walked past their desks to hand out papers, they’d look at me with those dreamy eyes.
It was…odd.
Hunter noticed it, and he fought a laugh as he described what that day’s assignment was.
The class had finished reading the Tartuffe play and was moving on to the creative writing portion of the curriculum. Since there were only a few weeks left of school, Hunter had wanted to still teach the kids something, but not make it too arduous.
Creative writing was a great way to let the kids express themselves while at the same time, learning valuable critical thinking and problem solving skills. It also helped build their vocabulary, taught them how to outline a story, and introduced them to the world of criticism. All while being able to write about their emotions or whatever they wanted.
My man was kind of brilliant.
As Hunter explained the assignment to the class, I took out my phone and scrolled through my messages. Austin sent me a picture of him and Beth wearing love is love rainbow bracelets. I texted back that they were nerds, but amazing friends and I loved them.
Jennifer emailed me about going on some late-night talk show to talk about my coming out experience and how I’ve been since then, which I replied to and said ‘no thanks.’ I didn’t want to make it any more of a spectacle than it already was; I only wanted to focus on my last year with the Raptors and enjoy it.
Then, I saw the text from William.
William: You’re welcome, BTW. You’re still all over the news.
Me: U really expect a ‘thank u’ for what u did?
William: I did you a favor. One we both benefited from. You’re now the hottest out and proud athlete, and I got a promotion. Plus a book deal.
Me: If ur book deal has me as the subject, you’ll need to rethink that. I didn’t press charges against u for outing me to god and everybody, but if u continue prying into my life, I will make sure u never work at another magazine—or anywhere in publishing—again. Got it?
William didn’t message me back. He was probably hiding with his tail between his legs like the coward he was.
My threat was based in fact, and he knew it. I knew a lot of people in the industry, and he really didn’t want to fuck with me. There were loopholes he could jump through to still write his book—one that more than likely mirrored his article about being with me, but probably involved more explicit detail—and I wouldn’t be able to legally do much on that front.
But as for his reputation? I could ruin that with just a few phone calls.
Not that I’d ever admit it to him, but I actually was thankful for what he did. When it happened, all I’d wanted to do was kick his ass. But now that I’d had a chance to calm down and the media had stopped freaking out over it so much, I was able to appreciate the freedom it had given me.
I no longer worried about people finding out I was with Hunter and the uproar it’d cause. I could just be me—completely and freely.
“Mr. Walsh, Corbin is on his phone,” one of the students said, causing me to almost drop said phone.
The whole class turned around and looked at me, most of them with impish grins on their faces. The little jerks.
“Mr. Taylor?” Hunter said, uncrossing his arms and walking toward me down the aisle of desks. He held out his hand. “Hand it over. I’ll return it at the end of class.”
“You can’t be serious,” I said, gaping at him. When he wiggled his fingers, I sighed and placed the phone in his outstretched hand.
Some of the students snickered, and I stuck out my tongue at them. I mean, if I was being treated like a child I might as well play the part.
Once Hunter was back at the front of the room, he continued where he’d left off in his lecture, but he met my gaze over the heads of students, and the side smile was impossible to miss. He was enjoying this a little too much.
That’s fine. I’ll just show him who the real teacher is later.
And with that thought—of me bending him over his desk and fucking him senseless—I had to shift in my seat and look away. It was two o’clock, so there was only a little over an hour left of school.
Phoneless and bored, I nudged Joel’s back, who was sitting in the desk in front of me.
He flipped around with a droll look.
“Can I have a piece of paper and a pen?” I asked, feeling way too much like I was back in high school. I’d always been the kid who forgot his shit and had to borrow it from others. Well, more like pester the hell out of Hunter until he gave me one of his.
Joel tore a sheet from his notebook and retrieved an extra pen from his backpack before handing them to me.
Daniel hadn’t been the only one to treat me different since the coming out incident; Joel had too. He wasn’t as angry as Daniel, but he certainly wasn’t as easy-going as usual. It made sense, though, seeing as to how they were best friends.
“Thanks, man,” I said.
He nodded before facing ahead.
Focusing on the sheet of paper, I wrote at the top:
Possible career options
I underlined it like a million times before doodling on the ends of each word, which meant I still had no fucking idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Austin had said he wanted to go into sports broadcasting, but that didn’t interest me. I had a degree in business organization. Maybe opening my own sports themed store would be fun. Or like a sports bar.
Fuck, I didn’t know.
***
After school, I told Hunter where I was going, and I headed toward the weight room. Knowing Daniel like I did, I knew he’d be there. And I was right.
“Hey, kid,” I said after entering the room and seeing him doing bicep curls on one of the weight benches.
“What do you want?” he snapped, not looking at me.
“To talk.”
He tossed the weight down before standing up. Sweat caked in his dark hair and his gray shirt was darker in some spots, which told me he’d been in there a while.
“Look, Dan, I’m sorry. Okay?” I said. “I shouldn’t have kept it from you. Not after you confided in me. But I’m here now.”
Daniel barged toward me with balled fists, causing me to take a step back. “Where were you when I needed you? My dad found out, Corbin! He walked in on me kissing Joel.” Tears pooled in his eyes, and he became even more riled up. “He kicked my ass and told me if he ever caught me being a fag again that he’d take me out back and put a bullet in my skull. I needed you. And you weren’t here.”
My heart was in my throat, and I stepped toward him.
“Kid, I—”
“Stop fucking calling me a kid,” Daniel said, falling back on the bench and hanging his head. “I’m tired of adults saying one thing and doing another. I’m tired of being disappointed all the time.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” I asked, sitting beside him. “I gave you my number.”
“I was too pissed at you,” he answered before wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “And I didn’t think you’d even care. Not with everything else goin’ on in your life.”
God. Was I that
stubborn as a teenager?
“Well, I do care,” I said, gently nudging his side. “I’m not going anywhere either. Are you still staying with your dad?”
Now that I knew for certain that his dad was an abusive asshole, I wasn’t going to let him stay in that environment.
Daniel shook his head. “No. When mom found out, she told me to come stay with her. They divorced like five years ago.”
“How does she feel about you being gay?”
Daniel shrugged and wiped at his eyes again, finally having calmed down enough to stop the tear flow. “She’s struggling with it because of her faith, but she said she loves and supports me no matter what.”
“So…you and Joel, huh?” I asked with a sly grin.
Daniel buried his face in his hands. “Yeah. It’s been going on for a while.”
“You know, that’s how it started with me and Hunter, um Mr. Walsh.” I smiled at the memory. “We were best friends for so long, and then one day…it just clicked. The time spent with him started to mean something different. I began focusing on how the edges of his eyes crinkled when he smiled, how his voice would get this higher pitch when he was excited, and how he’d grab my arm when he was scared. One day, he grabbed my arm and I didn’t want him to let go.”
Daniel regarded me before nodding and averting his gaze to the floor. “That’s how it is with Joel. Even when I’m not conscious of it, I reach for him. Like instinct or something.”
Minutes of silence passed, but I got the impression that’s what Daniel needed—for me to be there, but not to try to give him advice or tell him what to do. He just needed me so he didn’t feel like he was going through it alone.
And it was within that silence that the answer to my question screamed in my head.
“It’s sort of hard to be passionate about the game when your own coach doesn’t give a fuck,” Daniel had said a while back when I first started helping him train.
With the realization of what I wanted to do after pro-football, I felt so damn stupid for not figuring it out sooner. The answer had literally been right in front of me the entire time.
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