Page 31 of Just a Footnote

“Yeah, I’m coming.” He keeps his face partial but he hopes his eyes say what he really means.

Liam shoots him aare you seriouskind of look. It’s impossible that Liam should look so good after a game. Sweaty and flushed and slightly riled up with energy. Aiden kind of wishes he could have him like this, right after, but that’s far too hard for him to ask for.

Ollie strolls out of the locker room, beelining straight for Skye. Aiden watches the emotions wash over Skye’s face at the sight of Ollie. A mixture of fond relief and joy, it’s almost enough to make Aiden hurl.

“Hey, baby,” Ollie says in his deep, oddly sexy voice. Aiden has never really had a thing for the big, beefy type of guy but if he did Ollie would definitely be it. He’s large and likely probably in charge.

“Aiden, are you riding with us?” Skye asks, looking over her shoulder as she starts to walk away with Ollie.

“Nah, I’ll catch a ride with Liam.”

Skye frowns, goes to open her mouth, but gets dragged away by Ollie too fast before she can say anything.

“Archer and Miles are hanging back,” Liam says, wiggling his eyebrows salaciously. “They said they’ll ride with Matty.”

Aiden side steps all the implications to that because he really doesn’t care to know. The air is cold out but not as bitter cold since it’s late February in Georgia now. Stars blink from above and Aiden stares up at them as they walk into the parking lot towards Liam’s car. Liam unlocks it and they hurriedly climb inside to escape the cold. Once they pull out of the parking lot to head towards Liam’s place, Aiden notices that he’s vibrating a little.

“Good game,” Aiden comments, enjoying the way Liam’s mouth smoothes into a pleased smile that lights up his entire face.

“Thank you.”

“You just wanted me to say you played well.”

Liam flicks him a look, tightens his grip on the steering wheel, then loosens it. “Maybe.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“I wouldn’t ever.” Liam turns down the radio a little, clears his throat. “Do you like museums?”

Aiden fumbles a little in his brain at the question, but gathers himself. “Sure?”

“I’m taking an art history course this semester. I have to go to the Georgia Museum of Art to look at a traveling collection of art so I can write a research paper on it. Do you want to come with me?”

That sounds an awful lot like a date. Aiden frowns in the dark of the car. His heart beats a little too fast. “If you blow me after.”

Liam laughs, a little hysterically, because he’s been caught off guard. “Okay. I would’ve done that anyway.”

Aiden feels like he should’ve said no. He should’ve told Liam that they don’t do that. They don’t hang out. Except at parties, at the dorm, on ice cream dates with Archer and Miles…so they can avoid this getting complicated. Starting a friends with benefits situation with Liam was very obviously a glaring mistake.

They pull up in front of Liam’s house. Liam unbuckles his seatbelt and angles his body towards Aiden’s in the car. Unable to stop himself, Aiden reaches up and brushes some of the stray hair from Liam’s forehead. A bemused, pleased expression crosses Liam’s face before he leans the rest of the way to place a hard kiss to Aiden’s mouth. All the air rushes out of Aiden from the intensity of the slide of Liam’s lips across his own.Pulling away from the kiss is akin to torture but Aiden makes himself do it.

He quietly follows Liam to the front door. The house is quiet when they enter but the basement below is loud, even through the closed door. Thumping bass echoes around them as theydescend down the stairs. Liam pauses, halfway down, and turns to pin Aiden with a look.

“Stay here tonight?”

“No.”

“Please?”

Aiden feels itchy in his skin again. “I can’t. I have to leave after the party.”

“In that case.” Liam turns around on the stairs then gently manhandles Aiden back up the stairs.

“Hey, what the shit!” Aiden whispers.

Liam doesn’t respond, he just pulls Aiden down the dark hallway towards what Aiden assumes is his bedroom. It’s confirmed to be his room when they walk through the door and he’s greeted with enough hockey paraphernalia to make him wonder if he’s actually stepped through the doors of a sports museum. The king size bed in the middle of the bedroom is nice though.

“I didn’t know people actually say what the shit,” Liam points out as he hurriedly unbuttons Aiden’s jeans. “I thought it was just something people pretended to say. For comedic purposes.”

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