Page 72 of Antidote

There’s a moment of silence where he stares at me with a little smile on his lips, although it’s not awkward. It just appears soft—nostalgic, even. His green eyes dilate as he looks at my lips, and before I can say anything, he leans in and gives me a kiss. His lips brush against my cheek as he pulls away and kisses me there too. I was used to affectionate Hunter before everything happened, but now it feels even more special. I took it for granted back then. However, now that he’s not hiding us…I’ll never make that mistake again.

Someone clears their throat as they walk past us, and when I peer up I see it’s Lisa. Her smile is apologetic as she sits across from us and clasps her hands together. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to come off that strong, Ollie. I worry about you as your sponsor, and I’m afraid of what might happen if you break up. You’ve told me some details that make it feel…like it’s a possibility.”

Hunter nods, “I can understand why you’re worried.” My heart squeezes in my chest and a lump forms in my throat as I wait with bated breath for what he’s about to say. “But Ollie and I love each other. We’re inevitable, him and I. Nothing and no one is going to keep him away from me, so you can go ahead and make a plan to keep him sober—just know it won’t be without me.”

My breath expels in one long exhale, and Lisa’s eyes widen.

“So it’s like that then, huh?” Lisa smirks, and we both nod. “Well, then. I guess you need to tell me what’s next so I can support you better, Ollie.”

“Coming out to my dad,” I tell her slowly. “It will happen in a few days. We’re afraid of how he might react.”

“That makes sense.” She taps her chin as if she’s thinking. The sight makes me chuckle, and when I peek over at Hunt he’s rolling his eyes. It’s playful, though I can tell he’s desperate to know how we’re going to proceed. “How about this…if something goes wrong with your dad, text me a code word, and I’ll drop everything to help you.”

“Code word?” My brows furrow in confusion.

“Yeah.” She nods enthusiastically. “Pick a code word, and I’ll know something is wrong. That way I can call you or meet you somewhere. This word tells me you’re thinking of using, and I’ll drop everything for you.”

Wow, I never even thought of that.

Now that she has said it though, it seems extremely helpful. I’ll probably need her after Dad finds out. I just know it. He’s not going to take it well. Not with Hunter being the golden boy and me being the…fuck up. He’s going to try to convince Hunt to let me go. And if he did, if he picked Dad over us, well, I don’t know what I would do. But she’s right, I’d probably use.

“Antidote,” I blurt out. “My word.”

She grins, her face lighting up. “I like that.”

“It’s settled, then,” I say with a small smile, wishing she’d go away now so I can spend my time with Hunter. “I’ll let you know when I need you.”

She nods, getting the hint, and stands. “See ya.”

I glance up at Hunt, and he smiles down at me in reassurance. Suddenly, I don’t feel so alone in this. He’s by my side through this, just like Lisa. That gives me hope. It gives me peace. It brings me happiness. And I’m going to hold on to all of those emotions, keep them close to my heart.

Mostly because I know they might be short-lived.

I’ve never been to a gay club, so imagine my surprise when Ollie invited me to this one. He sold a painting to the man who owns the club—apparently a painting of me. Ollie said my face is unrecognizable, thankfully, and I’m curious to see it considering he says it’s his best yet.

My friends wanted to come with me, which makes no sense as none of them are gay, but they said it would be fun. So here we are, parked at the club, sitting in the car. Jamie and Ollie came together, and I didn’t even get jealous when he suggested it. Baby steps, I guess. At least I know I have nothing to worry about when it comes to Murdock.

We agreed we wouldn’t stay late tonight since we have a big day tomorrow. We have dinner with Dad, and the plan is to tell him about us. My hands shake just thinking about it, and I can’t deny I’m scared shitless. I want to do it, I do. I swear. It’s just that I’m terrified I’ll lose my only parent over it.

But I have to go through with it—for Ollie. For myself. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also is necessary if we don’t want him to find out another way. Ollie and I aren’t hiding anymore since the team knows about it. The last thing we need is for him to come to one of my games and see me kissing on Ollie.

Ruffling my hair, I lower the visor and look at myself in the mirror. Can my friends tell I’m having a mental breakdown? Or am I hiding it well? I apply Chapstick and put it in my back pocket, just to realize everyone in the car is looking at me.

Yep, they can definitely tell.

Connor turns his body to face me, smirking. “You good there, Cinderella? Got someone to look pretty for?”

My stomach flutters, and I have to hold back my grin. “Shut up,” I huff. “You know I do.” I pause. “Why are you guys even here anyway?”

“It’s Saturday night, and we didn’t have a game,” Jacob says from behind me in a duh tone. “We should be celebrating.”

“Celebrating life,” Connor says, and I look at him with narrowed eyes.

“No one in this car is even gay,” I reply, my cheeks heating immediately. I just know they’re going to say something.

Everyone looks at me with raised eyebrows, and Connor has a little smirk. “Says the one with the boyfriend.”

“Alright, I didn’t mean me.” I roll my eyes. “I meant y’all.”

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