Page 13 of The Step Don't

“No one is allowed to smell him but me.” He balls up the shirt and tucks it close to him.

“You’re so weird.”

“It’s hot.”

I shrug, not really getting it myself, but not one to kink shame.

“Where’s Ash?” Troy sits back down in the chair.

“He’s in class, and I’m chillin’ before work.”

“Atlas ran into him in the dining hall earlier. He said they had lunch together.”

“Look at our stepbros bonding.” I pick up the football Troy keeps by his nightstand, twisting it around in my hands. We played together in high school, and I loved it, but an injury sidelined him from playing college football.

“I definitely didn’t see that coming.”

It’s not like Atlas and Ash are besties. This is the first time they’ve done something like have lunch together, just the two of them. I would know otherwise. But Atlas has softened toward Ash over the past few weeks. Since Ash used to have a crush on Troy when he was tutoring him, he’d playfully flirt with Troy, and he even bid onhim in an auction. No one knew Troy was hooking up with Atlas at the time. I’ve since learned that Atlas got a bit stabby about Ash because he used to want to bone Troy.

In some ways I get it. Like I said, I’m protective of my stepbrother too, though we clearly don’t have the same relationship as Atlas and Troy. It’s strange how it never really bothered me when Ash liked Troy—or maybe not so strange since I trust Troy wouldn’t have ever hurt him. If anything had gone down, it would have been a hookup and then that’s it.

“Atlas is practically a docile kitten now that he’s with you.” He is actually the opposite of that, but I also know there’s a softer side to him that he mostly only feels comfortable showing to Troy.

Troy lets out a laugh. “First, he absolutely is not, and second, don’t ever let him hear you say that.”

“I’m not scared of your boyfriend.” I flex my biceps, earning myself a shake of the head from Troy. “Hey, if you have time, you should come to the park with me.” Along with my part-time position at a local law office as a legal assistant, I teach small-group football lessons to middle schoolers. Ash had a hard time in middle school, and in a lot of ways, I did too. It’s when my parents separated, and Mom moved to North Carolina. I made the decision to stay in Georgia, and not long after, my dad and Ash’s mom were together. Getting close to Ashhelped, but I know he had a harder time. I think he felt alone. Even though my mom moved, we’re still close and talk all the time. I spend holidays with her and my sister, Emily, and visit in the summer. My parents are the type who hug us all the time and make sure we know they love us. Ash’s parents love him, but they’re both hands-off. On top of that, he had bullying issues around the same time, and yeah, like I said, middle school wasn’t easy on him. I like the idea of being there for kids around the same age—giving them an outlet so they know they always have someone in their corner, like Ash might not have had if it wasn’t for me.

Troy’s eyes light up. “I can do that.”

“Bet. Get ready. We leave in ten.”

He nods, and I go to my room to get changed. Ash will be out of class soon, but he has to intern for a few hours at the biomedical research lab on campus.

Troy and I head out a few minutes later. The park is within walking distance of Peach State, but we take my car because of all the supplies.

When we pull up, the six kids who take the lessons are already there. Troy and I grab the bags from the back and head over to the kids. Their parents are all waiting at picnic tables, most of them glued to their phones.

“Hey, crew.” The group is made up of four boys and two girls, which I think is fucking awesome. It’s cool that we have girls who love football so much that they’re here,even though they would never be able to play on their school teams. Some of them have started playing in girls’ flag football programs, which I would love to see become a more widespread thing. “I brought my friend Troy with me today. He’s not nearly as good as I am, but he might have a little knowledge to impart to you.”

My joke earns me snickers from the kids and a playful scowl from my friend.

“Okay. Let’s set up for drills!” I clap my hands together, and we jump into our warm-ups and then offensive drills. The two hours go by in the blink of an eye, and before I know it, the kids are helping pack up and their parents are coming over to thank me and say goodbye.

“That was fun,” Troy says. Despite the spring nip in the air, we’re both a sweaty mess.

“Yeah, I fucking love it.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out.

Ash: How was practice?

I can’t help smiling. I love that he knows I just finished and is checking in. Ash knows how important this is to me, and it means the world to me that he cares.

Me: Great! They were, of course, still amazed at my talent.

Ash: As they should be.He adds a wink emoji, and I feel my grin grow. Why does everything about Ash make me smile?

“I recognize that smile. Did you meet a woman?”Troy asks, and my nose wrinkles.

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