Page 62 of Cross the Line

“Aw, Theodore. You missed me already.”

“I appreciate that you assume that’s the only reason someone would call you.”

“When texting is an option and someone chooses to call, the only logical assumption is their fondness for my voice. Admit it, you like listening to me talk.”

There’s the briefest pause where Alec worries he’s gone too far before Theo laughs. “Maybe.”

Maybe.

No word has ever sounded so beautiful. Honest to god butterflies erupt in his chest. Alec has lost track of how many times people have gotten tired of him talking. Told him he talks too loud or too fast, telling him to water himself down to be easier to handle. The idea that maybe Theo doesn’t mind Alec at full strength is possibly the most affirming thing he’s ever heard.

“You weren’t outside when I got here, so I thought I’d call and see if you needed help with anything.”

“What, are you gonna help me get dressed?” Alec teases, blaming his sudden confidence from Theo’s words spurring on his flirty side. If he doesn’t mind Alec being unabashedly himself, then maybe he can stop holding back. They’re friends, and Alec flirts and teases his friends. Maybe when he does it to Theo it's secretly true, but Theo doesn’t need to know that. “I’m just teasing. Calm down, Theodore. Old people have delicate hearts, so I’ve been told.”

“You’re such a shit.” Theo laughs and the sound is warm through the phone. Alec can picture the shape of Theo’s smile and the exact place where the lines form near his eyes when he’s happy. “Get your sarcastic ass downstairs.”

“Yes, sir.” Alec grins, his smile faltering when he hangs up and finds Hunter staring at him with a curious expression. He shifts, tugging on the hem of his shirt self-consciously. “What?”

“Nothing,” Hunter says, though it seems anything but. “You still wanna do this?”

“Hell yeah,” Alec answers, a renewed sense of energy thrumming through his body.

He taps his fingers against his hip, unable to fight off his own growing smile. His team kicked ass today, Theo is his friend again, and Hunter came out to him tonight. While his body might ache from the game today and his entire future is overwhelming, none of that matters tonight. Tonight he’s just a guy hanging out with his friends. He’s gonna have a drink, dance, and relax. Tonight is going to be amazing. He can feel it.

Hunter curses behind him. “I forgot my phone.”

“I can wait for you,” Alec tells him, pausing in the open doorway.

“Nah, that’s fine, I’ll be out in a minute. Don’t wanna keep Theo waiting.” He winks at Alec, and the act has him blushing more than he has any right to. It occurs to him that as painful and ill-advised as his feelings for Theo have always been, no one has ever let him have them. Charlie has been overprotective and judgmental, as have Antonio and Riley, and while he knows that it always came from a place of love, those reactions made him feel more defensive than he ever realized.

He knows nothing will ever happen with Theo and that dressing up to go out to a gay club with him is silly, but Hunter isn’t telling him that or reminding him not to be an idiot. He’s teasing Alec, letting him have his crush, and it feels surprisingly nice. That feeling lasts all of thirty seconds until he steps outside to find Theo leaning against his car waiting for Alec.

Theo’s usual sweater is nowhere to be found. Instead he’s wearing a dark blue, long- sleeved button up that fits him like a second skin. The dark color highlights his tan skin, even in the dark glow of the apartment lights. His long legs are splayed wide, the dark wash denim hugging his thighs and waist in all the right places.

Theo looks like sex on legs, and Alec is so fucking screwed.

CHAPTER 12

Theo

It’s a good thing Theo is already leaning against the car, because watching Alec walk towards him with a wide smile and unmistakable confidence is enough to have Theo’s knees trembling.

He’s seen Alec spend a year wearing a superhero cape to soccer practice when he was in elementary school and seen him in various stages of teenage awkwardness. More recently he’s seen Alec in nothing but athleisure, a style that suits him. But Theo’s never seen Alec like this. Gone are his sweats and barely-there tanks, his oversized hoodies paired with tiny running shorts. Tonight Alec is dressed in a pair of loose fitting jeans that hang so low on his waist Theo has no idea what’s even keeping them up. The thick waistband of his stretchy boxer briefs are visible along with the Adidas logo. The band is crisp white, like they’re brand new, and the mental image is enough to have Theo glad his pants are way too tight to show off his own reaction.

As good as Alec’s pants and boxers look, the shirt is the star of the show, or perhaps lack thereof. Theo doesn’t know much about fashion, but what he does know is that Alec looks sexy as hell in his crop top. The shirt has a low scoop at the neckline, showing off the hollow of his throat and collarbones, both of which have a glorious amount of freckles. The boxy fit of the shirt flutters when he moves, hanging free around his chest and showing off his impressive physique.

The fact that Alec is a D1 athlete is all too obvious in the expanse of muscles on display, his belly taut with a defined six pack. Even the jut of his hips are sharp enough to cut diamonds. The most tantalizing of all are the freckles splattered across his belly and around his hips. Theo got glimpses of them when Alec showed up on his doorstep with Rio, but he’d been a lot more worried about tending to Alec’s wounds than mapping his freckles. He’s interested in tracing them now, his tongue too big for his mouth as his eyes hone in on a dark cluster near Alec’s treasure trail, both of which disappear beneath his waistband.

Appreciating Alec’s beauty before had felt almost objective, like looking at a piece of art and recognizing it was stunning. Whatever he’s doing now is anything but objective.

“You clean up nice, Theodore. You trying to get someone’s attention?”

“You never know. I might see someone at the club worth picking up,” Theo lies, knowing there won’t be a goddamn person there who can compare to the man in front of him.

“Of course,” Alec says. His smile slips for half a second, gone and back so quickly Theo isn’t sure if he imagined it. “I’m sure you’re very popular. You could have your pick of anyone.”

“Maybe—”

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