Page 106 of Poolside

Chuck watched Tommy. It was clear that he was nervous. His jaw was tight as he adjusted the goggles on his face.

Chuck leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Do you need a pep talk?”

“Yes, please.” The smile Tommy shot him was all relief.

Chuck laughed, rubbing his hands together. He’d given more pep talks than he could count in his career as a coach, from quick conversations before a race, to speaking to a locker room full of athletes who looked to him for guidance and direction.

This was different. This was a man who’d been transformed a million times over in the last two years. His life had been slowly dismantled, from his marriage and career to his identity, and now there he was, Tommy Littleton, a demi and bisexual man who was about to do a half-mile open water swim just because it was something he’d set out to accomplish.

“Tommy. This moment has become so much more than a silly little race to impress your boss. This is about you celebrating yourself. Remember Sage’s party last year?” When Tommy nodded, he went on. “I remember thinking that I wanted you to get your groove back. I wanted my friend back. But the man you’ve become is so much more than that. You’re my friend, the man I love, and the person I want to share the weight of the world with.

“So go swim. You worked your ass off to get here. Go swim for the guy who looked like a drowning raccoon that first day in the pool. Go swim for the man who walked away from his job because his boss was a homophobe and an asshole. This is you celebrating everything you’ve worked for. Your happiness. Your life.”

“That was one hell of a speech,” Keaton said loudly, clapping and whistling from the back of the boat.

Chuck only had eyes for Tommy.

“Shut the fuck up, Keats.” Tommy stood up, shaking out his legs and arms.Fuckhe was handsome, all tan skin and muscles and hairy thighs. He snagged Chuck’s hands and pulled him to his feet. “I’ve got a man to kiss.”

Tommy’s skin was hot from the sun and he tasted like sunscreen. Chuck hummed as their tongues slid together, Tommy crowding against him as Chuck wrapped his arms around Tommy’s back.

“How did I get so lucky?” Tommy whispered as they broke apart.

Chuck pressed one more kiss to the corner of Tommy’s mouth. “Luck has nothing to do with it, T. We both worked for what we have together. You’ve shown up over and over again and loved me through it all. That’s not luck.” Chuck stepped back, gripped Tommy by the shoulders, and spun him until he faced the side of the boat. “Now stop loitering and get your ass in the water,” he commanded, giving Tommy’s lycra-covered butt a hard smack.

Tommy opened the low gate at the front of the boat, glancing back at Chuck with a grin before jumping into the water. When he resurfaced, he shot Chuck a thumbs up, and, with a final deep breath, put his head down and started swimming.

Chuck walked back to take the spot beside Keaton, making sure he could still keep an eye on Tommy as they started to move forward slowly. Keaton kept the boat about fifteen yards away, driving between Tommy and the open lake.

“You two are sickening,” Keaton said, adjusting his baseball cap.

Chuck laughed off the comment, more than used to Keaton’s snark. “Are you ready to talk about whatever is happening between you and Maggie?”

Keaton responded with a noncommittal grunt. Chuck saw his gaze turn to Tommy, who looked strong and steady as he moved through the water.

“His stroke looks good.”

Chuck nodded, unable to keep the amusement from his face.

“Good lord, man. Get your head out of the gutter! You know what I mean.”

Tommy’s stroke did look good. His elbows were high, his body rocking easily from side to side. His head stayed in the water as he turned to breathe. “He worked hard for this,” Chuck said with a fond smile. “He still swims with me in the mornings. Just comes along and does whatever I do.”

“He really loves you.”

Chuck turned to Keaton. “Yeah. He really does.”

When he looked back at the water, Tommy had drifted a bit off course. Chuck cupped his hands around his mouth. “T,” he shouted. “T! T!”

Tommy’s head popped up from the water, turning from side to side until he saw the boat. “What?” he shouted back.

“You’re good, T. Just going off course a bit.” Chuck pointed up to the distant flagpole. He could see Tommy’s breathing speeding up, his chest rising and falling at a frantic pace.Shit. “Hey. Deep breaths,” Chuck called out. “Tread water. You’ve got this. Five strokes and then check for the flagpole. You’re almost halfway there.”

Tommy seemed to relax, his breathing slowing. A big smile broke across his face. “I can’t believe you convinced me to do this!”

“You’re the one who asked me to train you!”

Tommy shook his head, treading water steadily. “You’re lucky you’re so pretty.”

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